Про журнал

Focus and Scope

East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies is a scholarly, peer-reviewed, online periodical, publishing original research articles, reviews and review articles.

EWJUS encourages submission in English of previously unpublished work by academics, graduate students, and policymakers. The journal welcomes thematic issues by guest editors and original scholarship presented at conferences; it is open to sponsoring online forums for scholarly debates and exchanges. The journal accepts research that incorporates web technologies and multimedia (e.g., audio and visual materials). The focus and themes of the journal include, but are not limited, to the following: Ukraine and its neighbors; Ukrainian humanities and social sciences in a comparative and interdisciplinary perspective; the Early Modern, Modern, and Contemporary periods; cultural geography and geopolitics; empires, regions, borders and borderlands; dominant and subordinate cultures; collective identities, gender, multiculturalism, nationalism; and the sociocultural foundations of modernization.

Indexing and Abstracting

EWJUS is indexed by these databases:

- Central and Eastern European Online Library 
- EBSCO
- Érudit 
- MLA Directory of Periodicals 
- Scopus 

EWJUS is part of the Open Journal Systems (OJS) and the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ).

Peer Review Process

Peer Review Process: Overview

EWJUS accepts for review previously unpublished manuscripts, written in English, that are not under consideration by another journal.

(Note: Authors may submit articles in another language - Ukrainian - but only for purposes of initial evaluation and feedback. If an article is deemed suitable by the editor, the author will be required to submit the manuscript in English for the formal peer review process).

The editor and/or the editorial board are the initial reviewers of articles; they make a preliminary judgment about the appropriateness of the article for the journal, the quality and clarity of the text and check for adherence to the journal’s stylistic, bibliographic and formatting criteria (see Submissions). Submissions that do not meet these basic standards will be rejected.

Articles that pass the initial screening undergo a double anonymized review process by outside reviewers selected by the editor and/or the editorial board. Referees are scholars with known reputations and expertise in the same field as the submitting author. They are invited to review the article by being sent the title and abstract; on agreeing, they receive access to the full text with the author’s name removed.

Referees write an assessment, recommending acceptance or not. An article must receive at least two positive reviews to be published. In some cases, e.g., if the assessment is vague or noncommittal, the opinion of another referee will be sought.

Authors receive copies of all the anonymous written appraisals and are required to address any deficiencies. Manuscripts that show promise but are not ready for publication are returned to the author for further work and are then subject to a second review. The final decision to publish rests with the journal editor.

Normally, peer reviews take between 4 and 6 months, depending on the availability of appropriate referees.

Publication Frequency

EWJUS is published twice a year, in spring (March-April) and fall (September-October).

Open Access Policy

EWJUS is an Open Access Journal.

Special Issue Policy

EWJUS invites expressions of interest from potential guest editors for organizing a special issue or a theme section/critical forum. EWJUS usually publishes a maximum of one special issue per year, but may publish several special thematic sections. EWJUS operates on rolling deadlines, so expressions of interest are accepted throughout the year. All manuscripts for the special issue are subject to standard peer review and must adhere to the EWJUS submission guidelines. The publication process typically takes between 12 and 24 months from the proposal submission to the publication of the special issue.

The guidelines for a special issue proposal are outlined below. A special issue or section proposal should contain the following information:

• The title of the proposed special issue.
• The names, institutional affiliations, and email address(es) of the proposed guest editor(s).
• A one-page description of the proposed issue, including how it fits with the aims and the scope of EWJUS.
• A timeline for the development of the special issue: a call for papers (if needed), the expected deadline for the submission of abstracts and complete papers to the guest editor(s) for internal review, and the anticipated deadline for the submission of all manuscripts that have been vetted by the guest editor(s) and are ready for external assessment (please see “Submission” for author guidelines).
• The special issue/section proposal should be emailed to the editor of EWJUS.

When the proposal has been accepted, the guest editor(s) are welcome to solicit manuscripts from scholars by invitation and/or to issue a call for papers; a call for papers can be also posted on the EWJUS website. The guest editor(s) need to make clear to potential authors that all articles, invited or otherwise, are (i) subject to the peer review process, (ii) should not be under review elsewhere, (iii) should constitute original research, and (iv) have not been published in any scholarly venue or in another language (see “Peer Review Process” and “Ethical Policies” below). The guest editor(s) should assist the authors, where necessary, with the electronic submission of the manuscripts to EWJUS.

When all papers have been submitted, the guest editor(s) will provide two to three names and email addresses, per manuscript, of potential reviewers (not personally affiliated with any of the authors) to the EWJUS editor who will handle the peer review process.

Guest editor(s) are responsible for soliciting articles, for helping the EWJUS editor to assess submissions, and for assisting the editor with selecting submissions deemed appropriate for publication, following the results of the external review. The assessment of submissions is based on a double anonymized peer review, and guest editor(s) will work with the authors to ensure that the reviewers’ comments have been adequately addressed and that the accepted manuscripts follow the EWJUS publication style guide.

Guest editor(s) are welcome to write a brief editorial preface for the issue/section (see examples here: Vol. 8, no. 1 and Vol 7., no. 1). They are also invited to solicit a reprint and/or translation of a desired publication to complement the new research in the special issue. EWJUS might assist with the translation, but the guest editor(s) are responsible for obtaining the necessary permissions to reprint from the original author and publisher and for submitting such permissions to the EWJUS editor in advance of the publication date of the special issue.

