Geographical Studies and Development is a newly launched, peer-reviewed academic journal published under the aegis of the Department of Geography, Patna University, Patna, Bihar. Conceived as a platform for rigorous, original scholarship in geography and allied development studies, the journal seeks to bridge the traditional strengths of geographical inquiry - physical geography, regional analysis, cartography and spatial science - with the pressing developmental questions facing India, and particularly the eastern Gangetic plains, in the twenty-first century.
The Department of Geography at Patna University has a long institutional history of teaching and research spanning physical geography, human and regional geography, remote sensing and GIS, and applied fieldwork across Bihar and neighbouring states. This journal emerges directly from that tradition, offering a dedicated outlet for faculty, research scholars, and geographers across India and abroad to publish work that might otherwise struggle to find a home attentive to the specific ecological, hydrological, socio-economic and cultural contexts of the region.
The primary aim of Geographical Studies and Development is to promote rigorous, original and innovative research in the field of Geography and allied disciplines and to provide a scholarly platform for the exchange of geographical knowledge.
It covers a broad range of geographical themes including Physical Geography, Human Geography, Economic Geography, Regional Geography, Environmental Geography, Development Studies, Population and Settlement Studies, Urban and Rural Geography, Agricultural Geography, Tourism Geography, Resource Geography, Social and Cultural Geography, Political Geography, Geomorphology, Climatology, Oceanography, Biogeography, Disaster Management and Sustainable Development.
The journal also welcomes research on Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Remote Sensing, Cartography, Geospatial Technologies, Spatial Analysis, Spatial Modelling and the application of Artificial Intelligence and Machine Learning in geographical research.
Studies related to environmental change, climate change, natural resource management, biodiversity and conservation, environmental sustainability, regional planning, rural and urban development, livelihoods, migration, agriculture, infrastructure and socio-economic transformation are particularly encouraged.
The journal welcomes original research articles, review articles and other scholarly contributions based on quantitative, qualitative, field-based, geospatial and comparative approaches. Contributions are expected to demonstrate methodological rigour, geographical relevance and a clear contribution to existing knowledge.
Through the publication of high-quality research, Geographical Studies and Development seeks to strengthen geographical scholarship and encourage research that contributes to sustainable, inclusive and evidence-based development.
Bihar - and North Bihar in particular - occupies a distinctive geographical position: a region shaped by the Kosi, Gandak, Punpun and other rivers, characterized by extensive wetland systems, recurrent flood exposure, and a rural economy still substantially organized around agriculture and aquatic crops. The region offers a wealth of geographically distinctive research questions - from the branding and livelihood implications of Geographical Indication products, to the cultural geography of its diaspora communities, the ecology of its river systems, and the shifting patterns of rural-to-urban and interstate labour migration - that deserve sustained and dedicated scholarly attention.
Much of this research potential currently lacks a natural disciplinary home: work on the region's rivers, livelihoods, and migration patterns tends to surface in generalist agricultural, pharmacological, or regional-studies outlets not oriented toward geographical method or framing. Geographical Studies and Development seeks to fill that gap, offering a disciplinary home that foregrounds spatial analysis, regional specificity, and geographical theory, while remaining open to interdisciplinary collaboration with agricultural science, economics, ecology, and public policy.
The journal is edited and reviewed by the members of the review committee in consultation with the experts from India and abroad. Submissions undergo a structured double-blind peer-review process, assessing originality, methodological soundness, engagement with existing literature, and clarity of presentation. The editorial board is committed to maintaining the ethical and scholarly standards expected of an internationally indexed publication, including transparent data-availability statements, conflict-of-interest declarations, and adherence to established citation and authorship conventions.
As a new journal, Geographical Studies and Development will be published biannually (July–December and January–June issues), with Volume 1, Issue 1 marking its inaugural release. Over time, the journal intends to pursue indexing with major academic databases and to expand its editorial board and reviewer pool to reflect the growing international interest in South Asian geography and regional development studies.
The Department of Geography, Patna University invites researchers, faculty members, and postgraduate and doctoral scholars - both within Bihar and beyond - to consider Geographical Studies and Development as a venue for their work. Whether the research concerns the physical geography of a river basin, the socio-economic impact of a policy intervention, the cultural geography of a diaspora community, or the application of GIS to a regional planning problem, the journal welcomes submissions that advance geographical understanding and speak to the developmental challenges of our time.
In launching this journal, the Department reaffirms its commitment to geography not merely as an academic discipline but as a lens for understanding - and improving - the live environment of the region it calls home.