Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Communication Theory
ISSN 1050-3293 · eISSN 1468-2885 · Wiley-Blackwell
Communication Theory: CAS Zone 1 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 7.36; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,235; 38 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Communication Theory is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 1 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Media Studies and Communication, Social Media and Politics and Rhetoric and Communication Studies, together about 35.3% of its articles. Its main subfields are Communication. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences12.7%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences12.6%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities10%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities7.6%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities6.1%
- Public Relations and Crisis CommunicationSocial Sciences5.1%
- Communication in Education and HealthcarePsychology4.8%
- Media Influence and HealthArts and Humanities4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 7.36LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 10.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.79LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.94LetPub ·
- h-index
- 132OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 698OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 6OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.17%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 33LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,252 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 19 | 7 | 3 |
| 2025 | 38 | 23 | 127 |
| 2024 | 25 | 13 | 362 |
| 2023 | 17 | 13 | 555 |
| 2022 | 22 | 5 | 440 |
| 2021 | 23 | 7 | 574 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,235 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Wiley-Blackwell
- ISSN
- 1050-3293
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2885
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Communication Theory
What CAS zone is Communication Theory in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Communication Theory is in Zone 1 of Literature, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Communication; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Communication Theory?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 7.36; CiteScore 10.5, h-index 132.
Which databases index Communication Theory?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Communication Theory is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Communication Theory open access, and what is the APC?
Communication Theory is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,235.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-30). Last updated: .