Formal Letters to the Editor - Policy

EWJUS publishes open, formal, signed letters to the editor that deal with academic, research, and educational issues. Letters to the editor must be clear, courteous, thoughtful, and informative. If such a letter concerns a publication in EWJUS, the author of the publication will be given an opportunity to respond. Letters and replies to letters should be short (between 250 and 500 words) and succinct. EWJUS might not be able to publish all letters, but at a minimum, we will forward your letter to the author and invite them to respond. Letters that contain personal abuse or carry little to no informational value will not be published. Issues or questions related to possible research misconduct should be raised with the editor directly. The final decision about letter publication rests with the editor.

Anti-Plagiarism and Ethical Policies

East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies is committed to upholding the highest standards in research publication ethics and fully endorses the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) international standards for editors and authors. EWJUS bases its ethical guidelines on the research publication ethics, developed by the COPE, and outlines the following expectations for authors, reviewers, and editor/guest editor(s).

Authors must:

• Verify that their work is original and that it does not reuse significant parts of author(s)' previous publications, that it adheres to standards of academic integrity, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere and that it was not published previously in English or any other language, and that its sources are accurately cited. 
• Report all contributors accurately.
• Disclose any funding or other support that may constitute a conflict of interest.
• Follow the journal’s specific guidelines for submission and promptly consult with the editor for clarification.
• Notify the editor immediately if an error is noticed before or after publication, and co-operate with the editor in rectifying the mistake.
• Respond to reviewers’ comments in a professional and timely manner.
• Where relevant, include a note that reported research received the appropriate approval and was carried out ethically, and if requested by editor or guest editor(s), supply corresponding evidence (e.g., copies of ethics approvals, licenses, participant consent forms).
• Obtain permissions to reproduce all images/figures/tables included in the submission, unless produced by the author(s) themselves or cited from a published source, and include permission/attribution in captions.

Reviewers must:

• Maintain the integrity of the review process by not disclosing any information about the submitted manuscript to anyone except the journal editor or guest editor(s).
• At any point in the review process, disclose any and all conflicts of interest, biases, and lack of expertise that would prevent their complete objectivity in manuscript review, or time constraints that would prevent them from completing the assigned review.
• Provide constructive, specific, and supported feedback on the quality of the manuscript’s clarity and citations, without allowing personal preferences to affect their evaluation.
• Notify the journal editor or guest editor(s) immediately if they suspect a breach in confidentiality or research misconduct.
• Notify the journal editor or guest editor(s) if any part of this policy is unclear.

Editor(s) must:

• Be accountable for all publications.
• Evaluate all submissions objectively, based solely on their merit and suitability for the journal, and to not be influenced by the identity of the author, the source of funding, conflicts of interest, or journal publisher.
• Promptly investigate alleged misconduct, whether the article is published or unpublished, and follow the COPE guidelines for article retraction (for more details, see below).
• Regularly review and update policies and clearly communicate specific guidelines to editorial staff, authors, and reviewers.
• Take responsibility for the quality of the peer review process by rigorously following a double anonymized method of manuscript review, monitoring the quality of reviewers’ work, protecting confidentiality of authors and reviewers during the review process, and ensuring that the reviewers are objective and have the appropriate expertise.

Equity, Diversity, and Inclusivity (EDI)

East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) recommendations for editor/guest editor(s), authors, and reviewers in addressing the issues related to equity, diversity, and inclusivity (EDI) in scholarly publishing. EWJUS undertakes a number of activites to support EDI practices, by promoting inclusive language and style guides, conducting diversity audits, addressing barriers to accessing opportunities in the journal, and keeping abreast of the most recent trends in the field of scholarly publishing. 

Research Misconduct and Retraction

The editorial team of East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies will take reasonable steps to identify and prevent the publication of papers where research misconduct has occurred, including plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others. In the event that the EWJUS editor is made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a published article in the journal, the editor shall follow the COPE guidelines in dealing with allegations.

The editor will:

• Pursue cases of suspected misconduct, even in submissions that have not and are not intended to be published;
• Act politely, fairly but firmly at all times;
• Address and respond to all complaints about suspected research misconduct;
• [Not] accuse authors or reviewers but instead state the facts clearly and provide corresponding evidence;
• Allow authors or reviewers a chance to explain their actions before coming to a decision;
• Always be willing to publish corrections, clarifications, retractions and apologies when needed;
• [Not], as a rule, publish their own research in the journal and/or ensure that the peer review of their submission is handled independently (by the guest editor(s) or a member of the editorial board who will ensure its anonymity).

The editor will consider retraction in the following cases:

• Evidence of falsification;
• Plagiarism;
• Failure to disclose that the article has been published previously (either in English or in a different language) and failure to obtain proper permission for republishing;
• Copyright infringement;
• Evidence of unethical research, including a recycling of previously published material that is falsely presented as new research and constitutes the majority of the publication;
• Evidence of manipulated or compromised peer review process;
• Failure to disclose a competing interest.

Retraction notice stating who is retracting the article and why will be attached to the article’s published version. Prior to publishing the notice, the editor will discuss the wording of a retraction with the author(s), ensuring it is clear, objective, and informative. The final decision about retracting material rests with the journal editor. 

Journal History

East/West: Journal of Ukrainian Studies replaces two venerable publications: Skhid/Zakhid, issued by the Kowalsky Eastern Ukrainian Institute in Kharkiv from 1998; and the Journal of Ukrainian Studies, published by CIUS since 1976.

Digital Archiving Policy

This journal is archived with the Public Knowledge Project (PKP) Preservation Network and Scholars Portal Journals. These programs offer a decentralized and distributed preservation, perpetual access, and preservation of the authentic original version of the content.