Sustainable development of Russian science: «institutional traps» of scientific journals and prospects for overcoming them

Abstract

Introduction. The focus of the article is on the problems associated with the fact that in the new economic conditions, the old approach to the sustainable development of science in Russia has lost its relevance. In this regard, a new approach to the sustainable development of science in Russia is needed, which will involve following not foreign value guidelines, including the SDGs, but Russia's own traditions.Materials and Methods. Systematization of successes in the field of sustainable development of science in Russia is being carried out. A trend analysis of the materials of international university rankings is carried out, aimed at assessing the change in Russia's position in them based on materials: QS, Scimago and Times Higher Education (THE) rankings. "Institutional traps" are identified as barriers to the sustainable development of science in Russia and the prospects for overcoming them based on the materials of the rating of journals in economics in the electronic scientific library e-library. The time frame of the study covers the period from 2017 to 2022.Results. Three "institutional traps" of scientific journals were identified. First, due to subjective peer review, high-quality scientific articles are not allowed to be published. Second: almost 80% of the authors of Russian scientific journals are the same people throughout the year - and so every year. Third: due to the lack of “fresh” ideas, rating journals are limited to self-citations, the share of which reaches 10%, which is why journals, instead of setting science in motion, hinder its development.Discussion and Conclusions. The key conclusion of the study is that all the “institutional” traps of Russian scientific journals can and should be overcome, which will allow Russia to achieve import substitution of scientific publications, multiply the successes of scientific and technological progress, and strengthen strategic academic leadership.