The Refugee Archive: State of the World for Female-Headed Households™
Original research, rigorous reviews, and short commentary focused exclusively on displaced single mothers and female-headed households in refugee and IDP contexts.
| Volume | 1 · Issue 1 |
| Publication date | June 2027 |
| Submissions close | March 2027 |
| Publisher | The Refugee Archive, Inc. |
| Format | Print · Online |
| ISSN | Pending |
ISSN applications are assigned no earlier than six months before publication. Our application goes to the Library of Congress in January 2027, ahead of our June publication date. You may cite this journal as ISSN Pending in the interim.
About the journal
This is the only peer-reviewed journal dedicated entirely to displaced single mothers and female-headed households. Every piece we publish must speak directly to this demographic, their protection risks, legal status, caregiving realities, economic constraints, and the systems meant to serve them.
We publish original research, review articles, book reviews, and commentary from academics, practitioners, and local researchers, including teams embedded in displacement settings. The editorial board reviews all submissions for quality, fit, evidence, and ethics.
Published here, presented here
Every author we publish is invited as a guest on The Refugee Archive Roundtable™, our webinar series connecting research with practitioners, funders, and advocates. Your work doesn't stop at the page.
Scope
We welcome submissions that examine displaced female-headed households across refugee and IDP contexts. Work should engage directly with this demographic rather than treating it as a subset of a broader study.
Protection & legal status
Documentation barriers, statelessness, asylum processes, and protection gaps specific to women heading households
Oral history & qualitative methods
Testimony-based and community-rooted research; methodological work on ethical documentation
Policy & program design
How national laws, humanitarian systems, and assistance programs do or don't account for this demographic
Economic access & stability
Income, livelihoods, financial inclusion, and poverty concentration in displacement contexts
Education, health & social services
Access to schooling, healthcare, and social support for displaced FHHs and their children
Caregiving & decision-making
How care responsibilities shape mobility, access, and survival strategies for single mothers
Submission types
Original research - 4,000-8,000 words. Empirical, theoretical, or mixed-methods work with clear relevance to displaced FHHs.
Review articles - 4,000-8,000 words. Systematic or narrative reviews of existing scholarship on FHH-related topics.
Commentaries & letters - 800-1,500 words. Short, evidence-informed pieces responding to recent research or current policy.
Book reviews - 500-1,000 words. Reviews of recently published books relevant to FHH displacement research.
Editorial / opinion - 1,200-2,500 words. Perspective pieces from practitioners, policymakers, or field researchers.
Publication timeline
Open Now
Call for submissions
We are actively accepting manuscripts across all submission types. Early submissions are welcomed and reviewed on a rolling basis.
January 2027
ISSN application filed
Submitted to the U.S. ISSN Center at the Library of Congress. Pending may be cited in the meantime.
March 2027
Submissions close
Final deadline for all manuscript types.
June 2027
Volume 1, Issue 1 publishes
Print and online. Authors notified. DOI numbers assigned. Roundtable appearances scheduled.
Submit your work
Send manuscripts to [email protected] with the subject line:
Journal Submission_ [Your Name]_ [Submission Type].
Include your submission type, the title of the piece, a 1-2 sentence summary, and confirmation that the work is not under review elsewhere.
Use APA 7th edition unless your discipline requires otherwise.
Meet the Team
Our Annual Journal team is a volunteer group of editors, scholars, and practitioners who review submissions and guide selected pieces through editing to publication. Together, we focus on credibility, ethics, and real-world relevance for displaced single mothers and female-headed households.
Kristi Dawn Riggs (USA)
Editor-in-Chief
Doctoral Candidate, Georgetown University 27'
Gender & Refugee Displacement
Sets the journal's editorial direction, upholds scope and ethics, and makes final publication decisions.
David Oletu (Nigeria)
Associate Editor-in-Chief
University of Benin
BA, English Language and Literature
Book Author & Publisher
Manages submissions, peer review, and editorial workflow, and prepares accepted pieces for publication.
Dr. Bonnie Brown (USA)
Editorial Board Chair
Georgetown University
Doctorate of Liberal Studies, Health & Public Policy
Coordinates board reviews and timelines, supports consistent decisions, and approves the final table of contents.
Dr. Josephine Gitome (Kenya)
Managing Editor
Kenyatta University (KU)
Sr. Lecturer Philosophy and Religious Studies
Provides senior editorial oversight, reviews selected manuscripts, and advises on quality, fit, and publication readiness.
Aisha Kabiru Mohammed (Nigeria)
Editorial Board Member
Ahmadu Bello University
BA, LLB, Civil law 22'
Published Writer & Editor
Reviews assigned submissions and provides recommendations on quality, fit, evidence, and ethics.
