Forced Migration-related Open Access Journals
All titles are either peer-reviewed or edited by teams with experience in the subject area; most actively solicit contributions from non-academics. A comparative table is provided below (updated Jan. 2024).
African Human Mobility Review (Scalabrini Inst.) [info]
- Launched in 2015; "an interdisciplinary peer-reviewed on-line journal created to encourage and facilitate the study of all aspects (socio-economic, political, legislative and developmental) of human mobility in Africa."
Comparative Migration Studies (IMISCOE/Springer) [info]
- Launched in 2013; "[a]n international, peer-reviewed journal for comparative research in the field of migration, integration and ethnic studies."
Conflict and Health (BioMed Central) [info]
- Publishes a range of article types that "focus on the intricate relationship between conflict and health, and how health interventions in war zones may contribute to peace." Peer-reviewed.
Forced Migration Review (Refugee Studies Centre) [info]
- "Through FMR, authors from around the world analyse the causes and impacts of displacement; debate policies and programmes; share research findings; reflect the lived experience of displacement; and present examples of good practice and recommendations for policy and action." Editor reviewed.
Georgetown Immigration Law Journal (Georgetown Univ.) [info]
- Student-edited law journal that is "dedicated to exploring and critically analyzing international and domestic events as they shape the field of immigration law. Each issue features articles by scholars and legal practitioners, as well as a significant number of student notes and a section reviewing current developments in immigration." Full-text issues are available as of vol. 32 (Fall 2017).
International Review of the Red Cross (ICRC/Cambridge University Press) [info] [info]
- "[A] forum for debate on international humanitarian law and humanitarian action and policy, during armed conflict and other situations of violence." Peer-reviewed. Issues of the Review are open access on ICRC's site (the first link), but toll access (require a fee or subscription) on the CUP site (second link).
Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas (ARQ International) [info]
- "[A] peer-reviewed journal for mental health professionals, counsellors, psycho-social workers and community workers working with victims of armed conflict. Intervention publishes articles relevant for professionals working in areas of armed conflict, but also for those working with refugees from areas of armed conflict in Europe, Australia, North-America etc." As of 2018, this journal became fully open access.
Journal of Humanitarian Affairs (Manchester Univ. Press) [info]
- Aim is to "contribute to current thinking around humanitarian governance, policy and practice with academic rigour and political courage. The journal will challenge contributors and readers to think critically about humanitarian issues that are often approached from reductionist assumptions about what experience and evidence mean." Includes peer-reviewed articles.
Journal of Internal Displacement (EV Research Inc.) [info]
- "[A] scholarly and inter-disciplinary platform for raising the profile of displaced populations through discussions, critical dialogue, emerging themes, reflections and explorations on a wide range of topics and regions around the globe." Peer-reviewed.
Journal of International Humanitarian Action (NOHA/Springer) [info]
- Launched in 2016; "provides a forum for practitioners, policy-makers and academics to highlight contemporary challenges, to critically reflect upon current practices, and to ultimately advance the field of humanitarian action." Peer-reviewed.
Journal on Education in Emergencies (INEE) [info]
- Launched in 2015; "established in response to the growing need for rigorous education in emergencies (EiE) research to strengthen the evidence base, support EiE policy and practice, and improve learning in and across organizations, policy institutes and academic institutions."
Journal on Migration and Human Security (Center for Migration Studies) [info]
- Launched in 2013; "a peer-reviewed public policy publication" that "seeks to publish rigorous and well-argued papers that can significantly inform and contribute to the US and international policy debates on migration." Note: JMHS is a combination bronze & hybrid open access journal: All articles are freely available with no publication fees required. At the same time, authors can choose to pay an APC in order to gain more reuse rights.
Migration & Society (Berghahn Journals) [info]
- "[A]n interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal advancing debate about emergent trends in all types of migration. We invite work that situates migration in a wider historical and societal context, including attention to experiences and representations of migration, critical theoretical perspectives on migration, and the social, cultural, and legal embeddedness of migration. Global in its scope, we particularly encourage scholarship from and about the global South as well as the North." Note: This journal became OA as of 2020 under a subscribe-to-open model.
Migration Policy Practice: A Bimonthly Journal for and by Policymakers Worldwide (IOM) [info]
- "[P]rovides a vehicle for policymakers to reflect and write on their day-to-day policy practice, their decisions and their experience, and to share such insights with like-minded colleagues nationally and internationally." Not peer-reviewed; overseen by an editorial board comprised of policymakers. Submission guidelines are provided on the last page of each issue. Eurasylum was a co-editor until 2022.
Migration Politics [info]
International Review of the Red Cross (ICRC/Cambridge University Press) [info] [info]
- "[A] forum for debate on international humanitarian law and humanitarian action and policy, during armed conflict and other situations of violence." Peer-reviewed. Issues of the Review are open access on ICRC's site (the first link), but toll access (require a fee or subscription) on the CUP site (second link).
