The Options of Scientific Research Assessment Under Sanctions

Abstract

The article is devoted to the comparative analysis of the options of scientific research assessment in Russia under circumstances of 2022. The accent is put on the sphere of social sciences. In recent times the key factor of scientific research assessment was the publication activity, in particular – the quantity and the quality of articles in scientific journals. Meanwhile, the important problem was the existence of two discourses in social sciences in Russia – the Russian discourse and the global one. It restricted the integrity of the assessment system. The significant positive trend was presented by the convergence between these discourses, which was, however, stopped by the events of the first months of 2022. The escalation of the international conflict had an impact on the global academic communication, put under question the opportunity of scientific research assessment on the base of publications in journals from the international collections. The necessity of research assessment modernization increases the risks of rejection of the publications’ priority in general, which can lead to the growth of costs and the decline of assessment quality. At the same time, the desirable conservation of publications as a key criterion of scientific results requires the modification of publicationactivity consideration. The recommended option is the transition towards the quasinational collection of journals. It will de facto include journals from the international collections, as well as journals from “the core of Russian scientific citation index”. This option permits to maintain incentives for publications abroad and, consequently, contributes to the maintenance of connections with the global science. It will also raise the integrity of publications system in general. But the transition will require to solve several technical and administrative problems. We will need additional regulations of the quasinational publications system and the introduction of new instruments into this system. The elaboration of the common quasinational collection together with friendly nations may be considered as an additional option