Journal profile · COMMUNICATION
Western Journal of Communication
ISSN 1057-0314 · eISSN 1745-1027 · Taylor & Francis
Western Journal of Communication: CAS Zone 3 · Literature (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 0.8 (journal website); subscription journal; APC charged, amount not published; review about 67 days (first decision after review, publisher); acceptance rate 27% (journal website); 40 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Western Journal of Communication is published by Taylor & Francis and is in Zone 3 of Literature in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Rhetoric and Communication Studies, Attachment and Relationship Dynamics and Communication in Education and Healthcare, together about 34.2% of its articles. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Published quarterly since 1937, the Western Journal of Communication is one of two scholarly journals of the Western States Communication Association (WSCA). The journal is dedicated to the publication of original scholarship that enhances our understanding of human communication. Diverse theoretical and methodological perspectives are welcome. WJC’s longstanding commitment to multiple approaches, perspectives, and issues is reflected by its history of publishing research across rhetorical and media studies, interpersonal and intercultural communication, critical and cultural studies, language behavior, performance studies, small group and organizational communication, freedom of speech, and health and family communication. Research accessible to both scholarly audiences and the learned public is strongly encouraged. Please submit manuscripts electronically at http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rwjc. The Western Journal of Communication typically does not publish manuscripts over 9,000 words, and submissions that exceed 10,000 words will be returned to the author without review. Individuals who have Regular or Exchange member subscriptions to the journals of the Eastern Communication Association, Central States Communication Association, Western States Communication Association, and the Southern States Communication Association may register for online access to the access to the journals here Peer Review Policy: All articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous critique by at least two referees. Visit the Communication Arena
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): COMMUNICATION
Editor-in-chief Desirée D. RowePublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rhetoric and Communication StudiesArts and Humanities20.5%
- Attachment and Relationship DynamicsPsychology7.2%
- Communication in Education and HealthcarePsychology6.5%
- Discourse Analysis in Language StudiesArts and Humanities6.3%
- Media Studies and CommunicationSocial Sciences5.8%
- Public Relations and Crisis CommunicationSocial Sciences5.4%
- Human auditory perception and evaluationEngineering4.3%
- Language, Discourse, Communication StrategiesArts and Humanities4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Literature Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Literature | Zone 3 |
| 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.
JCR / CiteScore quartiles on the journal's website
- 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
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of SciencePsycINFOERICPublisher website
Other: ProQuest, EBSCOhost, E-psyche, ProQuest online research databases, Taylor & Francis Educational Research Abstracts Online
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
- 0.8Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.1Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 1.8LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 1.8Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.36LetPub ·
- SJR (publisher) 2025
- 0.36Publisher website ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.6LetPub ·
- SNIP (publisher) 2025
- 0.6Publisher website ·
- h-index
- 71OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 536OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 0.76OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 0%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 2.83%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 38LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 77,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,186 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 26 | 1 | 1 |
| 2025 | 40 | 4 | 35 |
| 2024 | 24 | 5 | 32 |
| 2023 | 47 | 5 | 120 |
| 2022 | 81 | 3 | 331 |
| 2021 | 26 | 2 | 102 |
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
67 daysfirst decision after review
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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 27%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 47 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 67 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 69 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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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 articleResearch Article | Published online: 13 Sep 2026Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Open access, Peer review
- Authorship
Manuscript word limit: typically not over 9,000 words; submissions exceeding 10,000 words returned without review. Model summary
The Western Journal of Communication typically does not publish manuscripts over 9,000 words, and submissions that exceed 10,000 words will be returned to the author without review.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access
Western Journal of 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 discoverab…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Peer Review Policy: All articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous critique by at least two referees. Model summary
Peer Review Policy: All articles in this journal have undergone rigorous peer review, based on initial editor screening and anonymous critique by at least two 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
- 1057-0314
- Electronic ISSN
- 1745-1027
- Society / sponsor
- Western States Communication Association
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 90, Issue 4 (2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Western Journal of Communication
What CAS zone is Western Journal of Communication in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Western Journal of Communication is in Zone 3 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 Western Journal of Communication?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 0.8 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 1.8, h-index 71.
How long does peer review take at Western Journal of Communication?
The publisher reports about 67 days (first decision after review); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 27%. 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.
Which databases index Western Journal of Communication?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Western Journal of Communication is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, PsycINFO and ERIC; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Western Journal of Communication open access, and what is the APC?
Western Journal of Communication is a subscription journal. 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: .