Intervention: Journal of Mental Health and Psychosocial Support in Conflict Affected Areas (ARQ International) [info]
- "[A] peer-reviewed journal for mental health professionals, counsellors, psycho-social workers and community workers working with victims of armed conflict. Intervention publishes articles relevant for professionals working in areas of armed conflict, but also for those working with refugees from areas of armed conflict in Europe, Australia, North-America etc." As of 2018, this journal became fully open access.
Journal of Humanitarian Affairs (Manchester Univ. Press) [info]
- Aim is to "contribute to current thinking around humanitarian governance, policy and practice with academic rigour and political courage. The journal will challenge contributors and readers to think critically about humanitarian issues that are often approached from reductionist assumptions about what experience and evidence mean." Includes peer-reviewed articles.
Journal of Internal Displacement (EV Research Inc.) [info]
- "[A] scholarly and inter-disciplinary platform for raising the profile of displaced populations through discussions, critical dialogue, emerging themes, reflections and explorations on a wide range of topics and regions around the globe." Peer-reviewed.
Journal of International Humanitarian Action (NOHA/Springer) [info]
- Launched in 2016; "provides a forum for practitioners, policy-makers and academics to highlight contemporary challenges, to critically reflect upon current practices, and to ultimately advance the field of humanitarian action." Peer-reviewed.
Journal on Education in Emergencies (INEE) [info]
- Launched in 2015; "established in response to the growing need for rigorous education in emergencies (EiE) research to strengthen the evidence base, support EiE policy and practice, and improve learning in and across organizations, policy institutes and academic institutions."
Journal on Migration and Human Security (Center for Migration Studies) [info]
- Launched in 2013; "a peer-reviewed public policy publication" that "seeks to publish rigorous and well-argued papers that can significantly inform and contribute to the US and international policy debates on migration." Note: JMHS is a combination bronze & hybrid open access journal: All articles are freely available with no publication fees required. At the same time, authors can choose to pay an APC in order to gain more reuse rights.
Migration & Society (Berghahn Journals) [info]
- "[A]n interdisciplinary peer-reviewed journal advancing debate about emergent trends in all types of migration. We invite work that situates migration in a wider historical and societal context, including attention to experiences and representations of migration, critical theoretical perspectives on migration, and the social, cultural, and legal embeddedness of migration. Global in its scope, we particularly encourage scholarship from and about the global South as well as the North." Note: This journal became OA as of 2020 under a subscribe-to-open model.
Migration Policy Practice: A Bimonthly Journal for and by Policymakers Worldwide (IOM) [info]
- "[P]rovides a vehicle for policymakers to reflect and write on their day-to-day policy practice, their decisions and their experience, and to share such insights with like-minded colleagues nationally and internationally." Not peer-reviewed; overseen by an editorial board comprised of policymakers. Submission guidelines are provided on the last page of each issue. Eurasylum was a co-editor until 2022.
Migration Politics [info]
- New journal that "publishes peer-reviewed scholarly contributions on the politics involved in representing, controlling and managing migration." Peer-reviewed.
Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration (Independent) [info]
- Student-run publication, with shorter policy/law/field analyses and longer academic articles. Editor reviewed.
QRP: Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin (Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt) [info]
Oxford Monitor of Forced Migration (Independent) [info]
- Student-run publication, with shorter policy/law/field analyses and longer academic articles. Editor reviewed.
QRP: Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin (Technical University of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt) [info]
- "[O]fficial journal of the Association for the Study of the World Refugee Problem (AWR) for the dissemination of findings on migration issues. It fosters the global, interdisciplinary discourse between academics and practitioners to provide theoretical and practical answers to questions related to forced or voluntary migration." Relaunched in 2022 as an open access journal.
Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees (Centre for Refugee Studies, York University) [info]
- "[P]rovides analytical, reflective, and probing articles from a wide range of disciplinary and regional perspectives, presenting writing of academics, policy-makers, and practitioners in the field of forced migration." Peer-reviewed. Refuge converted to open access in 2013.
Refugee Watch: A South Asian Journal on Forced Migration (Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group) [info]
- A journal with a scholar-activist approach towards a wide range of forced migration issues. Peer-reviewed.
REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana (Centro Scalabriniano de Estudos Migratórios) [info]
- The journal's mission is to "provide broad and deep interdisciplinary analysis on current human mobility issues for the academic world, and intellectuals and workers involved in pastoral and migratory policies." Editor reviewed.
Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales (Université de Poitiers) [info]
- "This journal aims to publish both empirical and theoretical research work on different subjects which take into account international migration and inter-ethnic relationships. While it favors the geographical area of Europe, the journal is open to other areas and other migratory systems throughout the world." Peer-reviewed. Note: This was formerly a delayed open access journal, with articles becoming freely available after a year. As of 2024, articles are immediate open access.
Statelessness and Citizenship Review (Univ. of Melbourne & Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion) [info]
- This is "the first journal to be entirely dedicated to advancing the understanding of statelessness and related citizenship phenomena and challenges, helping to meet the growing demand for the exchange of ideas and knowledge among scholars in the blossoming field of statelessness studies." Peer-reviewed.
