Central Asian Survey (CAS) Research Notes

Central Asian Survey publishes research on history, politics, cultures, religions and economics of Central Asia and the Caucasus. Research Notes provide a unique space for scholars to share preliminary yet impactful arguments, early findings, or methodological advancements that may not fit into full-length research papers but are still of great value to the academic community. is opening new avenues of scholarship in short form with the introduction of Research Notes (see also CAS Instructions for Authors section).

What are Research Notes?

Research Notes are shorter, peer-reviewed pieces designed to create, encourage or develop cutting-edge contributions to issues relevant to the journal’s aims and scope. They can be empirical, methodological and/or theoretical. Research Notes are expected to present new contributions to Global South studies based on smaller or ongoing research projects that offer new empirical insights, methodological advances, experiments or alternative theories.

• Should be written with the following elements in the following order:
• Research Notes are shorter, peer-reviewed pieces designed to evoke a debate about a particular issue, controversy, or question that are timely and novel such as events in the region, emerging theories, topics, and methods. They provide a unique space for scholars to share preliminary yet impactful arguments, early findings, or methodological advancements that may not fit into full-length research papers but are still of great value to the academic community.
• While Research Notes are not meant to reinvent the wheel, authors must engage with the relevant academic literature to support their arguments. They should not be mistaken for policy briefs or summaries of NGO reports, but should be concise, academically sound contributions.
• Research Notes should be written with the following elements in the following order: 150-word abstract, introduction, main body, conclusion, and references.
• Research Notes should not be longer than 4000 words in length (including references and footnotes) and should keep references to a minimum.
• Authors should review previously published Research Notes on the journal’s website to understand the format before submitting. Submissions that do not meet format requirements will be immediately rejected.

Published Research Notes

1. Fieldwork within Queer Communities in Central Asia: A Research Note, Ainagul Aitbayeva, Central Asian Survey, Volume 43, 2024 – Issue 1
2. Between ‘Info-killers’ and ‘Spies’: Three Strategies for Interviewing Government Officials Across Central Asia, Bakhytzhan Kurmanov, Central Asian Survey, Volume 43, 2024 – Issue 4
3. As long as you’re not an asshole’: insider-outsider dynamics in queer research, Elliot Napier, Central Asian Survey, Volume 43, 2024 – Issue 2
4. Why should we have theirs if we have our own?’ On decolonizing social science research ethics in Central Asia, Gulzhanat Gafu and Lynne Parmenter, Central Asian Survey, Volume 44, 2025 – Issue 1
5. Navigating complex narratives: understanding challenges of Russian-related research in Kazakhstan, Sanat Kushkumbayev and Aigerim Bakhtiyarovab, Central Asian Survey, Volume 43, 2024 – Issue 2
6. Positionality in ethnographic fieldwork: a male, ‘native’ researcher among migrant men, Rustam Samadov, Central Asian Survey, Volume 44, 2025 – Issue 3
7. Power and positionality: researching state crime and reputation laundering in Uzbekistan, Dilmira Matyakubova, Central Asian Survey, Volume 44, 2025 – Issue 4
8. Strengthening academia: embracing an open dialogue on fieldwork in the authoritarian states of Central Asia, Anna Jordanova,Central Asian Survey, Volume 43, 2024 – Issue 3
9. The digital history landscape in Central Asia: reflections on institutional asymmetries, transregional connectivity, and digital colonialism, Moritz Florin & Dinara Gagarina,  Volume 44, 2025 – Issue 4