The Oxford Middle East Review (OMER) welcomes submissions and pitches to our annual, peer-reviewed journal according to the theme announced in the current Call for Papers. The theme for our 2026–27 edition is Making.
We also welcome submissions to the OMER blog on a rolling basis, covering any topic related to Southwest Asia and North Africa.
OMER encourages interdisciplinary scholarship, critical inquiry, and experimentation in academic writing and creative expression. We are committed to a collaborative editorial process that supports both established and first-time contributors.
Please read the following submission guidelines before submitting your work. For a fuller look at our conventions, feel free to read our Conventions Guide.
How to Submit
Please send all submissions and pitches to submissions@omerjournal.com, using the appropriate email subject line.
Journal submissions:
JOURNAL_YEAR_LASTNAME_Firstname
Example: JOURNAL_26_CABRAL_Amilcar
Please replace YEAR with the calendar year in which you submit your work.
Blog submissions:
BLOG_YEAR_LASTNAME_Firstname
Example: BLOG_2026_CABRAL_Amilcar
Please replace YEAR with the calendar year in which you submit your work.
Journal submission deadline: 12 January 2027
Blog submissions: Accepted on a rolling basis throughout the year.
Questions and enquiries may be directed to editors@omerjournal.com.
Journal Submission Guidelines
Our annual journal welcomes a range of scholarly and creative contributions that engage with the current edition’s theme.
These include:
- Research articles
- Book reviews
- Interviews
- Visual essays and other image-based scholarship
- Interdisciplinary, creative, and experimental academic work
- Hybrid contributions combining research, artistic practice, and critical reflection
We encourage contributors working across different disciplines, methodologies, and historical periods to consider how their work might engage with the theme.
Submission Information
Please include:
- Full name
- Email address
- Institutional affiliation or occupation, if applicable
- Title of the contribution
- Abstract of no more than 250 words (where applicable)
- Submission category (research article, policy analysis, book review, interview, etc.)
Formatting and References
File format: Microsoft Word or a compatible word-processing format. Contributors proposing visual or experimental work may contact the editors regarding alternative formats.
Submission Categories and Lengths
OMER welcomes a range of scholarly, critical, and creative contributions. We encourage authors to select the format that best serves their work.
Research Articles — 7,500–10,000 words
Original scholarly research presenting a sustained argument, engaging with relevant literature, and drawing upon appropriate evidence, methodologies, or theoretical frameworks.
Interviews — 1,500–4,000 words
Substantive conversations with researchers, artists, activists, practitioners, or other contributors whose work engages with OMER’s intellectual interests. Interviews may be edited collaboratively for clarity and publication, with appropriate attention to consent and the interviewee’s intended meaning.
Visual and Photo Essays — Flexible length
Visual contributions that develop an intellectual, artistic, or critical intervention through photography, illustration, archival material, or other image-based approaches. Accompanying text, captions, or commentary may be included where appropriate, but conventional academic prose is not required.
Creative and Experimental Scholarship — Flexible length
We welcome interdisciplinary and experimental contributions, including poetry, creative nonfiction, hybrid scholarship, and work that challenges conventional academic forms. Submissions should demonstrate a meaningful engagement with the journal’s theme and intellectual scope.
General Guidelines
- Word counts include footnotes but exclude bibliographies.
- Suggested lengths for reviews, interviews, and other nontraditional formats are flexible.
- All submissions should engage meaningfully with the current edition’s theme, Making.
- Contributors are encouraged to discuss unconventional formats or proposed projects with the editorial team before submission.
- OMER assesses submissions according to their intellectual or creative contribution, the effectiveness of their chosen form, and their suitability for publication.
We recognise that different forms of scholarship require different approaches to structure, evidence, language, and presentation. Our editorial process aims to support these differences while maintaining scholarly and ethical standards.
References: Footnote citations and a full bibliography, preferably following Chicago’s Notes and Bibliography system.
Style: The Chicago Manual of Style, subject to OMER’s house conventions. Please use double quotation marks (“ ”) for primary quotations and single quotation marks (‘ ’) for quotations within quotations.
We encourage contributors to consult the OMER Author Submission Guide for further information about formatting, references, spelling, transliteration, and editorial conventions.
Editorial and Peer-Review Process
Incomplete submissions may not be considered.
Journal submissions undergo an initial assessment by the Managing Editors, followed by further editorial screening where appropriate.
Contributions selected to proceed will receive editorial feedback and opportunities for revision before external peer review, where applicable. Authors may then be invited to revise their work in response to peer-review reports.
OMER approaches editing as a collaborative process. Our editors aim to strengthen clarity, argumentation, and presentation while respecting contributors’ intellectual and creative autonomy.
An editor will communicate with contributors regarding editorial decisions, feedback, revisions, and deadlines.
Blog Submission Guidelines
The OMER blog welcomes contributions on subjects related to Southwest Asia and North Africa, including topics outside the annual journal’s theme.
We encourage accessible, engaging, and critically informed writing from students, researchers, and other contributors.
Please include your name, contact information, proposed title, and completed submission or pitch.
Blog submissions are reviewed by the blog editorial team, who may contact contributors to discuss revisions or request additional information before publication.
Blog submissions are accepted throughout the year.
Artificial Intelligence (AI) Disclosure
OMER permits the responsible use of generative AI tools in research, writing, translation, editing, and creative work, provided that contributors remain accountable for their submissions.
All uses of generative AI must be disclosed.
Contributors who use generative AI must:
- Include a separate AI Disclosure Statement identifying the tools used and explaining how they were used.
- Include appropriate entries in the bibliography or reference list identifying the AI tools used, in accordance with OMER’s AI guidelines.
- Independently verify AI-assisted factual claims, citations, quotations, translations, and other research material.
- Take full responsibility for the accuracy, originality, integrity, and ethical implications of their work.
AI tools cannot be credited as authors.
AI-generated or AI-assisted visual material must also be disclosed, including the tools used and the nature of their contribution.
OMER does not prohibit AI-assisted scholarship or creative work solely because AI tools were used. However, undisclosed AI use or the submission of fabricated sources, quotations, or research material may result in editorial action.
For further information, please consult the OMER Author Submission Guide.
Submission and Publication Terms
By submitting work to the Oxford Middle East Review, contributors consent to their submissions being shared with relevant members of the editorial team and appropriate external reviewers for the purposes of editorial assessment, peer review, editing, and quality control.
Submission does not guarantee acceptance or publication.
Contributors are responsible for the originality of their work, the accuracy of their research, and identifying any third-party material requiring permission.
Publication arrangements, including copyright, licensing, and permissions, will be communicated to contributors before publication. Acceptance of a submission does not itself constitute agreement to unspecified publication terms.
The Oxford Middle East Review is an independent project and publication. The views expressed in published contributions are those of their respective authors and do not necessarily reflect the views of the editors, senior members, or the University of Oxford.
For further information, please contact us.
