Aims & Scope
The Review of Middle East Studies (RoMES) is the Middle East Studies Association's online journal of review, published twice a year. RoMES focuses on the state of the craft in modern and pre-modern Middle East studies, including anthropology, art and architecture, Islamic studies, history, literature, performance, political studies, and sociology. We emphasize new and emerging approaches to scholarship, research methods, and pedagogical practice of interest to the broader Middle East studies community.
Editorial Policy
We welcome proposals and submissions for the following:
- Roundtables and Special Issues: Thematic collections or discussions bringing together practitioners on shared methodological, pedagogical, or emergent scholarly questions
- Reflective Essays: Analysis of scholarly trends, methodological innovations, and the state of various subfields
- Field Reports: Reflections on research experiences, emerging topics, and contemporary dynamics in the region
- Pedagogical Perspectives: Discussions about teaching methods, curriculum development, and educational innovation
- Reviews: Critical assessments of new books, films, music, and exhibitions
- Curator’s Corner: Discussions and commentaries on projects and programming within the field such as Digital Humanities initiatives, film, lecture, or publishing series, or public-facing scholarship
- Interviews and Tributes: Conversations with prominent scholars about their careers, work, and reflections on the field, as well as tributes to colleagues that celebrate their scholarly legacy and contributions to Middle East studies.
What We Generally Do Not Publish: RoMES does not typically solicit traditional research articles that present new empirical findings or original historical/ethnographic research. Original research may be included in special issues or roundtables when it contributes to broader methodological, pedagogical, or scholarly discussions.
Submission Inquiries: Given our specialized focus, we strongly encourage authors to query the editorial team before submitting materials to ensure alignment with RoMES' mission and scope.
Article Types Accepted
- Article*
- Special Focus Foundtable*
- Critical Essay*
- Pedagogical Perspective*
- Curator's Corner*
- Field Retrospective*
- Interim Report from the Field*
- Middle East Studies in Action
- Review Essay (book or film)*
- Briefly Noted
- Review (book or film)
* For the purposes of Gold Open Access funding, this journal considers these article types to be research articles. If publishing Gold OA, all or part of the publication costs for these article types may be covered by one of the agreements Cambridge University Press has made to support open access.
The Review of Middle East Studies publishes approximately 20-30 reviews per issue. RoMES reviews an array of published material relevant to the wider audience of Middle East scholars, including research monographs, edited volumes, fiction, films, music, software, websites, and exhibitions. We especially encourage requests to submit review essays.
Reviews should be thoughtful and engaging critiques that explain the basic argument of a book, assess its strengths and weaknesses, and place the work within the scholarly literature on the topic.
All reviews are assigned and approved by an Associate Editor. RoMES does not accept unsolicited reviews.
Once you have accepted an Associate Editor’s invitation to write a review, you will be contacted by e-mail by the Managing Editor with an official invitation and a request for a mailing address to which you would like your review book sent. This invitation will include a specific date by which your review is due to your Associate Editor. RoMES’s standard deadline for reviews is 10 weeks from the date of the official invitation.