The Journal of Mekong Societies (JMS) is an international, double-blind, peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on the Mekong region in Southeast Asia. JMS is published every four months as an online open-access journal.
The Journal publishes original research articles and review articles in the humanities and social sciences that contribute to understanding the societies of the Mekong region. Areas of interest include, but are not limited to, society, culture, history, ethnicity, religion, language, literature, communications, information, architecture, art, environment, and development. Manuscripts should have clear relevance to the Mekong region or its constituent countries, namely Cambodia, China, Laos, Myanmar, Thailand, and Vietnam.
Geographical location or disciplinary subject matter alone does not necessarily constitute a sufficient fit with the Journal’s aims and scope. Manuscripts should demonstrate substantive relevance to the social, cultural, historical, environmental, or developmental contexts of the Mekong region and should make a meaningful scholarly contribution to understanding issues relevant to the Journal’s readership.
JMS gives preference to manuscripts employing qualitative research methods, as these approaches offer in-depth understanding of social, cultural, and historical contexts within the Mekong region. Quantitative studies may be considered when they are clearly grounded in social-scientific interpretation and contribute to contextual or theoretical insights relevant to the region.
All submissions undergo an initial editorial screening before being considered for external peer review. At this stage, manuscripts may be declined for either (1) insufficient alignment with the Journal’s aims, scope, scholarly orientation, or publishing policy, or (2) insufficient scholarly quality or readiness for external peer review. Only manuscripts that successfully pass the initial editorial screening are sent for external peer review. Manuscripts proceeding to peer review are evaluated by at least two independent reviewers with relevant expertise.
Articles must be written in English. The Journal does not accept manuscripts that have already been published or are simultaneously being considered for publication elsewhere. All submissions must conform to the JMS Author Guidelines and Publishing Ethics.
Publication Frequency
Three issues per year: No. 1 April No. 2 August No. 3 December
Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge.
Article Processing Charge (APC)
Effective June 1, 2023, an Article Processing Charge (APC) of 10,000 Thai Baht will be applied to all accepted articles submitted on or after this date. This APC is intended to cover the costs associated with peer review administration, publishing operations, archival administration, and journal management.
Once a manuscript has passed the peer review process and been accepted for publication by the JMS chief editor, the corresponding author will receive an invoice for the APC. The fee must be paid within one week of receipt of the invoice to avoid any delay in publication or retraction of the manuscript.
It is important to note that the APC does not include any language editing services, and authors are encouraged to seek their own editing services to ensure their manuscript meets the Journal's academic language requirements. However, the Journal can provide language editing services upon request at a rate of 350 Thai Baht per page, with additional fees added if more extensive editing is required.
