Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Mass Communication and Society
ISSN 1520-5436 · eISSN 1532-7825 · Taylor & Francis
Mass Communication and Society: CAS Zone 2 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 2.91; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; 70 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Mass Communication and Society is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 2 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Social Media and Politics, Media Studies and Communication and Media Influence and Health, together about 48.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science and Communication. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Mass Communication and Society ’s mission is to publish articles on a wide variety of topics that advance mass communication theory, especially at the societal or macrosocial level. It publishes original articles and book reviews on topics related to mass media practices, content, effects, messages, and research methods. The journal welcomes both qualitative and quantitative approaches, with a strong preference for social-scientific perspectives. Although the journal primarily publishes original research, theory or review papers that offer a clear contribution to the further development of theory are welcome. For papers that reflect the development and evolution of notable theories in the field, the paper can be designated as a Scholarly Milestone essay. Such essays can be an opportunity for an invited commentary or set of responses. Authors interested in potentially contributing a Scholarly Milestone essay, or with questions about the appropriateness of their research for the journal, are encouraged to contact the editor by email. Peer Review Policy All articles in this journal have undergone editorial screening and double anonymized peer review by at least two reviewers. Visit the Communication Arena
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Editor-in-chief Mike SchmierbachPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 1 in mainland China (about 25%); most named United States 2, Mainland China 1, Hong Kong, China 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences18.6%
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences18.1%
- Media Influence and HealthArts and Humanities11.5%
- Media, Gender, and AdvertisingSocial Sciences5.1%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences4.7%
- Social and Intergroup PsychologySocial Sciences4.3%
- Gender, Feminism, and MediaSocial Sciences4.3%
- Media Influence and PoliticsSocial Sciences4.1%
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 3 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 3 |
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
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 SciencePsycINFOCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, OCLC, EBSCOhost, E-psyche, Book Review Index Plus, Expanded Academic ASAP, General OneFile, Social Sciences Index, OCLC Sociological Abstracts (Online), ProQuest online research databases
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
- 2.91LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 4Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 6.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 6.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.27LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 1.27Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.55LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 1.55Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 94OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 671OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.32OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.7%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 20.67%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 57LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 316,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,280 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 74 | 26 | 12 |
| 2025 | 70 | 28 | 120 |
| 2024 | 66 | 29 | 355 |
| 2023 | 45 | 15 | 359 |
| 2022 | 68 | 17 | 997 |
| 2021 | 61 | 17 | 1,310 |
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
- 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)
Article types accepted1
- scholarly milestone essayFor papers that reflect the development and evolution of notable theories in the field, the paper can be designated as a Scholarly Milestone essay.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Mass Communication and Society 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 discoverabil…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
All articles undergo editorial screening and double anonymized peer review by at least two reviewers. Model summary
All articles in this journal have undergone editorial screening and double anonymized peer review by at least two reviewers.
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
- 1520-5436
- Electronic ISSN
- 1532-7825
- Society / sponsor
- Mass Communication & Society Division of AEJMC
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 29, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Mass Communication and Society
What CAS zone is Mass Communication and Society in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Mass Communication and Society is in Zone 2 of Literature, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Communication; it is a Top journal. 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 Mass Communication and Society?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 2.91; CiteScore 6.2, h-index 94.
What JCR quartile is Mass Communication and Society 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 2 of Literature.
Where are the editorial board members of Mass Communication and Society based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 1 (about 25%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2), Mainland China (1) and Hong Kong, China (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Mass Communication and Society?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Mass Communication and Society is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PsycINFO and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Mass Communication and Society open access, and what is the APC?
Mass Communication and Society is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC charged, amount not published.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, 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: .