Journal profile · Multiple
Journal of Health Communication
ISSN 1081-0730 · eISSN 1087-0415 · Taylor & Francis
Journal of Health Communication: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.01; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 119 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 6% (journal website); 71 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journal of 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 Health Literacy and Information Accessibility, Media Influence and Health and Behavioral Health and Interventions, together about 33.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are General Health Professions. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journal of Health Communication: International Perspectives is the leading journal covering the full breadth of a field that focuses on the communication of health information globally. Articles feature research on: Developments in the field of health communication; New media, m-health and interactive health communication; Health Literacy; Social marketing; Global Health; Shared decision making and ethics; Interpersonal and mass media communication; Advances in health diplomacy, psychology, government, policy and education; Government, civil society and multi-stakeholder initiatives; Public Private partnerships and Public Health campaigns. Global in scope, the journal seeks to advance a synergistic relationship between research and practical information. With a focus on promoting the health literacy of the individual, caregiver, provider, community, and those in the health policy, the journal presents research, progress in areas of technology and public health, ethics, politics and policy, and the application of health communication principles. The journal is selective with the highest quality social scientific research including qualitative and quantitative studies. Peer Review Policy: All articles in the journal have undergone rigorous screening, based on both editorial and double anonymized peer review. Readership: Scholars and professionals involved in health communication, medicine, public health, health sciences, psychology and social work, marketing/business of health, allied health funds, teaching hospitals, political science, sociology, and public relations.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Scott C. RatzanPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Health Literacy and Information AccessibilityHealth Professions12.9%
- Media Influence and HealthArts and Humanities11.2%
- Behavioral Health and InterventionsPsychology9.8%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences6.8%
- Patient-Provider Communication in HealthcareHealth Professions6.1%
- Vaccine Coverage and HesitancySocial Sciences5.3%
- Mobile Health and mHealth ApplicationsHealth Professions5.2%
- Smoking Behavior and CessationMedicine4.6%
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 | Information Science & Library Science | 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 | Information Science & Library Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Information Science & Library Science | 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, Reactions Weekly (Online), CABI online research databases, EBSCOhost, E-psyche, FRANCIS, ProQuest online research databases, Abstracts in Anthropology (Online), 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
- 3.01LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 2.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.1LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 4.1Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.79LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.79Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.01LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.01Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 142OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,848OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.47OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 14.83%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 61LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 458,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 2,785 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 82 | 28 | 21 |
| 2025 | 71 | 23 | 161 |
| 2024 | 75 | 37 | 382 |
| 2023 | 112 | 54 | 1,009 |
| 2022 | 80 | 26 | 930 |
| 2021 | 84 | 16 | 2,141 |
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
119 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)
- 6%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 39 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 119 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
Journal of 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 discoverabi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All articles undergo rigorous screening based on both editorial and double anonymized peer review. Model summary
All articles in the journal have undergone rigorous screening, based on both editorial and double anonymized peer 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
- 1081-0730
- Electronic ISSN
- 1087-0415
- Society / sponsor
- Society for Health Communication
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 31, Issue 6 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journal of Health Communication
What CAS zone is Journal of Health Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journal of Health Communication is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Information Science & Library Science / 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 Journal of Health Communication?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.01; CiteScore 4.1, h-index 142.
How long does peer review take at Journal of Health Communication?
The publisher reports about 119 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 6%. 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 Journal of 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.
Which databases index Journal of Health Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journal of 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 Journal of Health Communication open access, and what is the APC?
Journal of 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 2026-08-26). Last updated: .