Journal profile · Multiple
Language & Communication
ISSN 0271-5309 · eISSN 1873-3395 · Elsevier
Language & Communication: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.69; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,030; review about 200 days (submission to acceptance, publisher); 70 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Language & Communication is published by Elsevier 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 Language, Discourse, Communication Strategies, Multilingual Education and Policy and Linguistic Variation and Morphology, together about 38.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Language and Linguistics. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The journal Language & Communication provides a forum for the study of the transformative nature of both language and other modes of communication, as envisaged by its founder Prof. Roy Harris (1931–2015), and welcomes approaches that are not restricted by existing disciplinary boundaries. The journal focuses on both key theoretical issues concerning language and communication, including the history of these issues and their cultural implications, and empirical studies stemming from a robust theoretical basis. The mission of Language & Communication is to foreground the view that language is inherently social and that it cannot be separated from communication. The journal is oriented towards critical approaches to communication in its various conceptions.The journal invites contributions from diverse areas of critical research in linguistics and communication studies. To avoid confusion with journals with similar titles, please note that Language & Communication is not primarily a venue for work in fields such as language teaching, (second) language acquisition, health communication, political discourse, media discourse, metaphor studies, literary linguistics, or academic writing.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editorial board by country: 7 in mainland China (about 17%); most named United Kingdom 8, Mainland China 7, United States 7, Hong Kong, China 3, Canada 2 (42 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities16.3%
- Multilingual Education and PolicySocial Sciences12.3%
- Linguistic Variation and MorphologySocial Sciences9.8%
- Language, Metaphor, and CognitionPsychology8.1%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities7.4%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance5.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering5.2%
- Educational Robotics and EngineeringComputer Science4.8%
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 | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Linguistics | 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 | Linguistics | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
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
- 1.69LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.63LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.37LetPub ·
- h-index
- 93OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 753OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.12OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 16.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 57.58%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 60LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,741 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 50 | 28 | 16 |
| 2025 | 70 | 39 | 131 |
| 2024 | 65 | 41 | 245 |
| 2023 | 53 | 25 | 266 |
| 2022 | 76 | 32 | 486 |
| 2021 | 60 | 28 | 719 |
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
200 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
- Submission to first decision
- 11 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 98 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 200 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 18 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 3,030 / EUR 2,830 / GBP 2,430 / JPY 375,810 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 3,190 | — | — |
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 websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- AI use Declaration of generative AI use
Authors must declare the use of generative AI tools in the manuscript preparation process upon submission of the paper.Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies (“AI tools”) have been rapidly adopted in research and scholarly publishing, offering significant benefits while requiring clear standards for responsible and transparent use.Authors preparing a manuscript for this journal may use AI tool…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Group authorship
Group authorship refers to the attribution of an article to a defined and named group of authors whose members have contributed to the work. Examples include research consortia, clinical trial groups, collaborative networks, task forces or working groups, expert panels or consensus groups, and participatory research groups. Group authorship must be declared on the title page at submission. When av…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Declaration of competing interests
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence or bias their work. Examples of potential competing interests include:EmploymentConsultanciesStock ownershipHonorariaPaid expert testimonyPatent applications or registrationsGrants or any other fundingAffiliation with the journal as an Editor or Advisory Board …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics
Ethics in publishing Model summary
Authors must follow ethical guidelines stated in Elsevier's Publishing Ethics Policy.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright License options
Authors will be offered open access user license options which will determine how you, and third parties, can reuse your open access article. We advise that you review these options and any funding body license requirements before selecting a license option.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Open access options Model summary
We refer you to our open access information page to learn about open access options for this journal.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review
Double anonymized peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double anonymized review process. Your submission will initially be assessed by our editors. If your submission is deemed suitable, it will typically be sent to be reviewed by a minimum of two reviewers for an independent expert assessment of the scientific quality. The decision as to whether your article is accepted or rejected for publication will be made by our editors.Re…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
Preprint sharing allowed Model summary
Preprint sharingAuthors may share preprints in line with Elsevier's article sharing policy. Sharing preprints, such as on a preprint server, will not count as prior publication.We advise you to read our policy on multiple, redundant or concurrent publication.
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
- Elsevier
- ISSN
- 0271-5309
- Electronic ISSN
- 1873-3395
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Language & Communication
What CAS zone is Language & Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Language & Communication is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Linguistics / Communication. 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 Language & Communication?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 1.69; CiteScore 2.8, h-index 93.
How long does peer review take at Language & Communication?
The publisher reports about 200 days (submission to acceptance). 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 Language & Communication based?
Of the 42 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 7 (about 17%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (8), Mainland China (7) and United States (7). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Language & Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Language & Communication is indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Is Language & Communication open access, and what is the APC?
Language & Communication is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,030.
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: .