Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
ISSN 1077-6990 · eISSN 2161-430X · SAGE
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly: CAS Zone 1 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2.28; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,900; review about 192 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); acceptance rate 16.7% (journal website); 102 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly is published by SAGE and is in Zone 1 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Media Studies and Communication, Social Media and Politics and Public Relations and Crisis Communication, together about 49.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Communication and Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly (JMCQ) is the flagship journal of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC). It is a quarterly, peer-reviewed journal ranked in the Journal Citation Reports that focuses on research in journalism and mass communication. Established in 1924, JMCQ or the Quarterly is the oldest refereed scholarly journal in mass communication and provides leadership in scholarship for the field. It serves all the divisions and interest groups of AEJMC and publishes original articles and book reviews on topics including but not limited to theoretical and methodological developments in journalism and mass communication, international communication, media technologies and society, advertising, public relations, journalism history, media law and policy, media management and economics, political communication and health communication. This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Submit your manuscript today at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/jmcq.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 1%); most named United States 78, Germany 6, United Kingdom 4, South Korea 4, Netherlands 4 (117 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences27.2%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences16.1%
- Public Relations and Crisis CommunicationSocial Sciences6.2%
- Media Influence and PoliticsSocial Sciences5.2%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences4%
- Media Influence and HealthArts and Humanities3.9%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences3.7%
- Literature, Film, and Journalism AnalysisArts and Humanities3.2%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 2 |
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 3 |
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
- 2.28LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher)
- 3.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 7.3LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.5LetPub ·
- h-index
- 130OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 1,197OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.16OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 17.9%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.73%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 74LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 3Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 3,593 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 97 | 35 | 32 |
| 2025 | 102 | 46 | 252 |
| 2024 | 107 | 40 | 376 |
| 2023 | 80 | 25 | 439 |
| 2022 | 98 | 20 | 842 |
| 2021 | 103 | 17 | 986 |
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
192 dayssubmission to acceptance
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)
- 16.7%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 10 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 192 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 43 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 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 3,900 / GBP 2,859 | — | — |
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)
What to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 100 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review
Double-anonymized peer review Model summary
all submissions will go through a double-anonymized review process
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
- SAGE
- ISSN
- 1077-6990
- Electronic ISSN
- 2161-430X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly
What CAS zone is Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly is in Zone 1 of Literature, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Communication; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.28; CiteScore 7.3, h-index 130.
How long does peer review take at Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly?
The publisher reports about 192 days (submission to acceptance); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 16.7%. 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 Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 100 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: APA; 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 Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly based?
Of the 117 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 1%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (78), Germany (6) and United Kingdom (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly open access, and what is the APC?
Journalism & Mass Communication Quarterly is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,900.
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: .