LABORATORIUM is an international forum for the publication and discussion of empirical social research, with a focus on qualitative methods. The journal seeks to foster interdisciplinary and international debate on the findings of fieldwork-based research. In particular, LABORATORIUM is committed to making findings and debates from Russian-language social research available to an English-speaking
audience and vice versa. The journal aims to stimulate debate across the language divide and to open up cross-national perspectives. The editors firmly believe that in the social sciences substantive issues are more relevant than the author's nationality or geographic specialization. Dialogue and debate between authors from different methodological backgrounds is particularly encouraged. As in a laboratory, we believe that improved understanding in the social sciences is achieved through trial and error as well as informed argument. Approaches to be featured in the journal include, but are not limited to, critical sociology, actor-network theory, ethnomethodology, interactionism, the sociology of critique, feminist studies, the sociology of everyday life, phenomenological sociology, and historical sociology. LABORATORIUM is also open to all neighboring disciplines, including cultural anthropology, social geography, cultural studies, sociolinguistics, and social history. Articles may be submitted in either Russian or English. LABORATORIUM only accepts original, previously unpublished work, and will reject essays or theoretical texts not based on empirical research. In addition to its regular bilingual issues, LABORATORIUM will regularly publish special issues featuring Russian translations of seminal articles originally published in other languages. LABORATORIUM encourages critical responses to articles published in the journal and to other important works, irrespective of their place and language of publication. Every issue will carry a large selection of reviews covering the entire range of books and journals in the social sciences, as well as flashbacks on influential or overlooked Russian books (in English) or foreign works (in Russian). Research articles and bibliographic surveys should normally not exceed 10,000 words (60,000 characters) not counting footnotes and references, review articles may be up to 4,000 words (25,000 characters) long, and standard reviews should average 1,500 words (9,000 characters). All articles are subjected to double-blind peer review, and authors will usually be expected to revise the submitted version of their article to incorporate suggestions by anonymous reviewers and the editorial board.
