Journal profile · AREA STUDIES
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES
ISSN 0020-7438 · eISSN 1471-6380 · Cambridge University Press
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES: CAS Zone 2 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.96; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,550; 75 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES is published by Cambridge University Press and is in Zone 2 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 African history and culture analysis, together about 44.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Political Science and International Relations and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
IJMES focuses on the area encompassing the Middle East and adjacent geo-cultural regions from the seventh century to the present. This area includes North and Sub-Saharan Africa, the Arab, Turkic and Persianate worlds, the Mediterranean and Balkans, Central, South and Southeast Asia and areas to which peoples from these lands have migrated or settled. Essays on communities that have historical, political, cultural or religious ties to the Middle East and on transnational or trans-regional relations are encouraged. Particular attention will be paid to works dealing with anthropology, art and architecture, cultural studies, economics, gender and LGBQT studies, history, indigenous studies, law, literature, political science, religious studies, and sociology. IJMES does not accept technical or highly specialized material, nor does it publish in the areas of administration or training.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): AREA STUDIES
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 34, United Kingdom 2, Qatar 2, Canada 1, United Arab Emirates 1 (41 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Islamic Studies and HistorySocial Sciences24.8%
- Jewish and Middle Eastern StudiesSocial Sciences13.4%
- African history and culture analysisSocial Sciences5.9%
- Archaeology and Historical StudiesArts and Humanities5.7%
- Turkey's Politics and SocietySocial Sciences5.6%
- Middle East Politics and SocietySocial Sciences5.2%
- Middle East and Rwanda ConflictsSocial Sciences4.8%
- Global Maritime and Colonial HistoriesSocial Sciences4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 1 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Sociology Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Area Studies | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
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
- 0.96LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.2LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.36LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 84OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 956OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.22OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 84.62%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 41LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 6,662 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 11 | 0 |
| 2025 | 75 | 41 | 8 |
| 2024 | 111 | 56 | 38 |
| 2023 | 131 | 69 | 148 |
| 2022 | 128 | 53 | 195 |
| 2021 | 123 | 31 | 213 |
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.
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,550 / GBP 2,460 | — | — | |
| 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 accepted2
- book reviewArticle* Book Review (solicited) Book Review Essay (solicited)* Review Essay* Roundtable* Conversation (solicited)*Length not stated
- reviewArticle* Book Review (solicited) Book Review Essay (solicited)* Review Essay* Roundtable* Conversation (solicited)*Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship
- Authorship
Original research only; not published elsewhere in any language and not under consideration elsewhere. Model summary
IJMES evaluates manuscripts with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere in any language and are not under consideration for publication elsewhere.
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
- Cambridge University Press
- ISSN
- 0020-7438
- Electronic ISSN
- 1471-6380
- Society / sponsor
- MESA
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES
What CAS zone is INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES is in Zone 2 of Sociology, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Area Studies. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Sociology. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.96; CiteScore 1.2, h-index 84.
Where are the editorial board members of INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES based?
Of the 41 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (34), United Kingdom (2) and Qatar (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES open access, and what is the APC?
INTERNATIONAL JOURNAL OF MIDDLE EAST STUDIES is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,550.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .