Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
International Journal of Communication
ISSN 1932-8036 · USC Annenberg Press · United States
International Journal of Communication: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.4; diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 27 weeks (community reports); 177 articles a year; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
The journal's website announces a move to full open access: The attractive revenue stream that such subscriptions provide makes it unlikely that these journals will convert to Open Access. Source ↗Publisher website ·
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
International Journal of Communication is published by USC Annenberg Press 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, Social Media and Politics and Ethics and Social Impacts of AI, together about 29.7% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The International Journal of Communication is an online, multi-media, interdisciplinary, academic journal that adheres to the highest standards of peer review and engages established and emerging scholars from anywhere in the world.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Hong Kong, China 5, Qatar 2, Spain 1, Malaysia 1, Chile 1 (10 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences11.6%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences11.6%
- Ethics and Social Impacts of AISocial Sciences6.4%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences6.4%
- Digital Education and SocietyComputer Science5.2%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences5%
- Asian Culture and Media StudiesSocial Sciences4.5%
- Advanced Wireless Communication TechniquesEngineering4%
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: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SSCIScopusDOAJLetPub
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
- 1.4LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.67LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.89LetPub ·
- h-index
- 23OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 43OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.16OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 177LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 415 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 197 | 197 | 32 |
| 2024 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2023 | 4 | 4 | 0 |
| 2022 | 1 | 1 | 0 |
| 2021 | 4 | 4 | 52 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 27 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 27 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY-NC-ND | |
| LetPub | No APC | No | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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)
What to prepare9 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 150 words
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 8,900 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Templates
- Word
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Suggested reviewers
- Required
- Highlights
- Required
- Graphical abstract
- Required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted11, with length limits
- articlesJump to: Articles | Special Sections | Features | Forum | Book ReviewsLength not stated
- book reviewnd appendices, if any - ALL INCLUSIVE). Book reviews should range between 1,200 - 1,500 words. Feature articles, which are along the lines of opinion ormain text ≤ 1,500 words
- book reviewsBook reviews should range between 1,200 - 1,500 words.Length not stated
- feature articlesFeature articles, which are along the lines of opinion or op-ed pieces, should range between 3,500 - 6,000 words.Length not stated
- featuresJump to: Articles | Special Sections | Features | Forum | Book ReviewsLength not stated
- forumJump to: Articles | Special Sections | Features | Forum | Book ReviewsLength not stated
- forum essaysForum essays should range between 1,500 to 3,000 words (considered as part of Special Sections, only).Length not stated
- opinionarticles, which are along the lines of opinion or op-ed pieces, should range between 3,500 - 6,000 words. Forum essays should range between 1,500 to 3,000 words…main text ≤ 6,000 words
- research articlensible ways to reduce that possibility. Research articles should range between 6,000 - 8.900 words (including the abstract, images with captions, footnotes, rmain text ≤ 8,900 words
- research articlesResearch articles should range between 6,000 - 8.900 words (including the abstract, images with captions, footnotes, references, and appendices, if any - ALL IN…Length not stated
- special sectionsJump to: Articles | Special Sections | Features | Forum | Book ReviewsLength not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteConflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Conflicts of interest Conflicts of Interest
Any potential conflicts of interest, generally defined as elements that might affect the integrity of the research, pubilcation, or double-blind peer review process, must be disclosed in a statement on the title page. This can be included as a footnote after an author’s name. Authors should include a statement declaring any conflicts of interest or acknowleding none declared in a footnote on the t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Allegations of Misconduct
COPE principles Model summary
IJoC takes allegations of data fabrication/falsification, image manipulation, and plagiarism, among other forms of misconduct, seriously, and will internally investigate any potential concerns. IJoC will consider allegations brought forth by any party. Please contact Silvio Waisbord and cc Kady Bell-Garcia with any such allegations. For matters of academic misconduct that originated at an author’s…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial No Derivatives (by-nc-nd) license. Model summary
The International Journal of Communication is an academic journal. As such, it is dedicated to the open exchange of information. For this reason, IJoC is freely available to individuals and institutions. Copies of this journal or articles in this journal may be distributed for research or educational purposes free of charge and without permission. However, commercial use of the IJoC website or the…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
Open Access Model summary
This is an Open Access journal. Users have the right to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, or link to the full text of articles in this journal, or use them for any other lawful purpose. Open Access enables authors to obtain the maximum possible exposure for their work. Freely available papers are read more, cited more, and have more impact than ones available only to paid subscriber…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review
Double-blind peer review for articles and features. Model summary
The peer review process is double-blind, and reviewers must agree to adhere to the Reviewer Guidelines, which are outlined when a reviewer responds to an invitation. Review timelines vary, but reviewers are initially given five weeks to review, and most articles go through at least two rounds of review prior to the final decision. If revisions are requested, authors have two months to complete rev…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
LOCKSS archiving system. Model summary
This journal utilizes the LOCKSS system to create a distributed archiving system among participating libraries and permits those libraries to create permanent archives of the journal for purposes of preservation and restoration.
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
- USC Annenberg Press
- Country or region
- United States
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 1932-8036
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 20 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Aims & Scope ↗LetPub
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗LetPub
- Editorial board ↗LetPub
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about International Journal of Communication
What CAS zone is International Journal of Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, International Journal of 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 International Journal of Communication?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.4; CiteScore 2.9, h-index 23.
How long does peer review take at International Journal of Communication?
Authors report an average review time of about 27 weeks. 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 are the manuscript requirements of International Journal of Communication?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 150 words; Manuscript length: ≤ 8,900 words; Reference style: APA; Templates: Word; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; Suggested reviewers: Required; Highlights: Required; Graphical abstract: Required; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of International Journal of Communication based?
Of the 10 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Hong Kong, China (5), Qatar (2) and Spain (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index International Journal of Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, International Journal of Communication is indexed in SSCI, Scopus and DOAJ.
Is International Journal of Communication open access, and what is the APC?
International Journal of Communication is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, Publisher website; 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: .