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Journal of Modern African Studies

journal

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General referenceInterpretive dossier study · Crown Archives visual atlas
Record originEnglish Wikipedia
Text licenseCC BY-SA 4.0
Source revisionDec 26, 2025
Entity authorityQ6295584
Source-derived summary

The Journal of Modern African Studies is a quarterly academic journal of African studies covering developments in modern African politics and society. Its main emphasis is on current issues in African politics, economies, societies, and international relations. The journal is published by Cambridge University Press and as of 2018 its editors-in-chief are Ian Taylor (St. Andrews University) and Ebenezer Obadare (Council on Foreign Relations). It was edited by Leonardo A. Villalón (University of Florida) and Paul Nugent (University of Edinburgh) from 2012 to 2017, and by Christopher Clapham (University of Cambridge) from 1997 to 2012. David Kimble (National University of Lesotho) served as its founding editor from 1963 to 1997.

Abstracting and indexing

The journal is abstracted and indexed in:

EBSCO databases

International Bibliography of the Social Sciences

ProQuest databases

Scopus

Social Sciences Citation Index

According to the Journal Citation Reports, the journal has a 2021 impact factor of 1.137.

Notable articles

"Explaining the 1994 genocide in Rwanda" - Helen M. Hintjens, Jun 1999 37:2, pp 241-286

"China's engagement in Africa: scope, significance and consequences" - Denis M. Tull, Sep 2006 44:3, pp 459-479

"Business environment and entrepreneurial activity in Nigeria: implications for industrial development" - Mary Agboli and Chikwendu Christian Ukaegbu, Mar 2006 44:1, pp 1-30

"Diamonds or development?

Editorial summary

This brief starts where responsible research should: with the source description of “Journal of Modern African Studies” as journal. Everything that follows is an evidence route, not borrowed authority.

Editorial reviewA dependable orientation record for establishing vocabulary, names and a first evidence trail. The current lead gives the account dated anchors—2018, 2012, 2017, 1997—that can be checked directly. The linked authority record independently contributes the date 1963-01-01. The account is most persuasive where Journal, Modern and African can be independently traced.
Editorial analysis

Why this record matters

The subject matters to the general reference register because the source frames it as journal. Its deeper value depends on whether names, dates, institutions and citations support that framing.

Evidence profile

Vocabulary and entity names are the principal evidence signals here, because they determine the precision of every later search. The source revision retrieved here is dated Dec 26, 2025. The linked authority identifier is Q6295584. 2 of 2 selected statements include explicit references; 1 carry qualifiers and 0 use preferred rank. The first chronological checks are 2018, 2012, 2017 and 1997.

Critical limits

A concise general-reference account can conceal disagreements about scope, terminology or the weight assigned to individual sources. The lead is largely declarative, so disagreement and counter-evidence require a deliberate search beyond the opening account. Authority statements aid reconciliation but still require their own references, qualifiers and ranks to be checked.

How to read it

Use the entry as an orientation point, then follow its citations and revision history. Names, dates and institutional relationships should be checked against the original record.

Best used for
  • Subject orientation
  • Search vocabulary
  • Locating named sources
Verify next

The closest primary source, responsible institution and strongest cited specialist reference.

Three-step research path

  1. Establish the record: confirm the title “Journal of Modern African Studies”, its source revision and the description used here.
  2. Expand the search: follow Journal of Modern African Studies primary sources, Journal of Modern African Studies archive and Journal research across catalogues and specialist indexes.
  3. Test the account: compare the strongest cited source with the responsible institution’s current record and note any disagreement.

Questions for further research

  1. Which source most directly establishes the central claim about “Journal of Modern African Studies”?
  2. What terminology or title could unlock a more precise catalogue search?
  3. Which cited source is closest to the event, object or claim?
Subject index

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Source & attribution

This entry incorporates text from Journal of Modern African Studies” on English Wikipedia. Contributors are listed in the page history. Text is available under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 4.0 License. Selected authority identifiers and statements are retrieved from Wikidata under CC0; their references and qualifiers remain part of the verification path.