Refuge: Canada's Journal on Refugees (Centre for Refugee Studies, York University) [info]
- "[P]rovides analytical, reflective, and probing articles from a wide range of disciplinary and regional perspectives, presenting writing of academics, policy-makers, and practitioners in the field of forced migration." Peer-reviewed. Refuge converted to open access in 2013.
Refugee Watch: A South Asian Journal on Forced Migration (Mahanirban Calcutta Research Group) [info]
- A journal with a scholar-activist approach towards a wide range of forced migration issues. Peer-reviewed.
REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana (Centro Scalabriniano de Estudos Migratórios) [info]
- The journal's mission is to "provide broad and deep interdisciplinary analysis on current human mobility issues for the academic world, and intellectuals and workers involved in pastoral and migratory policies." Editor reviewed.
Revue Européenne des Migrations Internationales (Université de Poitiers) [info]
- "This journal aims to publish both empirical and theoretical research work on different subjects which take into account international migration and inter-ethnic relationships. While it favors the geographical area of Europe, the journal is open to other areas and other migratory systems throughout the world." Peer-reviewed. Note: This was formerly a delayed open access journal, with articles becoming freely available after a year. As of 2024, articles are immediate open access.
Statelessness and Citizenship Review (Univ. of Melbourne & Institute on Statelessness and Inclusion) [info]
- This is "the first journal to be entirely dedicated to advancing the understanding of statelessness and related citizenship phenomena and challenges, helping to meet the growing demand for the exchange of ideas and knowledge among scholars in the blossoming field of statelessness studies." Peer-reviewed.
Zeitschrift für Migrationsforschung = Journal of Migration Studies (Univ. of Osnabrück) [info]
- This new journal "offers a forum for the scholarly examination of the background and conditions of spatial movements of people in the past and present as well as of social change induced by migration processes in contexts of origin, transit and destination. The contributions present new findings from various disciplines and fields of research, discuss concepts or formulate theoretical proposals." Articles can be submitted in either German or English. Editor reviewed.
COMPARATIVE TABLE
Journal
|
Publisher
|
Peer review?
|
Type of OA/CC License?
|
Charges?
|
African Human Mobility Rev.
|
Scalabrini Inst.
|
Yes
|
CC BY
|
None
|
Comparative
Migration Studies
|
IMISCOE/Springer
|
Yes
|
CC BY
|
Articles:
$1390* |
Conflict &
Health
|
BioMed Central
|
Yes
|
CC BY
|
Articles: $3190* |
Forced Migration
Review
|
RSC
|
No
|
CC BY-NC-ND
|
None
|
Georgetown Immigration Law J.
|
Georgetown Univ. |
No
|
Bronze OA; copyright w/ publisher |
None
|
International Rev. of the Red Cross**
|
ICRC/Cambridge Univ. Press |
Yes
|
Bronze OA; copyright w/ publisher
|
None
|
Intervention
|
War Trauma Found./Medknow
|
Yes
|
CC BY-NC-SA
|
|
J. of Humanitarian Affairs
|
Manchester Univ. Press |
Yes
|
CC BY-NC-ND
|
None
|
J. of Internal Displacement
|
EV Research Inc. |
Yes
|
CC BY-NC-ND | None
|
J. of Intl. Humanitarian Action |
NOHA/Springer |
Yes
|
CC BY
|
$1040* |
J. on Education in Emergencies
|
INEE
|
Yes
|
CC BY-NC
|
None
|
J. on Migration &
Human Security
|
CMS
|
Yes
|
1) all articles are de facto free to read; 2) authors can also choose to pay an APC for greater reuse rights with either a
CC BY-NC or CC BY license
|
$3200 (for option 2 only)
|
Migration & Society***
|
Berghahn Journals
|
Yes
|
Authors choose CC license
|
$235/year library subscrip. rate
|
Migration Policy Practice |
IOM
|
No
|
CC BY-NC-ND
|
None
|
Migration Politics |
Migration Politics | Yes | CC BY
|
None
|
Independent
|
No
|
Bronze OA; copyright w/ author
|
None
|
|
QRP: Quarterly on Refugee Problems - AWR Bulletin
|
Technical Univ. of Applied Sciences Würzburg-Schweinfurt
|
Yes
|
CC BY-NC-ND
|
None
|
Refuge:
|
CRS
|
Yes
|
CC BY-NC
|
None
|
Refugee Watch
|
MCRG
|
Yes
|
Bronze OA; copyright w/ author
|
None
|
REMHU: Revista Interdisciplinar da Mobilidade Humana
|
Centro Scalabriniano de Estudos Migratórios
|
No
|
CC BY
|
None
|
REMI:
|
Univ. de Poitiers
|
Yes
|
CC BY |
None
|
Statelessness and Citizenship Review
|
Univ. of Melbourne/Inst. on Statelessness & Inclusion
|
Yes
|
CC BY-NC
|
None
|
Zeitschrift für Migrationsforschung = J. of Migration Studies
|
Univ. of Osnabrück
|
No
|
None indicated
|
None
|
*As of Jan. 2024; waivers available - follow links for more info.
**Included on both the OA and
conventional journal lists***Under the subscribe-to-open model, libraries pay an annual subscription fee to support the journal as an OA publication. See FAQ for more info.