About the Journal
Focus and Scope
The Journal of Migration and Societies (JMS) is a peer-reviewed, open-access academic journal dedicated to advancing scholarly understanding of human migration and its profound effects on individuals, communities, and societies across the globe. The journal publishes original research, review articles, case studies, theoretical contributions, and policy analyses that examine migration in all its forms, including voluntary migration, forced displacement, refugee movements, internal migration, and transnational mobility. JMS draws on perspectives from sociology, anthropology, political science, geography, law, economics, public health, history, and cultural studies, and particularly welcomes interdisciplinary approaches that illuminate the complex intersections between migration and society. The journal serves as a critical forum for researchers, policymakers, practitioners, and advocates working at the forefront of migration scholarship.
Open Access Policy
The Journal of Migration and Societies is a fully open-access journal. All published content is freely and immediately available online upon publication at no cost to readers or their institutions. The journal operates under the conviction that research on migration and human mobility must be universally accessible, particularly to scholars and policymakers in regions most directly affected by migration dynamics. There are no subscription fees, paywalls, or access restrictions of any kind.
Article Processing Charges (APC)
To support the costs of peer review management, copyediting, typesetting, and online hosting, the journal charges a modest Article Processing Charge (APC) upon acceptance of a manuscript. Waiver requests are available and actively encouraged for authors from low- and middle-income countries or those experiencing genuine financial hardship. Please contact the editorial office for further details on waiver eligibility.
Copyright Notice
Authors who publish in the Journal of Migration and Societies retain full copyright of their work. All articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their submitted manuscripts do not infringe upon the intellectual property rights of any third party.
Peer Review Process
All manuscripts submitted to JMS undergo a rigorous double-blind peer review process, in which the identities of both the authors and the reviewers remain concealed throughout the evaluation. Each submission is assessed by a minimum of two independent reviewers with relevant expertise in migration studies or related disciplines. The editorial team makes final decisions based on reviewer recommendations, the scholarly merit of the work, its methodological soundness, and its relevance to the journal's scope. The journal adheres to the ethical standards established by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and expects all authors, reviewers, and editors to uphold these principles.
Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
JMS is firmly committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics. Plagiarism, data fabrication, duplicate submission, and authorship misrepresentation will not be tolerated under any circumstances. All submitted manuscripts are screened for plagiarism prior to peer review. Authors are required to disclose any conflicts of interest and to confirm that all listed co-authors have reviewed, approved, and consented to the submission of the final manuscript. Any allegations of misconduct will be thoroughly investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines.
Sponsorship Disclosure
The Journal of Migration and Societies is an independent academic publication. It is not sponsored by any government body, political organization, advocacy group, or commercial entity. Any external funding received by individual authors in support of their research must be transparently disclosed within the manuscript at the time of submission. All editorial decisions are made solely on the basis of academic merit and are entirely free from political or commercial influence.
History of the Journal
The Journal of Migration and Societies was established in 2023 in response to the urgent and growing need for a rigorous, inclusive, and globally engaged academic platform devoted to migration scholarship. In a world defined by unprecedented levels of human mobility, displacement, and cross-border movement, JMS was founded to provide researchers with a credible and accessible venue for sharing evidence-based insights that can inform both academic discourse and real-world policy. Since its founding, the journal has been committed to amplifying diverse voices and perspectives from all regions of the world.
Privacy Statement
The names, email addresses, and personal information submitted to the Journal of Migration and Societies will be used exclusively for the stated purposes of this journal and will not be made available for any other purpose or to any third party. The journal is committed to protecting the privacy and confidentiality of all individuals who interact with our platform, in full accordance with applicable data protection regulations.
Digital Preservation and Archiving
The Journal of Migration and Societies is committed to the long-term preservation and accessibility of its published content. The journal participates in the LOCKSS (Lots of Copies Keep Stuff Safe) and CLOCKSS (Controlled LOCKSS) archival programs, ensuring that all published articles remain permanently and reliably accessible even in the event of unforeseen technical disruptions or discontinuation of the journal. Authors and readers can be fully confident that published works will be preserved and available for future generations of scholars.