The Journal of Mughal Studies publishes original research articles on the history, culture, politics, economy, art, architecture, and literature of the Mughal Empire. The journal takes a broad view of what constitutes "Mughal," and welcomes submissions with a wider temporal and geographical scope when they make significant contributions to our understanding of Mughal history. It particularly welcomes research and analysis of museum and library collections, as well as reviews of public-facing outputs such as exhibitions, digital humanities projects, and public programs.

The Mughal Empire has captivated scholars since the early eighteenth century. The earliest writings were in Persian, usually produced by individuals connected to the empire itself. From the early 1800s onward, British colonial historiography came to dominate the field. Since then, scholarly interest has never waned: a vast body of books and articles has illuminated the political, economic, social, religious, and artistic history of the empire. The field has undergone several transformations. Most recently, beginning in the early 2000s, a number of compelling new perspectives have emerged. Alongside a growing body of revisionist work challenging earlier scholarship, these more recent lines of inquiry have examined the empire's religious, political, social, cultural, regional, literary, artistic, legal, and environmental history, and situated it within its world-historical context.

Despite this extraordinary depth of interest, Mughal Studies has lacked a single dedicated forum for innovative scholarship, rigorous philological study, substantive theoretical debate, high-quality translation of the period's vast and largely unexplored archival record, and critical engagement with new books, sources, exhibitions, and events. The Journal of Mughal Studies, as the first peer-reviewed academic journal of its kind, will provide exactly that. In doing so, it will both enrich the field and catalyze future scholarship. It will also bring Mughal Studies into productive conversation with adjacent fields — among them Islamic and Persianate Studies, Global and World History, Indian Ocean Studies, Ottoman and Safavid Studies, Gender and Women's Studies, Science and Technology Studies, Early Modern European History, Environmental History, Legal Studies, to name a few — and with a range of disciplines, including History, Religion, Art and Architectural History, Heritage Studies, Comparative Literature, Philosophy, and Film Studies.

The journal will appear twice yearly and will include peer-reviewed research articles and review articles, alongside a section devoted to reviews of books, exhibitions, and other representations of the Mughal Empire for broader audiences.