Journal profile · Multiple
Health Communication
ISSN 1041-0236 · eISSN 1532-7027 · Taylor & Francis
Health Communication: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 2.83; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 60 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 13% (journal website); 234 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Health Communication is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Media Influence and Health, Behavioral Health and Interventions and Patient-Provider Communication in Healthcare, together about 34.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
As an outlet for scholarly intercourse between medical and social sciences, this noteworthy journal seeks to improve practical communication between caregivers and patients and between institutions and the public. Outstanding editorial board members and contributors from both medical and social science arenas collaborate to meet the challenges inherent in this goal. Although most inclusions are data-based, the journal also publishes pedagogical, methodological, theoretical, and applied articles using both quantitative or qualitative methods. All research, however, should be grounded in communication theory. Topics covered include provider-patient (or family) interaction, health campaigns, health information, health promotion, interviewing, health public relations, and gerontological concerns. Peer Review Policy: All articles have undergone double anonymized review. Readership: Scholars and practitioners in communication, psychology, sociology, public health, medicine, nursing, dentistry, physical therapy, dietetics, pharmacy, and the allied health professions.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Xiaoquan ZhaoPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 50%); most named Mainland China 2, United States 2 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Influence and HealthArts and Humanities13.5%
- Behavioral Health and InterventionsPsychology11.8%
- Patient-Provider Communication in HealthcareHealth Professions8.8%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences6.6%
- Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityHealth Professions5.7%
- Vaccine Coverage and HesitancySocial Sciences3.9%
- Empathy and Medical EducationMedicine3.7%
- Climate Change Communication and PerceptionSocial Sciences3.6%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Health Policy & Services | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- JCR Q1 · best quartile · 2025
- CiteScore Q1 · 2025
Publisher-reported: JCR figures are Clarivate's and CiteScore figures Scopus's to confirm; both are a different system from the CAS zones.Publisher website
Database indexing
SSCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedPsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, EBSCOhost, E-psyche, ProQuest online research databases, Taylor & Francis Educational Research Abstracts Online
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 2.83LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 7.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.21LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.21Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.49LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.49Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 130OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,345OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.72OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 8.86%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 221LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 735,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 4,070 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 195 | 48 | 58 |
| 2025 | 234 | 59 | 455 |
| 2024 | 259 | 82 | 1,357 |
| 2023 | 279 | 63 | 2,344 |
| 2022 | 208 | 42 | 3,111 |
| 2021 | 263 | 57 | 5,661 |
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
Publisher-reported review time from the journal's website
60 daysfirst decision after review
The publisher's own definition applies; dates from this journal's articles in the last 24 months are not available yet, so the publisher's figure is used.
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 13%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 60 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Health Communication is a hybrid open access journal that is part of the Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program, giving you the option to publish open access. Publishing open access means that your article will be free to access online immediately on publication, increasing the visibility, readership, and impact of your research. Why choose open access? Increase the discoverability and re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
All articles have undergone double anonymized review.
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
- 1041-0236
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-7027
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 41, Issue 11 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Health Communication
What CAS zone is Health Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Health Communication is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Health Policy & Services / Communication. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Health Communication?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.83; CiteScore 7.5, h-index 130.
How long does peer review take at Health Communication?
The publisher reports about 60 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 13%. 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.
What JCR quartile is Health Communication in?
The journal's website gives JCR Q1 (best quartile). JCR quartiles are Clarivate's to confirm and a different system from the CAS zones; in the CAS ranking the journal is in Zone 3 of Medicine.
Where are the editorial board members of Health Communication based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 50%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Mainland China (2) and United States (2). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Health Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Health Communication is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Health Communication open access, and what is the APC?
Health Communication is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .