Aim and Scope

The main goal of the journal is to provide the scholars of Lomonosov Moscow State University, their Russian and foreign colleagues with an opportunity to publish the results of their scientific research, to exchange opinions and ideas with Russian and foreign researchers, to bring attention to the most relevant, promising and interesting areas of sociology and political sciences, theory and history of sociology, social practice and politics.

The most important objective of the journal is to provide a complete and comprehensive picture of modern sociology and political sciences, their history of development and their national and regional specifics.

The journal “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") publishes articles on sociology and political science, results of empirical research conducted in various areas of social and political life of Russia and foreign countries, lectures and teaching materials, information and analytical reports on given conferences, reviews to the most recent works in the field of sociology and political sciences. The journal is open for publishing scientific findings of scholars of the Lomonosov Moscow State University, other scientific organizations and higher schools from Russia and from abroad.

Section Policies

Publication Frequency

4 issues per year

Open Access Policy

“Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") is an open access journal. All articles are made freely available to readers immediatly upon publication.

Our open access policy is in accordance with the Budapest Open Access Initiative (BOAI) definition - it means that articles have free availability on the public internet, permitting any users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full texts of these articles, crawl them for indexing, pass them as data to software, or use them for any other lawful purpose, without financial, legal, or technical barriers other than those inseparable from gaining access to the internet itself.

For more information please read BOAI statement.

Archiving

• Russian State Library (RSL)
• National Electronic-Information Consortium (NEICON)

Peer-Review

In order to ensure the quality of published materials, and to observe copyright, all submitted materials are verified by Antiplagiat system and only then sent for peer review. Accepted articles undergo all necessary editing.

Lomonosov Moscow State University, Faculty of Sociology, acting as co-founders, and Publishing House of Lomonosov Moscow State University as the publisher of scientific journals, are responsible for strict control of published scientific materials. We realize the responsibility for proper representation of scientific findings, including the ethical and legal aspects of publication set forth below.

A bilateral anonymous ("blind") peer review method is mandatory for processing of all scientific manuscripts submitted to the editorial stuff of “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science"). This implies that neither the reviewer is aware of the authorship of the manuscript, nor the author maintains any contact with the reviewer.

1. Members of the editorial board and leading Russian and international experts in corresponding areas of social sciences, invited as independent readers, perform peer reviews. Editor-in-chief, deputy editor-in-chief choose readers for peer review. We aim to limit the review process to 2-4 weeks, though in some cases the schedule may be adjusted at the reviewer’s request. 

2. The reviewing of the manuscript is carried out in anonymous way. The review criteria are as follows:

1. The conformity of the processing of the paper with the Bulletin’s standards.
2. The actuality of the object of a study.
3. Accordance with the present-day level of research work in the field.
4. The logical coherence of the procedure and validity of the research results.
5. The originality of the research approach and the novelty of the research results.

3. Reviewer has an option to abnegate the assessment, if any conflict of interests that may affect perception or interpretation of the manuscript arise. Upon the scrutiny, the reviewer is expected to present the editorial board with one of the following recommendations:

-      to accept the paper in its present state;

-      to invite the author to revise their manuscript;

-      to address specific concerns before final decision is reached. To inform the author, that final decision will be reached following further reviewing by another specialist;

-      to reject the manuscript outright.

4. If the reviewer has recommended any refinements, the editorial staff would suggest the author either to implement the corrections, or to dispute them reasonably. Authors are kindly required to limit their revision to 2 months and resubmit the adapted manuscript within this period for final evaluation.

5. We politely request that the editor to be notified verbally or in writing should the author decide to refuse from publishing the manuscript. In case the author fails to do so within 3 months since receiving a copy of the initial review, the editorial board takes the manuscript off the register and notifies the author accordingly.

6. If author and reviewers meet insoluble contradictions regarding revision of the manuscript, the editor-in-chief resolves the conflict by his own authority.

7. The editorial board reaches final decision to reject a manuscript on the hearing according to reviewers’ recommendations, and duly notifies the authors of their decision via e-mail. The board does not accept previously rejected manuscripts for re-evaluation.

8. Upon the decision to accept the manuscript for publishing, the editorial staff notifies the authors of the scheduled date of publication. The order for manuscripts’ publication is determined according to editorial plan of journal issue.

9. Kindly note that positive review does not guarantee the acceptance, as final decision in all cases lies with the editorial board. By his authority, editor-in-chief rules final solution of every conflict.

10. Original reviews of submitted manuscripts remain deposited for 5 years.

11. Review copies are sent to Ministry of Education and Science of the Russian Federation on request.

Indexation

Articles in  “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") are indexed by several systems:

• Russian Scientific Citation Index (RSCI) – a database, accumulating information on papers by Russian scientists, published in native and foreign titles. The RSCI project is under development since 2005 by “Electronic Scientific Library” foundation (elibrary.ru).
• Google Scholar is a freely accessible web search engine that indexes the full text of scholarly literature across an array of publishing formats and disciplines. The Google Scholar index includes most peer-reviewed online journals of Europe and America's largest scholarly publishers, plus scholarly books and other non-peer reviewed journals.
• Base
• Dimensions
• DOAJ
• East View
• EDS
• ErihPlus
• Library of Congress
• SOCIONET
• WorldCat
• Cyberleninka

Publishing Ethics

Editorial policy of the journal is based on the traditional ethical principles of scientific periodicals. It supports the Code of Ethics of Scientific Publications stated by the Committee on Ethics of Scientific Publications (Russia, Moscow), and is built upon the ethical regulations for editors and publishers set forth in the Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, as well as in the Code of Conduct for Journal Publishers, developed by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Statement of the journal “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") are based on the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) Code of Conduct guidelines available at www.publicationethics.org,  and requirements for peer-reviewed journals, elaborated by the Elsevier Publishing House (in accordance with international ethical rules of scientific publications).

1. Introduction

1.1. The publication in a peer reviewed learned journal, serves many purposes outside of simple communication. It is a building block in the development of a coherent and respected network of knowledge. For all these reasons and more it is important to lay down standards of expected ethical behaviour by all parties involved in the act of publishing: the author, the journal editor, the peer reviewer, the publisher and the society for society-owned or sponsored journal: “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science")

1.2. Publisher has a supporting, investing and nurturing role in the scholarly communication process but is also ultimately responsible for ensuring that best practice is followed in its publications.

1.3. Publisher takes its duties of guardianship over the scholarly record extremely seriously. Our journal programs record «the minutes of science» and we recognize our responsibilities as the keeper of those «minutes» in all our policies not least the ethical guidelines that we have here adopted.

2. Duties of Editors

2.1. Publication decision – The Editor of a learned “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") is solely and independently responsible for deciding which of the articles submitted to the journal should be published. The validation of the work in question and its importance to researchers and readers must always underwrite such decisions. The Editor may be guided by the policies of the “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") journal’s editorial board and constrained by such legal requirements as shall then be in force regarding libel, copyright infringement and plagiarism. The editor may confer with other editors or reviewers (or society officers) in making this decision.

2.2. Fair play – An editor should evaluate manuscripts for their intellectual content without regard to race, gender, sexual orientation, religious belief, ethnic origin, citizenship, or political philosophy of the authors.

2.3. Confidentiality – The editor and any editorial staff of “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher, as appropriate.

2.4. Disclosure and Conflicts of interest

2.4.1. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in an editor’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

2.4.2. Editors should recuse themselves (i.e. should ask a co-editor, associate editor or other member of the editorial board instead to review and consider) from considering manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or (possibly) institutions connected to the papers.

2.5. Vigilance over published record – An editor presented with convincing evidence that the substance or conclusions of a published paper are erroneous should coordinate with the publisher (and/or society) to promote the prompt publication of a correction, retraction, expression of concern, or other note, as may be relevant.

2.6. Involvement and cooperation in investigations – An editor should take reasonably responsive measures when ethical complaints have been presented concerning a submitted manuscript or published paper, in conjunction with the publisher (or society). Such measures will generally include contacting the author of the manuscript or paper and giving due consideration of the respective complaint or claims made, but may also include further communications to the relevant institutions and research bodies.

3. Duties of Reviewers

3.1. Contribution to Editorial Decisions – Peer review assists the editor in making editorial decisions and through the editorial communications with the author may also assist the author in improving the paper. Peer review is an essential component of formal scholarly communication, and lies at the heart of the scientific method. Publisher shares the view of many that all scholars who wish to contribute to publications have an obligation to do a fair share of reviewing.

3.2. Promptness – Any selected referee who feels unqualified to review the research reported in a manuscript or knows that its prompt review will be impossible should notify the editor of “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") and excuse himself from the review process.

3.3. Confidentiality – Any manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential documents. They must not be shown to or discussed with others except as authorised by the editor.

3.4. Standard and objectivity – Reviews should be conducted objectively. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate. Referees should express their views clearly with supporting arguments.

3.5. Acknowledgement of Sources – Reviewers should identify relevant published work that has not been cited by the authors. Any statement that an observation, derivation, or argument had been previously reported should be accompanied by the relevant citation. A reviewer should also call to the editor’s attention any substantial similarity or overlap between the manuscript under consideration and any other published paper of which they have personal knowledge.

3.6. Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

3.6.1. Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

3.6.2. Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

4. Duties of Authors

4.1. Reporting standards

4.1.1. Authors of reports of original research should present an accurate account of the work performed as well as an objective discussion of its significance. Underlying data should be represented accurately in the paper. A paper should contain sufficient detail and references to permit others to replicate the work. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements constitute unethical behaviour and are unacceptable.

4.1.2. Review and professional publication articles should also be accurate and objective, and editorial 'opinion’ works should be clearly identified as such.

4.2. Data Access and Retention – Authors may be asked to provide the raw data in connection with a paper for editorial review, and should be prepared to provide public access to such data (consistent with the ALPSP-STM Statement on Data and Databases), if practicable, and should in any event be prepared to retain such data for a reasonable time after publication.

4.3. Originality and Plagiarism

4.3.1. The authors should ensure that they have written entirely original works, and if the authors have used the work and/or words of others, this has been appropriately cited or quoted.

4.3.2. Plagiarism takes many forms, from ‘passing off’ another’s paper as the author’s own paper, to copying or paraphrasing substantial parts of another’s paper (without attribution), to claiming results from research conducted by others. Plagiarism in all its forms constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

4.4. Multiple, Redundant or Concurrent Publication

4.4.1. An author should not in general publish manuscripts describing essentially the same research in more than one journal of primary publication. Submitting the same manuscript to more than one journal concurrently constitutes unethical publishing behaviour and is unacceptable.

4.4.2. In general, an author should not submit for consideration in another journal a previously published paper.

4.4.3. Publication of some kinds of articles (eg, clinical guidelines, translations) in more than one journal is sometimes justifiable, provided certain conditions are met. The authors and editors of the journals concerned must agree to the secondary publication, which must reflect the same data and interpretation of the primary document. The primary reference must be cited in the secondary publication. Further detail on acceptable forms of secondary publication can be found at www.icmje.org.

4.5. Acknowledgement of Sources – Proper acknowledgment of the work of others must always be given. Authors should cite publications that have been influential in determining the nature of the reported work. Information obtained privately, as in conversation, correspondence, or discussion with third parties, must not be used or reported without explicit, written permission from the source. Information obtained in the course of confidential services, such as refereeing manuscripts or grant applications, must not be used without the explicit written permission of the author of the work involved in these services.

4.6. Authorship of the Paper

4.6.1. Authorship should be limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the conception, design, execution, or interpretation of the reported study. All those who have made significant contributions should be listed as co-authors. Where there are others who have participated in certain substantive aspects of the research project, they should be acknowledged or listed as contributors.

4.6.2. The corresponding author should ensure that all appropriate co-authors and no inappropriate co-authors are included on the paper, and that all co-authors have seen and approved the final version of the paper and have agreed to its submission for publication.

4.7. Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

4.7.1. All authors should disclose in their manuscript any financial or other substantive conflict of interest that might be construed to influence the results or interpretation of their manuscript. All sources of financial support for the project should be disclosed.

4.7.2. Examples of potential conflicts of interest which should be disclosed include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testimony, patent applications/registrations, and grants or other funding. Potential conflicts of interest should be disclosed at the earliest possible stage.

4.8. Fundamental errors in published works – When an author discovers a significant error or inaccuracy in a published work, it is the author’s obligation to promptly notify the editor of “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science")  journal and cooperate with Publisher to retract or correct the paper, If the editor or the publisher learn from a third party that a published work contains a significant error, it is the obligation of the author to promptly retract or correct the paper.

5. Duties of the Publisher

5.1. Publisher should adopt policies and procedures that support editors, reviewers and authors of “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") in performing their ethical duties under these ethics guidelines. The publisher should ensure that the potential for advertising or reprint revenue has no impact or influence on editorial decisions.

5.2. The publisher should support “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") journal editors in the review of complaints raised concerning ethical issues and help communications with other journals and/or publishers where this is useful to editors.

5.3. Publisher should develop codes of practice and inculcate industry standards for best practice on ethical matters, errors and retractions.

5.4. Publisher should provide specialized legal review and counsel if necessary.

Founder

• Lomonosov Moscow State University

• Faculty of Sociology (Lomonosov Moscow State University)

Author fees

Publication in  “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") is free of charge for all the authors.

 

Disclosure and Conflict of Interest

Unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be used in a reviewer’s own research without the express written consent of the author. Privileged information or ideas obtained through peer review must be kept confidential and not used for personal advantage.

Reviewers should not consider manuscripts in which they have conflicts of interest resulting from competitive, collaborative, or other relationships or connections with any of the authors, companies, or institutions connected to the papers.

Plagiarism detection

 “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") use native russian-language plagiarism detection software Antiplagiat to screen the submissions. If plagiarism is identified, the COPE guidelines on plagiarism will be followed.

Preprint and postprint Policy

Prior to acceptance and publication in  “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science"), authors may make their submissions available as preprints on personal or public websites.

As part of submission process, authors are required to confirm that the submission has not been previously published, nor has been submitted. After a manuscript has been published in  “Vestnik Moskovskogo universiteta. Seriya 18. Sotsiologiya i politologiya” ("Moscow State University Bulletin. Series 18. Sociology and Political Science") we suggest that the link to the article on journal's website is used when the article is shared on personal or public websites.

Glossary (by SHERPA)

ISSN 1029-3736 (Print)
ISSN 2541-8769 (Online)