Aim

Caucasus Studies is an international, peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to advancing interdisciplinary research on the Caucasus and its relations with neighbouring regions and the wider world. The journal provides a scholarly platform for researchers examining the historical, political, social, educational, economic and cultural processes shaping the North and South Caucasus.

The journal aims to promote theoretically grounded, methodologically rigorous and evidence-based research that contributes to a deeper understanding of regional developments, identities, institutions and transnational relations. It welcomes studies that analyse the Caucasus within local, national, regional, comparative and global contexts.

Particular attention is given to original research that strengthens academic dialogue among scholars from different countries and disciplines, encourages comparative and cross-border perspectives, and contributes to the development of Caucasus studies as an interdisciplinary field.

Scope

Caucasus Studies publishes original research articles, review articles, comparative studies, theoretical papers, policy analyses and scholarly book reviews in the following areas:

Regional and Thematic Relevance

Manuscripts should demonstrate a clear connection to the Caucasus region, including Azerbaijan, Armenia, Georgia and the North Caucasus, or examine the region’s relations with Türkiye, Iran, Russia, Central Asia, the Black Sea region, the Caspian region, Europe and the wider international community.

Comparative studies extending beyond the Caucasus are also welcome when they offer direct theoretical, historical, political, social, educational, economic or cultural relevance to the region. Manuscripts without a clear connection to the journal’s regional or thematic focus may be considered outside its scope.

Authors who publish in Caucasus Studies retain the copyright to their work. By submitting and publishing an article in the journal, authors grant the journal the right of first publication and a non-exclusive licence to publish, reproduce, distribute, display, preserve and make the published work publicly available in electronic and printed formats.

Authors may enter into additional non-exclusive agreements for the distribution of the published version of their work, including depositing it in an institutional repository, including it in a book or academic collection, or making it available on a personal or institutional website, provided that the original publication in Caucasus Studies is properly acknowledged.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submissions are original, do not infringe copyright, and do not contain third-party material without the necessary permission or a valid legal basis for its use.

Unless otherwise stated, all articles published in Caucasus Studies are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International Licence (CC BY 4.0) .

This licence permits users to read, download, copy, share, distribute, print, search, link to, adapt and build upon the published material for any lawful purpose, including commercial use, provided that appropriate credit is given to the author or authors and the journal.

Users must provide a citation to the original publication, include a link to the licence and clearly indicate whether any changes were made. Attribution must not suggest that the authors or the journal endorse a particular user, product or modified version of the work.

Author Rights

Authors retain the right to:

• Share and distribute the published article for academic and professional purposes.
• Deposit the submitted, accepted or published version in an institutional or subject repository.
• Use the article in teaching, lectures, conference presentations and educational materials.
• Reuse all or part of the article in a thesis, dissertation, book or subsequent scholarly work.
• Be properly identified and acknowledged as the author of the published work.

Third-Party Material

Images, figures, tables, photographs, datasets and other third-party materials included in an article are covered by the article’s Creative Commons licence unless a separate copyright notice or credit line indicates otherwise.

When material is not included under the article’s licence and its intended use is not permitted by law, users must obtain permission directly from the relevant copyright holder. Authors must secure all necessary permissions before submitting copyrighted third-party material to the journal.

Free and Immediate Access

All content published by Caucasus Studies is made freely and immediately available to readers without subscription or registration barriers. Readers may access and use published articles in accordance with the conditions of the CC BY 4.0 licence.

Review Model

Caucasus Studies applies a rigorous double-blind peer review process. The identities of authors are not disclosed to reviewers, and the identities of reviewers are not disclosed to authors. This model is intended to support independent, objective and impartial evaluation of submitted manuscripts.

Manuscripts that successfully pass the initial editorial assessment are normally evaluated by at least two independent expert reviewers with relevant academic knowledge and research experience in the subject area of the submission.

The final decision on acceptance, revision or rejection is made by the Editor-in-Chief or the responsible editor, taking into consideration the reviewers’ reports, the journal’s editorial standards and the manuscript’s relevance to the journal’s aim and scope.

Peer Review Process

Review Criteria

Reviewers are asked to evaluate the manuscript according to the following criteria:

Editorial Decisions

Confidentiality

Submitted manuscripts and all related materials are confidential documents. Editors and reviewers must not disclose, copy, distribute, discuss or use unpublished information contained in a manuscript for personal, professional or competitive advantage.

