About Journal of Disaster Studies

Journal of Disaster Studies is an open access, peer-reviewed, interdisciplinary journal that publishes the work of disaster researchers around the world. The journal foregrounds historically and theoretically framed analyses of both slow and abrupt disaster, questioning how disasters have been designated, conceptualized, and politicized. The journal seeks to define and foster disaster justice as a key concern and theme. The aim of the journal is to advance interpretive theory, methods, and empirical research that supports disaster prevention and response.

The journal publishes articles that examine how disasters are anticipated, experienced, governed, and understood, conceptualizing “disaster” expansively to guide analysis of a wide array of hazards, risks, and disruptions – from earthquakes, industrial operations, and extreme weather, to viral pandemics, climate change, migration, and war. The journal also publishes articles that critically examine methods and concepts used in disaster research, literature reviews, and book reviews.

The journal is published twice a year, with submissions from researchers across disciplines, working in academia, government agencies, community organizations, and other arenas of practice. Abstracts are published in multiple languages. Articles in languages other than English can be part of special collections. Journal of Disaster Studies is multimedia, linking traditionally published journal articles to a digital platform. To advance open data in disaster research, authors are encouraged to share source and supplemental data. The digital platform will also provide a place for experimenting with new forms of scholarly communication, for informal translations of articles, for interviews with authors, and for continued dialogue about the journals’ articles and collections.