To readers' attention

 

In very early 2001, an event is to come, whose importance for our Reader doesn't fade, we hope, even in the magic light of the millennium change.
Our journal will be ten.
We have run through that decade together with Russia under most complicated conditions of a transitional society. Within these years -- the years of the establishment of political science itself in Russia -- more than 800 Russian and foreign authors have published their works on "POLIS" pages. Only in the passing year 2000, over 120 persons were presented in our journal.
We are glad, that our Reader has found this year -- thanks to "Electronic POLIS for Political Scientists", which has appeared in Runet -- a new channel for the intercommunication with our journal. Our "virtual POLIS" will acquaint You with selected articles from new issues of the journal, hold scientific discussions and round tables in the regime of virtual communication, inform You of publication initiatives and Editors' plans.
"Scientific Life" and "Journal's Initiatives" sections will inform site visitors of scientific events, which will be prepared (also on the initiative or with the participation of the journal), and offer their pages for placing substantial reports on conferences, seminars and so on, that were held. We are open to all who whish bring their information to the community of political scientists, and are expecting Your reports.
In "Universum of Texts" section, the editors will place original materials and articles, devoted to various aspects of functioning of political science in the modern society. We are going to inform readers regularly of the appearance of new books in political science, and place reviews of some editions, recently issued.
Knowing well, that our readers often encounter the absence of many issues of our journal in libraries, we start, from the beginning of the following year, the work on the placing of full versions of articles, published in "POLIS" in 1991 -- 1998, in the journal's virtual archive. We are not able to realize this task at once, therefore we ask to send to the site address (or to the electronic address: vvl@politstudies.ru) lists of articles, published in our journal, which interest You first and foremost. Most popular publications will be placed on the site in the first instance.
(See also the questionnaire of a "POLIS" Reader, that will appear on the site in the latter part of December 2000.)
Co-operation of "Political Studies" journal and "Electronic POLIS for Political Scientists" unites potentialities of a printed edition and an electronic one. In our opinion, this would allow to increase considerably the scientific potential of the journal, to expand its audience, to catch more efficiently newest tendencies of Russia's political-scientific thought, to organize much more wide and efficient exchange of opinions between our readers, authors and editors themselves: many results of virtual discussions will "materialize" on journal pages. Our authors also could learn editors' plans in advance and will obtain a broadened opportunity for the personal participation in working out them. Thus "POLIS" will can act more effectively in the world of Russian political science. We invite everybody to contemplate our new proposals. However, the majority of the "POLIS" collectivity doesn't incline to share the pessimistic (in our mind) opinion, that old good "thick" journals will disappear some day and give up their place to their electronic versions. In the West too, the interest for printed editions has sharply increased again -- the virtual world is destined, as it seems to us, not to replace but to supplement and facilitate the intercourse with the book.
And in conclusion: the first issue in the following year means for "POLIS" contributors the entry into the new decade. In this connection, we would like to receive from "POLIS readers -- to the address of "POLIS" and its Web-site -- substantial advices on the development of the edition. Editors and editorial board will sure to include the most interesting ones in the project of "POLIS" scientific-publication initiatives for first years of new century, which is now prepared. The editors, on their hand, prepare some pleasant surprises for their audience.

Happy New Decade, dear colleagues!
Happy New Year! Happy New Century! Happy New Millennium!
Editors
E-mail – authors@politstudies.ru,
Fax – (095) 921-0132