Editorial Policies

Aims and Scope

The purpose of the journal is to publish studies that address new research methods and results, which stimulate further development of historical ethnology in Russia and bordering countries as an independent research area, which is closely connected with allied historical, ethnographic, cultural, anthropological, and sociological disciplines. The journal is a unique venue where the new standards of historical-ethnological research in the Eurasian space are formed. It has a substantial potential to enhance international cooperation in the given scientific field. It publishes reviews of academic literature related to relevant historical-ethnological studies.

The research perspectives of the journal focus on ethnophor, ethnos, and ethnic communities, which are analysed with regard to historical transformation.

The journal provides an opportunity of publications and discussions for a wide circle of specialists in ethnoarcheology, ethnography, ethnolinguistics, archival science, museum studies, social/cultural anthropology, regional studies, religious studies, ethnosociology, ethnopsychology, ethnopedagogy and other academic disciplines, which contribute to the enrichment of historical and ethnological knowledge. The focus lies on research and methodological studies regarding the development of historical ethnology as a uniting mechanism of different historical and social directions in the humanities. High priority is given to new data on ethnic history, culture genesis and the traditional culture of Eurasian peoples, including contemporary structures and institutes for functioning of the ethnic in the process of ethnic communities’ adaptation to external influences.

The journal has been published since 2016 with the purpose to present the latest studies in the history of the ethnic culture of the Turkic world. Theoretical historical-ethnological comprehension of the development of Turkic ethnic communities encouraged the editorial team to expand the ethnic geography. The new position of the journal consists in the necessity to include into the research area all peoples of the Eurasian space with their historically developed close and multidimensional contacts.

Sections

Review article

Original article

Translated article

A short message

Reviews

Chronicle of scientific life

Peer Review Process

Article reviewing guidelines

All manuscripts submitted for publication in the Historical Ethnology journal undergo the procedure of double blind peer review and approval at the editorial board.

Initially, it is verified whether or not the manuscript falls within the remit of the journal and meets the formal requirements. In the event of the paper’s incompatibility, the article is not accepted for consideration and a notification is sent to the author.

Members of the journal’s editorial board and third party reviewers who have a Candidate of Science or Doctor of Science degree and are acknowledged specialists in the field of reviewed papers are involved in the procedure of reviewing.

The reviewing procedure ensures anonymity of both the reviewer and the author (double blind peer review).

The editorial board considers submitted review at a meeting and makes one of the following decisions:

• recommend a paper for publication without revisions;
• return the paper to the author for revisions following the reviewer’s remarks;
• send a submission for an additional review;
• reject a submission (grounds for making such a decision must be listed).

A positive review is not always a sufficient cause to recommend a paper for publication. The final decision is made by the editorial board. In certain complicated cases it is the editor-in-chief who renders the decision.

The author is notified about the editorial board’s decision via email. If the review suggests recommendations for a paper revision, the journal’s editorial staff sends the review text to the author with a request to take into account the reviewer’s feedback when working on a revised paper or, in case the author disagrees with the listed  criticisms (partially or fully), write a well-reasoned response. The follow-up revision should be accomplished within two weeks since the date of the notification email.

Upon receiving a favourable conclusion from the editorial board, the paper is placed in the “portfolio” of the editorial office for further publication. Articles are published in order of priority or in compliance with the issue subject matter.

Reviews are stored in the editorial office of the journal for five years.

Principles of reviewing

When reviewing submitted materials,  the editorial board, editorial stuff and reviewers are guided by the following criteria:

• relevance of the study topic, its compatibility with the journal’s scope;
• originality, scientific novelty, the author’s contribution to the academic field / discussion;
• theoretical justification of the topic, in-depth study of literature and sources on the subject matter;
• general scientific level of the article, authenticity of data and conclusions;
• coherence and logic of argumentation;

compliance with the text style requirements and bibliography guidelines. 

Publication Frequency

The journal Historical Ethnology had two issues from 2016 to 2019, three from 2020 to 2023, and five issues were published in 2024. The increase in frequency is due to the increased interest in the journal of the scientific community. From 2025, 4 issues per year will be published. When preparing issues, the order is observed, the publication of extraordinary issues is not practiced. Since 2023, the journal has become an online scientific publication. Until that time, it was printed, the circulation was 100 copies.

Open Access Policy

The Historical Ethnology journal implements open access policy. Users have access to the full text version of the journal free of charge. Open access to the journal’s archive is available on its website https://historicalethnology.org and on the platform of the Scientific Electronic Library www.elibrary.ru.

Periodicity

4 issues per year