We inform the variable-star community that the publication of the "Peremennye Zvezdy" (Variable Stars) journal, founded by Prof. B.V. Kukarkin (1909–1977) in 1928, is planned to be resumed by November, 2005. Currently it is possible for us to publish "Peremennye Zvezdy" only as an electronic journal. To make the journal accessible for as wide an audience as possible, we intend to publish it in English (with only the title and abstract translated into Russian and presented at a special Russian-language sub-page of the journal). We will take measures that the contents of our electronic journal is covered by international data bases, like ADS and SIMBAD.
The publication of "Peremennye Zvezdy" will be supported by two Moscow astronomical institutions, the Sternberg Astronomical Institute (University of Moscow) and the Institute of Astronomy (Russian Academy of Sciences). The web support will be provided by the "Astronet" project. The editor-in-chief of the electronic journal will be Dr. N.N. Samus.
It is mutually understood that the resumed journal will not compete with the IBVS but, contrary, will help the IBVS by providing the community with additional publication possibilities, so that the IBVS will be able to still better fulfill its most important role of quick publications of comparatively short papers on the most urgent and important results in the field of variable stars. We are planning to introduce electronic references to relevant IBVS papers in "Peremennye Zvezdy".
"Peremennye Zvezdy" is intended to be a professional-level journal open to papers on the whole variety of variable-star topics. Papers from amateur astronomers are welcome, provided that these papers satisfy the high scientific standards the journal is going to maintain. The submitted papers will be refereed by experts in the variable-star science. As for copy editing (language editing), it will be undertaken by the editors within reasonable limits. The editors reserve their right to reject papers because of their English being too poor for understanding their meaning and making necessary editor's corrections. We are currently not planning to introduce "page charges" of any kind. As it was during the last years of its existence in the paper form, the journal will consist of two parts, the main journal and the Supplement. The main journal will accept original scientific papers containing theoretical results as well as results based on detailed analysis of variable-star observations. There will be virtually no volume limitations for papers published in the main journal, thus it will be possible to publish much more lengthy papers than those in the IBVS. The Supplement will publish results based on observations. We encourage our potential authors to present discoveries of individual variable stars and studies of known variable stars in the form resembling that currently used in the many-author issues closing each volume of the IBVS, but we also leave possibilities for Supplement papers of different formats. In our opinion, any new discoveries of any variable stars, from new original observations or from data mining, regardless variability type, are important. However, we reserve our right to reject announcement of discoveries based on a couple of deviant data points, such announcements only increase the number of poorly studied, "suspected" variables. The authors should try to additionally investigate such stars before announcing them, for example, to determine types and to derive periods for periodic variables.
The quickly increasing flow of variable-star information makes us to issue a warning that we are not intending to publish raw observing data, without any analysis and any scientific conclusions. We are not going to publish lists of variable-star extrema based on visual observations. Such information should be channeled to the variable-star registry at the AAVSO.
The papers to "Peremennye Zvezdy" should be submitted in LaTeX, using the style file that will be available at http://www.astronet.ru/db/varstars/. Manuscripts should be submitted by e-mail to the address varstar@sai.msu.ru. Authors who are able to do it are encouraged to additionally send us Russian-language titles and abstracts of their papers; alternatively, titles and abstracts can be translated into Russian by the editors. Standard-format papers intended for submission to the Supplement should be submitted through the web forms at http://www.astronet.ru/db/varstars/. When submitting results based on original observations (i.e. those coming not from data mining), it is desirable to submit also files with observations. In the case of data mining, references to the data should be indicated. More detailed instructions can be found at http://www.astronet.ru/db/varstars/. Please note that the cite's full functionality will be opened on November 1, 2005; this is also the earliest date for submissions by e-mail.
The resumed "Peremennye Zvezdy" is the editors' first attempt to run an electronic journal. We hope that we will be able to maintain the journal at a good modern level but ask our potential authors for their understanding during the first organizational period.