About the Journal

The seminar will be devoted to the discussion of how, why, and in what form theory ought to be used in academic research and publications in the social sciences. Modern social sciences expect a theoretical dimension from social scientific research, be it a contribution to an existing theoretical discussion or the author’s own coinage of a new concept grounded in their original research. In order to establish a generative theoretical foundation for a study, it is often not enough to merely apply in a mechanical fashion this or that theory. It is very important to understand the purpose of operationalizing theory as a means of exploring one’s original data.

During the seminar we will discuss the broader questions of how one can use theory, as well as consider examples (more and less successful ones) of how one can construct an original conceptual foundation in an academic publication. During the seminar we expect to discuss the following questions and topics:

• What role does theory play in research and in academic writing in the social sciences?
• What are disciplinary differences in how theory is applied across the social sciences?
• How to choose a theory that suits your research
• How to make a theoretical foundation “work” in your article to frame the data, shape the argument emerging from the results of the study, and challenge existing perspectives.
• What are the most common pitfalls when using theory, and how does one avoid them?

The seminar will be useful for researchers who aspire to publish the results of their research in top peer-reviewed journals. There will be time allotted for questions to the seminar presenter and the editors of the journal.

* Seminar presenter: Alexey Golubev, Associate Professor of Russian History at the University of Houston

* Time: 5 pm to 7 pm Moscow Standard Time (GMT+3)

* Language of the seminar: Russian

Please register for the seminar by 12 pm on December 2, 2024, at the link below:

https://forms.gle/zUPKkE1xMRNzBM7r5 

We will send a Zoom invitation on the day of the seminar.

For more information, please contact: laboratorium@soclabo.org   

* Laboratorium: Russian Review of Social Research is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by an international group of researchers. The journal provides a platform for international, interdisciplinary, critical discussion of the processes and phenomena occurring in the post-Soviet space. Laboratorium has remained faithful to the agenda of post-Soviet transformations and postcolonial studies.