Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Critical Studies in Media Communication
ISSN 1529-5036 · eISSN 1479-5809 · Taylor & Francis
Critical Studies in Media Communication: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.9; hybrid open access; median 184 days to acceptance (48 articles, last 24 months); 97 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Critical Studies in Media Communication is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Media Studies and Communication, Gender, Feminism, and Media and Rhetoric and Communication Studies, together about 41.3% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Aims and scopeJournal metrics Editorial board Critical Studies in Media Communication (CSMC) is a peer-reviewed publication of the National Communication Association. CSMC publishes original scholarship in mediated and mass communication from a cultural studies and/or critical perspective. It particularly welcomes submissions that enrich debates among various critical traditions, methodological and analytical approaches, and theoretical standpoints. CSMC takes an inclusive view of media and welcomes scholarship on topics such as • media audiences • representations • institutions • digital technologies • social media • gaming • professional practices and ethics • production studies • media history • political economy For more details about how to submit your research to CSMC , please review our Instructions for Authors. Unless specifically indicated otherwise, all research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, including screening by the editor and review by at least two anonymous referees. Forum sections are discussion pieces typically invited and reviewed by the forum editor and journal editor only. Read full aims and scope
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences15.8%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences13.9%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities11.6%
- Digital Games and MediaSocial Sciences7.7%
- Cinema and Media StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance7.3%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences6.6%
- Media, Gender, and AdvertisingSocial Sciences4.9%
- Music History and CultureArts and Humanities3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 0.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.5LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.35LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.77LetPub ·
- h-index
- 73OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 448OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 5.75%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 36LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,068 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 81 | 5 | 6 |
| 2025 | 97 | 15 | 51 |
| 2024 | 60 | 5 | 54 |
| 2023 | 38 | 2 | 77 |
| 2022 | 35 | 3 | 295 |
| 2021 | 46 | 3 | 468 |
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.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
184 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 123 days – 369 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 29 days (48 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 211 days
- Sample
- 48 articles with submission and acceptance dates (183 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
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.
No source has fee information yet; check the journal's website.
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.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access
- Open access Open access
Overview Open journals Open Select Dove Medical Press F1000Research
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- Taylor & Francis
- ISSN
- 1529-5036
- Electronic ISSN
- 1479-5809
- Society / sponsor
- National Communication Association
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 43, Issue 3 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Critical Studies in Media Communication
What CAS zone is Critical Studies in Media Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Critical Studies in Media Communication is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Communication. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Critical Studies in Media Communication?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 0.9; CiteScore 2.5, h-index 73.
How long does peer review take at Critical Studies in Media Communication?
Based on the dates recorded on 48 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 184 days (interquartile range 123–369 days). Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Critical Studies in Media Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Critical Studies in Media Communication is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Critical Studies in Media Communication open access, and what is the APC?
Critical Studies in Media Communication is a hybrid journal. Fee information is not available yet; check the journal's website.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .