Journal profile · Social Sciences-Communication
Studies in Communication Sciences
ISSN 1424-4896 · eISSN 2296-4150 · HBZ Open Publishing Environment · Switzerland
Studies in Communication Sciences: diamond open access (no APC); no APC; review about 36 weeks (community reports); 17 articles in 2025; indexed in Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Studies in Communication Sciences is published by HBZ Open Publishing Environment. By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Media Studies and Communication, Journalism and Media Studies and Media and Digital Communication, together about 47.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Communication. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
By virtue of the prevailing multilingualism of both the Editorial Team and the Editorial Board, the platinum open access journal Studies in Communication Sciences (SComS) provides a unique forum for exchange among media and communication scientists in English, German, French, and Italian. As SComS is based in Switzerland at the German, French and Italian-speaking intersections of the world, the journal’s mission is to showcase the developments in communication sciences in these language areas. The journal proposes a multidisciplinary approach to communication sciences that is quite unique. SComS is becoming a home to different traditions, disciplines, contexts and methodologies, all dealing with communication in its different facets.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Social Sciences-Communication
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Switzerland 4 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences25.2%
- Journalism and Media StudiesSocial Sciences11.9%
- Media and Digital CommunicationComputer Science10%
- Media and Communication StudiesSocial Sciences6.1%
- Linguistics and Discourse AnalysisArts and Humanities4.4%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities3.6%
- Social Media and PoliticsSocial Sciences3.5%
- Media Influence and PoliticsSocial Sciences3.5%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
CiteScore quartiles (Scopus, June 2026 release)
| Subject | Quartile | Rank | Percentile |
|---|---|---|---|
| Communication | Q2 | 192/541 | 64th |
Scopus ranks journals by CiteScore within each subject: the 75th percentile and above is Q1, then a quartile every 25 points. A different system from the CAS zones.LetPub
Database indexing
ScopusDOAJLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
ERIH PLUSPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, Crossref, Sherpa Romeo
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
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.4LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.7LetPub ·
- h-index
- 24OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 69OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.64OpenAlex ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 0%LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 440 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 12 | 12 | 212 |
| 2025 | 17 | 17 | 319 |
| 2024 | 21 | 21 | 368 |
| 2023 | 34 | 34 | 348 |
| 2022 | 41 | 41 | 280 |
| 2021 | 27 | 27 | 212 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 36 weeksLetPub ·
- Submission to publication (journal-reported)
- about 40 weeksDOAJ ·
- Peer review
- Double anonymous peer reviewDOAJ
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
Diamond open access (no APC)DOAJ
Every article is open access and authors pay no article processing charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOAJ | No APC | No | CC BY-SA |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- No other fees
- Page charges
- No page charges
- Submission fee
- No submission fee
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 prepare8 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–200 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 8
- Manuscript length
- ≤ 9,000 words
- Reference style
- APA
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Highlights
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteLicense & copyright, Open access, Peer review
- License & copyright Copyright Notice
Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). Model summary
Authors retain copyright in their articles. SComS does not require a transfer of rights. Articles are published under the Creative Commons Attribution–ShareAlike licence (CC BY-SA 4.0). Anyone may use, distribute and adapt the content, provided they credit the original author and share any adaptation under the same or compatible terms. See the full licence terms.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Policy
This journal provides immediate open access to its content without charging publication fees (platinum open access). SComS is based on the principle that making research freely available to the public supports a greater global exchange of knowledge. Articles are now published under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike (CC BY-SA) license. Further information on open access: Swiss National Sc…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process
SComS uses double-blind peer review: authors and reviewers do not learn each other’s identities at any point in the process. Every submission is first checked against the journal’s formal requirements and screened with plagiarism detection software. Submissions that fall outside the scope of the journal, or that clearly do not meet its standards, may be declined at this stage without external revi…
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
- HBZ Open Publishing Environment
- Country or region
- Switzerland
- Language
- French, German, Italian, English
- ISSN
- 1424-4896
- Electronic ISSN
- 2296-4150
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗DOAJ
- Author guidelines ↗DOAJ
- Aims & Scope ↗DOAJ
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
- APC information ↗DOAJ
- Open access statement ↗DOAJ
- License & copyright ↗DOAJ
- Peer review process ↗DOAJ
- Editorial board ↗DOAJ
- Plagiarism policy ↗DOAJ
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Studies in Communication Sciences
How long does peer review take at Studies in Communication Sciences?
Authors report an average review time of about 36 weeks. 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 Studies in Communication Sciences?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–200 words; Keywords: ≤ 8; Manuscript length: ≤ 9,000 words; Reference style: APA; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Highlights: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional; 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 Studies in Communication Sciences 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 Switzerland (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Studies in Communication Sciences?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Studies in Communication Sciences is indexed in Scopus and DOAJ. The journal's website also lists ERIH PLUS; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Studies in Communication Sciences open access, and what is the APC?
Studies in Communication Sciences is a diamond open-access journal (no APC). It charges no article processing charge.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, DOAJ, 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: .