Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Visual Communication Quarterly
ISSN 1555-1393 · eISSN 1555-1407 · Taylor & Francis
Visual Communication Quarterly: CAS Zone 4 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.4 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 2,750; median 102 days to acceptance (25 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 21% (journal website); 34 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Visual Communication Quarterly is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 4 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Visual Culture and Art Theory, Media Studies and Communication and Photography and Visual Culture, together about 28.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Visual Communication Quarterly (VCQ) is an international, peer-reviewed journal of theory, research, practical criticism, and creative work in all areas of visual communication. Our goal is to promote an inclusive, broad discussion of all things visual, while also encouraging synthesis and theory building across our fascinating field of study. We define "visual" in the broadest sense of the word -- from dreams and cognitive theory through gesture and geography, as well as issues concerning visual ethics, visual ecology, representation, visual media in all forms, and visual behavior. Methods range from tightly controlled quantitative studies through critical analysis, essays, qualitative scholarship, and creative art. We also print numerous single images and portfolios as well as multimedia work on our Web site, a rarity among academic journals. VCQ , the official publication of the Visual Communication Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication, has published regularly since 1994. For 11 years, VCQ was distributed to more than 10,000 professionals and scholars through News Photographer magazine of the National Press Photographers Association. Our mission has broadened beyond visual journalism, design, and media to address the need for a publication encompassing the complex and wide-ranging field of visual communication and visual studies across media, art, and science. Our new format and distribution system not only allow us to publish more articles and creative work, while maintaining rigorous peer review, but also facilitate international access of articles and images through on-line databases. For additional information about VCQ , as well as resources in visual communication, visit the journal's editorial Web site: www.vcquarterly.org. Peer Review Policy All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by two anonymous referees.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Editor-in-chief Russell ChunPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 5 (5 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Visual Culture and Art TheoryArts and Humanities10.2%
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences9.3%
- Photography and Visual CultureArts and Humanities8.7%
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities5.7%
- Participatory Visual Research MethodsSocial Sciences5%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.7%
- Diverse Scientific and Economic StudiesEconomics, Econometrics and Finance4.5%
- Public Spaces through ArtSocial Sciences4%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Communication | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePublisher website
Other: ProQuest, EBSCOhost, 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 (publisher) 2025
- 0.4Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 0.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.2LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.2Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.5LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.5Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 29OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 109OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.37OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 25%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 5.77%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 17LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher)
- 35,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,031 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 25 | 2 | 3 |
| 2025 | 34 | 6 | 19 |
| 2024 | 30 | 7 | 11 |
| 2023 | 26 | 5 | 25 |
| 2022 | 33 | 5 | 48 |
| 2021 | 27 | 5 | 72 |
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
102 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 71 days – 156 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 480 days (25 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 609 days
- Sample
- 25 articles with submission and acceptance dates (65 in the window); the latest was accepted on
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".
Other sources
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 21%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 80 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 88 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 609 daysPublisher 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 | USD 2,750 | — | — |
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
- research articlesAll research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by two anonymous referees.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteOpen access, Peer review
- Open access Open access
Hybrid open access journal, part of Taylor & Francis Open Select publishing program. Model summary
Visual Communication Quarterly 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 Peer Review Policy
Peer review policy: initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by two anonymous referees. Model summary
All research articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous refereeing by two anonymous referees.
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
- 1555-1393
- Electronic ISSN
- 1555-1407
- Society / sponsor
- Visual Communication Division of AEJMC
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 33, Issue 2 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Visual Communication Quarterly
What CAS zone is Visual Communication Quarterly in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Visual Communication Quarterly is in Zone 4 of Literature, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Communication. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Literature. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Visual Communication Quarterly?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.4 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 0.8, h-index 29.
How long does peer review take at Visual Communication Quarterly?
Based on the dates recorded on 25 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 102 days (interquartile range 71–156 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 21%. 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 Visual Communication Quarterly based?
Of the 5 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (5). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Visual Communication Quarterly?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Visual Communication Quarterly is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Visual Communication Quarterly open access, and what is the APC?
Visual Communication Quarterly is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 2,750.
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: .