For over 30 years, our global community of scholars has been producing incisive, policy-relevant analysis of developments in the former Soviet Union. Keep reading to learn how you can access our treasure trove of research and publish your own findings.
Demokratizatsiya
The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization
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We welcome long-form articles (6,000-10,000 words) and short-form (under 2,000 words) Perspectives pieces on post-Soviet politics, economics, culture, and society. Please email completed submissions to demjournal@gwu.edu.
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Many libraries offer print or digital access to Demokratizatsiya for their students and librarians. Articles published since 2014 are available online via Project MUSE, EBSCO, Proquest, and Cengage. Articles published before 2014 can be downloaded from our archive.
Don’t have access? Subscribe from $62/year!
Visit Archive
Visit Project MUSE
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Stay up to date with a subscription to Demokratizatsiya! Individual, institutional, print, and online options are available. Starts at $62/year.
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Have a question for the editorial team? Contact us via our online contact form or by emailing demjournal@gwu.edu. We’ll be in touch soon!
How can we support you?
Founded in 1992
Appears in European Reference Index of the Humanities
Scopus Cite Score: 1.4 (May 2025)
Time to receive a first decision: 2 weeks
Who We Are
Founded in 1992, Demokratizatsiya: The Journal of Post-Soviet Democratization is a quarterly print and online journal devoted to analyzing developments in the states of the former Soviet Union. Our focus is on policy-relevant texts that—whether their subject is politics, economics, media, culture or society—in some way shed light on democratic progress and backsliding in the region.
Notable past contributors include former U.S. ambassador to Russia Michael McFaul, former U.S. presidential foreign policy advisor and current Chancellor of Durham University Fiona Hill, and former President of Kyrgyzstan Askar Akaev.
Publish
Whether you're an established professional or just beginning your career, and whether you're a policymaker or an academic, we welcome your submissions to Demokratizatsiya.
We accept two main types of articles:
Long-form academic articles (6,000-10,000 words)
Short-form Perspectives pieces (up to 2,000 words), which offer the same level of analytical rigor as our full-length articles but on timely or more niche topics.
Texts should:
Be written in English
Offer an original take on the politics, economics, media, culture or society of a post-Soviet state
Shed light on democratic progress and/or backsliding in the region
Follow the Demokratizatsiya style guide
Prior to publication, all articles go through a rigorous double-blind peer review process and are edited by our staff.
Publishing with Demokratizatsiya: A Step-by-Step Guide
Submit
Send your draft manuscript to the Demokratizatsiya team at demjournal@gwu.edu. Have you followed all the guidelines in the Style Guide?
01First Decision
You will receive a first decision letting you know whether or not your text will be proceeding to peer review. We may offer you the opportunity to revise and resubmit at this time.
02Peer Review
Each text is sent to two anonymous reviewers with expertise in the subject of the article. It may take up to four months to receive their assessments, which are then passed along to you.
0304Second Decision
On the basis of the peer reviews, we will let you know whether we accept the article, request revisions prior to publication, or reject it.
0506Editing and Layout
Following any necessary revisions, successful texts proceed to a comprehensive edit for content, style, and structure.
Publication
The article is published online as a preprint before being published in print and online as part of an issue. Ask about our options for Open Access publication.
Read
Interested in reading research published in Demokratizatsiya or sharing it with your institution? We make our content available in three main ways:
Articles published in Demokratizatsiya since 2014 can be accessed online via Project MUSE, as well as by searching the EBSCO, Proquest, and Cengage databases (individual or institutional subscription needed).
Articles published in Demokratizatsiya before 2014 are available online in Open Access from our archive.
Current and back issues are available in print from our publisher, Sheridan PA (subscription and one-time payment options)
Subscribe
Stay up to date with Demokratizatsiya content! We offer print and online subscriptions for individual and institutional customers. Print journals come from our publisher, Sheridan PA, while our online content is hosted by Project MUSE. Options start at just $62/year.
Any Questions?
We’d love to hear from you! Please send us a message using this contact form or by emailing demjournal@gwu.edu. A member of the Demokratizatsiya team will be in touch soon.