Reviewers must securely delete or destroy manuscript files after completing the review process and must not contact the authors directly regarding the manuscript.

Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must disclose any financial, institutional, professional, personal or academic relationship that could influence, or reasonably be perceived to influence, their assessment of a manuscript.

A reviewer who recognises a conflict of interest or believes that an objective evaluation is not possible must decline the invitation. Editors with a conflict of interest must withdraw from the editorial handling of the manuscript.

Submissions from Editors and Editorial Board Members

Manuscripts submitted by editors or members of the Editorial Board are subject to the same editorial requirements and double-blind peer review process as all other submissions. Such manuscripts are assigned to an independent editor who has no conflict of interest, and the submitting editor or board member takes no part in reviewer selection or the editorial decision.

Use of Artificial Intelligence in Peer Review

Editors and reviewers must not upload submitted manuscripts, unpublished data or confidential review materials to publicly accessible generative artificial intelligence systems. Artificial intelligence tools must not replace the reviewer’s independent scholarly judgement. Reviewers remain fully responsible for the accuracy, integrity and originality of their reports.

Appeals and Complaints

Authors may appeal an editorial decision when they believe that a significant error, misunderstanding or procedural irregularity affected the evaluation of their manuscript. An appeal must contain a clear, evidence-based response to the editor’s and reviewers’ comments.

Appeals are considered by the Editor-in-Chief or an independent senior editor who was not involved in the original decision. Submission of an appeal does not guarantee that the editorial decision will be changed. The decision reached following formal reconsideration is final.

Institute of Caucasus Studies of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences

Caucasus Studies is published by the Institute of Caucasus Studies of the Azerbaijan National Academy of Sciences. The Institute is an academic research institution specialising in the systematic and interdisciplinary study of the Caucasus region.

The publisher supports the production and international dissemination of reliable scholarly research concerning the history, politics, society, education, economy, culture, security and international relations of the Caucasus.

Through the publication of Caucasus Studies, the Institute provides researchers from Azerbaijan and other countries with an academic platform for presenting original studies, exchanging scholarly perspectives and contributing to the development of Caucasus studies as an interdisciplinary field.

Publishing Mission

The publisher’s mission is to promote high-quality, ethical and accessible academic publishing and to strengthen scholarly knowledge about the Caucasus and its relationships with neighbouring regions and the wider world.

Publisher Responsibilities

The publisher is committed to maintaining the integrity, continuity and professional standards of the journal. Its principal responsibilities include:

• Providing institutional and administrative support for the journal.
• Protecting the editorial independence of the Editor-in-Chief and Editorial Board.
• Maintaining the journal’s official website and electronic publishing infrastructure.
• Supporting peer review, editorial production and publication workflows.
• Ensuring the long-term accessibility and preservation of published content.
• Supporting the dissemination, discoverability and academic visibility of articles.
• Protecting authors’ rights, personal information and confidential submission materials.
• Supporting corrective actions when ethical or publication-related concerns arise.

Editorial Independence

The publisher respects and protects the editorial independence of Caucasus Studies. Decisions concerning the selection of reviewers and the acceptance, revision or rejection of manuscripts are made exclusively by the Editor-in-Chief and the authorised editors in accordance with the journal’s editorial and peer review policies.

The publisher does not interfere in editorial decisions on the basis of political, institutional, financial, personal or commercial considerations. Manuscripts are assessed according to their scholarly quality, originality, methodological reliability, ethical compliance and relevance to the journal’s aim and scope.

Commitment to Publication Ethics

The publisher is committed to responsible scholarly publishing and supports the application of internationally recognised principles of transparency, research integrity and publication ethics.

Allegations involving plagiarism, duplicate publication, fabricated or manipulated data, improper authorship, undisclosed conflicts of interest or other forms of misconduct are investigated in cooperation with the journal’s editors. Where necessary, appropriate actions may include the publication of a correction, expression of concern, retraction or other editorial notice.

Access and Digital Preservation

The publisher supports open scholarly communication by making the journal’s published content freely accessible online. Readers may access full-text articles without subscription or registration barriers.

Reasonable measures are taken to preserve the journal’s scholarly record and maintain continued access to published issues and articles. Corrections, retractions and other post-publication notices are linked transparently to the relevant published content.