Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Howard Journal of Communications
ISSN 1064-6175 · eISSN 1096-4649 · Taylor & Francis
Howard Journal of Communications: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.9 (journal website); subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; review about 43 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 28% (journal website); 72 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Howard Journal of Communications 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, Rhetoric and Communication Studies and Social Media and Politics, together about 34.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Gender Studies. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Howard Journal of Communications is a quarterly journal that publishes original and current research papers focusing on ethnicity and culture as they interact with communication. It encourages research that seeks to combat racism and is written by authors from diverse and underrepresented backgrounds. The purpose of the journal is to serve as a forum for researchers as well as policy and decision makers who seek to use research as the frame for social awareness and change. The journal has a strong history of providing space and voice for persons and ideas that would otherwise be silenced. The journal invites work that makes important contributions in its focus areas. These may include a variety of topics such as gender, ethnic representations in the media, interracial issues, cultural resistance, and much more. The journal welcomes a variety of methodologies, both quantitative and qualitative. All papers go through a process of rigorous anonymized reviews by top scholars in the field. Peer Review Policy: All research articles and review papers in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review by the editor and at least two anonymous referees. Readership: Professionals and researchers in women’s studies, political science, ethnic studies, sociology and communications, social psychology and media history.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Editor-in-chief Chuka OnwumechiliPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 5, Mexico 1 (6 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences14.5%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities12%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences7.7%
- Media, Gender, and AdvertisingSocial Sciences6.3%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences6.1%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities5.2%
- Media Influence and HealthArts and Humanities4.6%
- Communication in Education and HealthcarePsychology4.3%
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 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- CiteScore Q2 · 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ProQuest, Dietrich's Index Philosophicus, EBSCOhost, NCJRS Abstracts Database, ProQuest online research databasesPublisher website
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 (publisher) 2025
- 0.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.33LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.33Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.84LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.84Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 53OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 370OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.01OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 11.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 4.35%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 72LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 88,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,101 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 56 | 7 | 14 |
| 2025 | 72 | 10 | 60 |
| 2024 | 53 | 7 | 108 |
| 2023 | 38 | 4 | 126 |
| 2022 | 26 | 2 | 113 |
| 2021 | 44 | 3 | 313 |
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
43 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)
- 28%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 40 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 43 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 14 daysPublisher 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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
Howard Journal of Communications 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 discoverab…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer review policy: all research articles and review papers undergo rigorous peer review by the editor and at least two anonymous referees. Model summary
All research articles and review papers in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review by the editor and at least two anonymous referees.
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
- 1064-6175
- Electronic ISSN
- 1096-4649
- Society / sponsor
- Howard University Cathy Hughes School Of Communications
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 37, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Howard Journal of Communications
What CAS zone is Howard Journal of Communications in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Howard Journal of Communications is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Communication. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Howard Journal of Communications?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.9 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.7, h-index 53.
How long does peer review take at Howard Journal of Communications?
The publisher reports about 43 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 28%. 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.
Where are the editorial board members of Howard Journal of Communications based?
Of the 6 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5) and Mexico (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Howard Journal of Communications?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Howard Journal of Communications is indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Is Howard Journal of Communications open access, and what is the APC?
Howard Journal of Communications is a subscription journal. 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .