About the Journal

1. General information

1.1. Quaestio Rossica aims to internationalise the presentation of research and information on the research process. Therefore, it tries to widen the geographical and thematic scope of the research it presents in order to establish deeper contacts with academia. As such, authors are kindly asked to pay close attention to the requirements for materials submitted (See: For Authors).

1.2. The name of the Journal – Quaestio Rossica – corresponds to the global tradition of the humanities and implies issues related to Russia and its discovery. The sections of the Journal have Latin names, and their structure depends on the materials submitted to each issue. The genres accepted for publication (research article, analytical and historiographical review, biographical essay, academic narrative, review) are discussed in greater depth below.

1.3. The Journal publishes materials on relevant issues in Russian history, philology, and culture and art studies. The Journal’s objective is to widen the role of Russian humanities in global scholarship. When choosing materials for publication, special attention is paid to new and previously unpublished historical and literary sources, academic objectivity, historiographic comprehensiveness, topicality, new interpretations of artefacts, and artistic completeness. The Editorial Board expects that upon turning to new sources to interpret the past and present, authors will combine them with a constructive re-interpretation of previous approaches, new concepts, and recognition of the existence of a multitude of viewpoints. The Journal publishes articles authored by specialists in Russian studies both from Russia and abroad. The Editorial Board hopes that the interaction of different academic traditions will prevent ungrounded conclusions.

2. The Structure of the Journal

2.1. The main part of the Journal is comprised of research articles and is divided into three sections. The Problema voluminis section publishes materials devoted to a topic proposed by the Editorial Board. A list of such topics is published on the website of the Journal at the beginning of each year (See: Topics to be discussed).

The Editorial Board welcomes suggestions from authors with regards to the topics of these sections.

2.2. The second section – Disputatio – features articles outside the scope of the Problema voluminis section but which are still considered to be of interest and importance to academia. 2.3. Articles reflecting on theoretically debatable issues, the history of ideas, and new approaches to material are published in the Conceptus et conceptio

2.4. An important part of the Journal is Origines, wherein new sources and archival materials are published. All publications must be accompanied by scholarly commentary or analysis. The source published must comply with the requirements of academic writing.

2.5. The Journal pays close attention to the history of the humanities. The section Hereditas: nomina et scholae aims to explain scholarship through the personality of a scholar and characterise the academic priorities of different centres for Russian studies around the world. Thus, private archives and egodocuments are considered especially valuable for this section.

2.6. Scientia et vita publishes autobiographical memoirs and accounts of scholars which reflect on the multitude of reasons for studying Russian history and culture, and the influence of their chosen approach on their life in scholarship. Materials in this section are regarded as sources and are published in the original language, with a translation into Russian. The section is devoted to the history of scholarship, motives, and laws of research as seen through the prism of autobiography and scholarly experience. This section also publishes essays.

2.7. The Dialogus section features discussions of certain projects (editorial and others) between scholars. Specialists of different backgrounds, nationalities, and ages express their opinions on various issues, which makes the discussion relevant and constructive. Answers to questions may be provided both orally and in writing.

The Editorial Board is ready to consider suggestions for this section from authors, publishing houses, and scholarly communities and schools.

3. Genres of Articles: Author Guidelines

3.1.1. A scholarly article must be structured in accordance with the rules below. It must include a statement of the issue, a description, and the characteristics of the material the article is based on (for sections Problema voluminis, Conceptus et conceptio, and Disputatio). It is also advisable that the article is further divided into shorter structural parts with their own subtitles, although this is ultimately left to the authors’ discretion. The article must include a conclusion corresponding to the subject matter and the title of the article.

3.1.2. The article must be followed by a comprehensive list of references, which, in turn, must only include sources referred to in the article. It is advisable that the author refers to sources in languages other than that in which the article is written. References to academic sources must lie within the thematic scope of the article. References both to works cited in the article and theoretical studies are obligatory. All references are to be provided in the language of the original. For more information on references, please see For Authors. It is not advisable to use encyclopaedia articles (print and electronic) as references or other popular sources, unless they are the object of research. It is recommended that, whenever possible, authors refer to print media and not electronic sources. All state and private archives as well as manuscripts must be referred to in accordance with the rules of the Journal: lists of abbreviations are required.

3.1.3. Plagiarism is not tolerated. In cases of self-citation, authors must indicate the source of the previously published information and substantiate the need to refer to such a source. Authors should explain why the submitted article is necessary and how it will contribute to the established scholarship.

3.1.4. Joint works are accepted for publication and are subject to double blind peer review. When submitting such an article, the authors must specify who will communicate with the editors during the publication process. Since the Journal has been receiving many articles authored by more than one scholar recently, the Editorial Board reserves the right to ask the authors to explain the extent of each person’s contribution to the article, especially when some of the authors have not dealt with the subject of the article previously.

3.2. Reviews analysing modern research or the history behind the study of some issues must be accompanied by a comprehensive reference list with sources both in the author’s mother tongue and other languages. Considering the interests of the Journal’s readers, it is preferable for a review containing Russian research data to be provided in English, and vice versa. Reviews must be analytical. It is essential that the books or research projects reviewed should be put into an international context (Section Controversiae et recensiones). It is important to observe the rules of academic writing and avoid any non-academic forms of reference or colloquial language. Such articles must be accompanied by abstracts in two languages and two reference lists.

3.3. Biographical narratives and essays. The history of research can be considered in several genres: 1. A scholar’s life as reflected in their own memoirs or those of their students or colleagues. Such texts can be published both in the original language of the article and in translation. Such works may contain both oral and written accounts of the scholar’s life (Section Scientia et vita). 2. A scholar’s academic biography meant to draw the readers’ attention to their ideas and research. Such articles must not only focus on the scholar’s academic achievements, but also on his or her personality. Such articles must contain references to preceding works on the scholar and his or her most important monographs and articles. 3. Reviews of the research activity of centres for Russian studies must include descriptions of relevant and constructive research projects carried out by higher educational establishments or institutes of the Russian Academy of Sciences. It is advisable that such reviews also concentrate on the contributions of scholars initiating the project and describe the most relevant results (Section Hereditas: nomina et scholae). All articles must be supplied with abstracts and reference lists.

3.4. When publishing sources (Section Origines), authors must not exceed 40,000 characters, including spaces. The source is published in the language of the original and accompanied by a scholarly commentary and a palaeographic characteristic of the source. Russian translations (its size and author) are to be agreed upon with the Editorial Board. The abstract must contain a description (its relevance and importance for the research process) and reference lists.

3.5. Discussions suggested by the Editorial Board for consideration by academic communities are published in Dialogus. The main role is played by the moderator, who formulates questions and arranges answers with the prior agreement of the other participants. The print version of the discussion must be accompanied by an abstract.

  • Please pay attention to the thematic focus of the Journal. Articles submitted for publication must comply with it.
  • The Editorial Board shall reject articles which do not observe the requirements of the Journal.