Journal profile · Multiple
Political Communication
ISSN 1058-4609 · eISSN 1091-7675 · Taylor & Francis
Political Communication: CAS Zone 1 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 5.84; JCR Q1 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC charged, amount not published; review about 129 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 8% (journal website); 53 articles in 2025; indexed in SSCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Political Communication is published by Taylor & Francis 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 Social Media and Politics, Media Studies and Communication and Electoral Systems and Political Participation, together about 51.5% of its articles. Its main subfields are Sociology and Political Science. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Political Communication is an international journal, published quarterly, that features cutting-edge theory-driven empirical research at the intersection of politics and communication. Its expansive subject is the site of rapid changes and pressing policy concerns worldwide. The journal welcomes all research methods and analytical viewpoints that advance understanding of the practices, processes, content, effects, and policy implications of political communication. Regular symposium issues explore key issues in depth. Peer Review Policy: All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and refereeing by two or more anonymous referees. Readership: Professors, researchers, students, and practitioners of domestic and international politics and government, and of communications.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Multiple
Editor-in-chief Travis N. RidoutPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 2, Germany 1, Israel 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 Sciences23%
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences17.1%
- Electoral Systems and Political ParticipationSocial Sciences11.4%
- Media Influence and PoliticsSocial Sciences8.1%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities3.9%
- Political Influence and Corporate StrategiesBusiness, Management and Accounting3.7%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering3.6%
- Misinformation and Its ImpactsSocial Sciences3.5%
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 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Sociology Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Sociology | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Political Science | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
SCIECurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: OCLC, British Humanities Index, ComAbstracts/ComVista, CSA, EBSCOhost Online Research Database, Expanded Academic ASAP, Family Index Database, H.W. Wilson Indexes, International Bibliography of the Social Sciences (IBSS), International Political Science Abstracts, PAIS International, Periodical Abstracts (PerAbs), Periodicals Index Online, Sage Communication Abstracts, SwetsWise All Titles, The Lancaster Index, Ulrichs Periodicals Directory
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
- 5.84LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.9Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 11.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 11.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.91LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 2.91Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.34LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 3.34Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 145OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 879OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.93OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 3.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 27.81%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 48LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 536,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,956 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 63 | 39 | 31 |
| 2025 | 53 | 32 | 179 |
| 2024 | 62 | 37 | 667 |
| 2023 | 62 | 31 | 1,316 |
| 2022 | 32 | 15 | 1,005 |
| 2021 | 27 | 10 | 1,314 |
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
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with Crossref · to
Too few articlesOnly 1 articles from the last 24 months carry both submission and acceptance dates, too few for a median
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Figures by source
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 8%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 47 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 129 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 20 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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
- Open access Open access
Political 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 discoverability and…
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
- 1058-4609
- Electronic ISSN
- 1091-7675
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 43, Issue 5 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Political Communication
What CAS zone is Political Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Political Communication is in Zone 1 of Literature, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Communication / Political Science; 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 Political Communication?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 5.84; CiteScore 11.2, h-index 145.
How long does peer review take at Political Communication?
The publisher reports about 129 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 8%. 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 Political 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 1 of Literature.
Where are the editorial board members of Political Communication based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (2), Germany (1) and Israel (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Political Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Political Communication is indexed in SSCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists SCIE and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Political Communication open access, and what is the APC?
Political 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: .