The Digital Methods School advances the study of Russia and other semi-closed societies by equipping scholars and experts with accessible digital research methods. We provide curated databases, innovative tools, and hands-on training to turn digital traces into reliable empirical evidence—without requiring specialized technical skills. By democratizing access to cutting-edge methodologies, we foster rigorous, data-driven research that illuminates societies otherwise difficult to reach.
The Digital Methods School
Empowering researchers to unlock closed societies through open data.
The Digital Methods School advances the study of Russia and other semi-closed societies by equipping scholars and experts with accessible digital research methods. We provide curated databases, innovative tools, and hands-on training to turn digital traces into reliable empirical evidence—without requiring specialized technical skills. By democratizing access to cutting-edge methodologies, we foster rigorous, data-driven research that illuminates societies otherwise difficult to reach.
The Digital Methods School
Empowering researchers to unlock closed societies through open data.
Digital Research Training on Russia
Digital Research Training on Russia
Designed for research in the social sciences and humanities, the program equips a broad community of scholars, policy analysts, and business experts with practical tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data on Russia — helping them generate evidence-based insights into a semi-closed society. The trainings are structured to be accessible to participants with no prior experience in digital research, while also offering advanced applications for experienced researchers.
Participants will gain hands-on experience with a wide range of methods, including text data analysis, administrative data research, integration of AI and large language models into the research process, and survey data design and evaluation under the specific constraints of Russia. These skills can be applied to pressing research problems such as analyzing political, social, and economic attitudes under authoritarian conditions from tracing the internalization of state narratives within populations to examining Russia’s strategic decision-making. More broadly, they open new pathways for uncovering empirical evidence in contexts where conventional fieldwork is restricted or impossible.
Designed for research in the social sciences and humanities, the program equips a broad community of scholars, policy analysts, and business experts with practical tools to collect, analyze, and interpret data on Russia — helping them generate evidence-based insights into a semi-closed society. The trainings are structured to be accessible to participants with no prior experience in digital research, while also offering advanced applications for experienced researchers.
Participants will gain hands-on experience with a wide range of methods, including text data analysis, administrative data research, integration of AI and large language models into the research process, and survey data design and evaluation under the specific constraints of Russia. These skills can be applied to pressing research problems such as analyzing political, social, and economic attitudes under authoritarian conditions from tracing the internalization of state narratives within populations to examining Russia’s strategic decision-making. More broadly, they open new pathways for uncovering empirical evidence in contexts where conventional fieldwork is restricted or impossible.
Organization
Organization
All training sessions are conducted online and are free of charge. We hold one training block per semester, with each topic announced alongside a call for applications. Each training includes 15-25 hours of lectures and dedicated workshops. Lectures within each block are open to an unlimited number of participants, but require applications to be submitted by the stated deadline. Workshops, by contrast, have limited enrollment and focus on personalized work—either guiding students through practical tasks or supporting them in advancing their own research under the supervision of a lecturer.
Trainings are organized in a hybrid model:
- Lectures distributed weekly
- Workshops in intensive blocks
All training sessions are conducted online and are free of charge. We hold one training block per semester, with each topic announced alongside a call for applications. Each training includes 15-25 hours of lectures and dedicated workshops. Lectures within each block are open to an unlimited number of participants, but require applications to be submitted by the stated deadline. Workshops, by contrast, have limited enrollment and focus on personalized work—either guiding students through practical tasks or supporting them in advancing their own research under the supervision of a lecturer.
Trainings are organized in a hybrid model:
- Lectures distributed weekly
- Workshops in intensive blocks
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