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.
