Journal of Communication

Journal of Communication is a peer-reviewed academic journal focusing on research in communication studies, media effects, interpersonal communication, and mass communication. It publishes empirical, theoretical, and methodological articles that engage with scholarship across journalism, advertising, political communication, health communication, and digital media. The journal has served scholars associated with institutions such as University of Chicago, Columbia University, Stanford University, Harvard University, and University of Oxford and is linked historically to organizations including the International Communication Association, National Communication Association, and various scholarly societies.

History

The journal was founded in 1951 amid postwar scholarly expansion influenced by figures tied to Chicago School (sociology), Harold Lasswell, Paul Lazarsfeld, Wilbur Schramm, Kurt Lewin, and initiatives at the Rockefeller Foundation and Ford Foundation. Early editorial stewardship involved scholars from University of Pennsylvania, University of Michigan, Indiana University Bloomington, Syracuse University, and Northwestern University who advanced research traditions connected to Two-step flow of communication, Uses and gratifications theory, Agenda-setting theory, Cultivation theory, and methodological developments inspired by American Statistical Association and Institute for Social Research. Over decades the journal’s editorial offices rotated through departments and centers at Annenberg School for Communication, School of Journalism at Columbia University, University of Southern California, and London School of Economics, reflecting ties to eminent scholars such as Elihu Katz, Marshall McLuhan, Noam Chomsky, James W. Carey, and Denis McQuail.

Scope and Editorial Policy

The journal’s scope encompasses empirical studies and theoretical essays addressing media systems in contexts that include content analysis traditions from Gerbner-linked projects, experimental designs influenced by Stanford Research Institute, network analysis approaches connected to Mark Granovetter and Stanley Milgram, and computational methods aligned with Alan Turing-era developments and contemporary work from Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Carnegie Mellon University, and Google Research. Editorial policy emphasizes peer review managed by editors drawn from faculties at University of Pennsylvania, University of California, Berkeley, Yale University, Princeton University, and University of Texas at Austin and guided by ethical standards comparable to those of Committee on Publication Ethics and funding-related disclosures consistent with National Institutes of Health and European Research Council requirements. The journal solicits contributions that engage with scholarship produced at Pew Research Center, RAND Corporation, Brookings Institution, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, and international partners such as UNESCO and European Broadcasting Union.

Publication and Access

Published bimonthly by Oxford University Press and historically by Routledge and University of Chicago Press, the journal distributes print and electronic editions to subscribers including libraries at Library of Congress, British Library, National Library of Medicine, and university consortia such as JSTOR and Project MUSE. Access models have included hybrid open access options aligned with Plan S, transformative agreements negotiated with consortia like California Digital Library and Jisc, and embargoed self-archiving policies referenced against standards from SHERPA/RoMEO. The editorial workflow uses manuscript submission and review platforms similar to systems deployed by Elsevier, Springer Nature, and Wiley-Blackwell, integrating supplementary data archiving with repositories such as ICPSR, Figshare, and Zenodo.

Abstracting and Indexing

Articles are indexed in prominent services and databases including Scopus, Web of Science, PsycINFO, EBSCOhost, ProQuest, and specialist indexes maintained by Communication Abstracts programs. Bibliographic inclusion extends to aggregated citation resources used by entities such as Clarivate Analytics, Google Scholar, CrossRef, and evaluation platforms employed by funding bodies like the National Science Foundation and academic ranking organizations associated with Times Higher Education and QS World University Rankings.

Impact and Reception

The journal’s impact has been measured through citation metrics reported by Journal Citation Reports and influence assessed in meta-analyses and review essays published by scholars at University of Pennsylvania, Massachusetts Institute of Technology, University of Amsterdam, University of Toronto, and Monash University. Highly cited works in the journal have shaped debates around topics connected to political campaigns, public health messaging, media literacy, digital platforms, and regulatory inquiries involving institutions such as Federal Communications Commission, European Commission, and World Health Organization. Reception among practitioners and policymakers is evident in citations within reports by Pew Research Center, Reuters Institute for the Study of Journalism, OECD, and national legislatures, while historiographic treatments have linked the journal’s development to broader transformations studied at Harvard Kennedy School, Columbia Journalism School, and Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism.

Category:Academic journals