Journal profile · Multiple
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
ISSN 1353-0194 · eISSN 1469-3542 · Taylor & Francis
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.76; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; median 291 days to acceptance (72 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 20% (journal website); 80 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Sociology in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Islamic Studies and History, Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies and Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts, together about 45.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Political Science and International Relations. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is a refereed academic journal published for the British Society for Middle Eastern Studies (popularly known as BRISMES). Founded in 1974 as the BRISMES Bulletin, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies assumed its present title in 1991 reflecting its growth into a fully-fledged scholarly journal. The editors aim to maintain a balance in the journal’s coverage between the modern social sciences and the more traditional disciplines associated with Middle Eastern and Islamic Studies. They welcome scholarly contributions on all aspects of the Middle East from the end of classical antiquity and the rise of Islam to the present day. Articles on the language, literature, history, politics, economics, anthropology, sociology, geography, philosophy and the religions and cultures of the region are encouraged. British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies also includes a vigorous review section covering publications on all subjects connected with the Middle East. This incorporates a wide range of reference and bibliographical material seldom reviewed elsewhere. Peer Review Statement All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening, anonymisation of submitted articles and refereeing by two referees who themselves remain anonymous. All review papers, book reviews and guest lectures printed in this journal have undergone editorial screening.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Ibrahim HalawiPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 3, Australia 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Islamic Studies and HistorySocial Sciences21.1%
- Jewish and Middle Eastern StudiesSocial Sciences14.6%
- Middle East and Rwanda ConflictsSocial Sciences9.6%
- Turkey's Politics and SocietySocial Sciences8.3%
- Middle East Politics and SocietySocial Sciences8%
- Socioeconomic Development in MENASocial Sciences3.9%
- Politics and Conflicts in Afghanistan, Pakistan, and Middle EastSocial Sciences3.6%
- African history and culture analysisSocial Sciences3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 3 |
| Minor | History | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 4 |
| Minor | History | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIAHCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Anthropological Index Online, GEOBASE, Geographical Abstracts Human Geography, International Development Abstracts, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences, Political Science AbstractsPublisher website
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 0.76LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.35Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 51OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 374OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.61OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.53%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 54LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 167,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,491 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 60 | 20 | 9 |
| 2025 | 80 | 23 | 33 |
| 2024 | 91 | 29 | 98 |
| 2023 | 67 | 24 | 198 |
| 2022 | 84 | 22 | 208 |
| 2021 | 99 | 22 | 440 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
291 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 184 days – 398 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 20 days (72 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 312 days
- Sample
- 72 articles with submission and acceptance dates (161 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 20%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 115 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 17 daysPublisher website ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Article types accepted1
- research articleResearch Article | Published online: 2 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving the option to publish open access. Model summary
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the d…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Statement
All research articles undergo rigorous peer review based on initial editor screening, anonymisation of submitted articles, and refereeing by two anonymous referees. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening, anonymisation of submitted articles and refereeing by two referees who themselves remain anonymous. All review papers, book reviews and guest lectures printed in this journal have undergone editorial screening.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1353-0194
- Electronic ISSN
- 1469-3542
- Society / sponsor
- British Society for Middle Eastern Studies
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 53, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies
What CAS zone is British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 3 of the minor category History / Area Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.76; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 51.
How long does peer review take at British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies?
Based on the dates recorded on 72 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 291 days (interquartile range 184–398 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 20%. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
What JCR quartile is British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 4 of Sociology.
Where are the editorial board members of British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (3) and Australia (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is indexed in SSCI, AHCI and Scopus.
Is British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies open access, and what is the APC?
British Journal of Middle Eastern Studies is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .