Migration studies is the academic study of human migration. Migration studies is an interdisciplinary field which draws on anthropology, history, economics, law, sociology and postcolonial studies. As it is a rapidly growing field of study, there are numerous journals dedicated to it. A leading one is the Journal of Ethnic and Migration Studies, which covers modern human migration. In February 2013, Oxford University Press launched the international peer-reviewed journal Migration Studies, which publishes material on the causes, processes, and results of all forms of human migration. The first issue was released in March 2013.
In epidemiology, an "immigration study" is a method of understanding the relative importance of inherited genetics and environmental factor in medical conditions whose incidence varies around the world. It examines the incidence of conditions in populations who have moved (or whose recent ancestors have moved) between places at different rates. Often the immigrant population can be shown to have similar rates to the population of the new location, suggesting that environmental factors such as diet, obesity and exercise are the dominant determinants.