Journal profile · Multiple
Middle East Policy
ISSN 1061-1924 · eISSN 1475-4967 · Wiley-Blackwell
Middle East Policy: CAS Zone 4 · Sociology (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.5; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,300; 66 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Middle East Policy is published by Wiley-Blackwell 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 Middle East and Rwanda Conflicts, Jewish and Middle Eastern Studies and Islamic Studies and History, together about 45.9% 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)
“We applaud (Middle East Policy Council's) efforts to present the full spectrum of views and, occasionally challenge the conventional wisdom regarding the Middle East.” - Colin L. Powell, Secretary of State The most frequently cited journal on the Middle East region in the field of international affairs, Middle East Policy has been engaging thoughtful minds for more than 25 years. Since its inception in 1982, the journal has been recognized as a valuable addition to the Washington-based policy discussion. Middle East Policy provides an influential forum for a wide range of views on U.S. interests in the region and the value of the policies that are supposed to promote them.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Middle East and Rwanda ConflictsSocial Sciences20.2%
- Jewish and Middle Eastern StudiesSocial Sciences14.9%
- Islamic Studies and HistorySocial Sciences10.8%
- Middle East Politics and SocietySocial Sciences10.1%
- Socioeconomic Development in MENASocial Sciences9.6%
- Terrorism, Counterterrorism, and Political ViolenceSocial Sciences4.2%
- Turkey's Politics and SocietySocial Sciences4.1%
- Political Conflict and GovernanceSocial Sciences3.1%
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 | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
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 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 3 |
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 | Area Studies | Zone 4 |
| Minor | International Relations | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Current ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
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
- 1.5LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.83LetPub ·
- h-index
- 48OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 398OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.2OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 30.71%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 45LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 57Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 134,168Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,963 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 70 | 30 | 19 |
| 2025 | 66 | 31 | 68 |
| 2024 | 71 | 39 | 161 |
| 2023 | 59 | 35 | 175 |
| 2022 | 64 | 12 | 164 |
| 2021 | 55 | 13 | 194 |
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
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
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".
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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,300 / EUR 2,760 / GBP 2,220 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,500 words
- Reference style
- Chicago
Article types accepted7
- book reviewArticle Type Description Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Editorial To convey an opinion, or overview of a…Length not stated
- editorialArticle Type Description Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Editorial To convey an opinion, or overview of a…Length not stated
- opinionArticle Type Description Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Editorial To convey an opinion, or overview of a…Length not stated
- original articleArticle Type Description Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Editorial To convey an opinion, or overview of a…Length not stated
- original researchArticle Type Description Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Editorial To convey an opinion, or overview of a…Length not stated
- short reviewArticle Type Description Original Article Reports of original research, with methods, findings and conclusions. Editorial To convey an opinion, or overview of a…Length not stated
- symposiumSymposium Expert opinion from one or more people (who may agree or disagree) on a published work, current understanding/status of an area, or how practice shoul…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- AI use
AI-assisted technologies must comply with Wiley's AI guidelines. Model summary
If you used any AI-assisted technologies, please comply with Wiley’s guidelines regarding the use of artificial intelligence (see AI guidelines for researchers | Wiley).
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
Authorship criteria: substantial contribution and agreement to final version. Model summary
All listed authors should have contributed to the manuscript substantially and have agreed to the final submitted version. Review editorial standards and scroll down for a description of authorship criteria.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability
Encourages data sharing. Model summary
This journal encourages data sharing. You can learn more about data sharing in Wiley’s Data Sharing Policies resource.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Reproduction of Copyright Material
If excerpts from copyrighted works owned by third parties are included, credit must be shown in the contribution. It is your responsibility to also obtain written permission for reproduction from the copyright owners. For more information visit Wiley’s Copyright Terms & Conditions FAQ.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access For authors choosing Open Access
If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have a choice of the following Creative Commons License Open Access Agreements (OAA):
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 1. Submission and Peer Review Process
Peer review model; papers sent to review only if Editor-in-Chief determines quality and relevance requirements are met. Model summary
Unsolicited articles and book reviews are welcomed and will be considered by the editor, who assumes no responsibility for them. Please contact the Editor directly for any initial queries at adam.r.joyce@mepc.org. Once the submission materials have been prepared in accordance with the author guidelines, new submissions should be made online via the Wiley Authors submission portal: https://authors.…
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 1061-1924
- Electronic ISSN
- 1475-4967
- Society / sponsor
- Middle East Policy Council
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Middle East Policy
What CAS zone is Middle East Policy in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Middle East Policy is in Zone 4 of Sociology, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Area Studies / International Relations. 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 Middle East Policy?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.5; CiteScore 1.9, h-index 48.
What are the manuscript requirements of Middle East Policy?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Keywords: ≤ 7; Manuscript length: ≤ 9,500 words; Reference style: Chicago. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Which databases index Middle East Policy?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Middle East Policy is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Middle East Policy open access, and what is the APC?
Middle East Policy is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,300.
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: .