About this journal
Aims and scope
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 journal can be designated a paper 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.
Publication office: Taylor & Francis, Inc., 530 Walnut Street, Suite 850, Philadelphia, PA 19106.
Journal metrics
Usage
- 253K annual downloads/views
Citation metrics
- 2.7 (2023) Impact Factor
- Q1 Impact Factor Best Quartile
- 3.7 (2023) 5 year IF
- 6.9 (2023) CiteScore (Scopus)
- Q1 CiteScore Best Quartile
- 1.365 (2023) SNIP
- 1.288 (2023) SJR
Speed/acceptance
- 0 days avg. from submission to first decision
- 86 days avg. from submission to first post-review decision
- 31 days avg. from acceptance to online publication
- 11% acceptance rate
Understanding and using journal metrics
Journal metrics can be a useful tool for readers, as well as for authors who are deciding where to submit their next manuscript for publication. However, any one metric only tells a part of the story of a journal’s quality and impact. Each metric has its limitations which means that it should never be considered in isolation, and metrics should be used to support and not replace qualitative review.
We strongly recommend that you always use a number of metrics, alongside other qualitative factors such as a journal’s aims & scope, its readership, and a review of past content published in the journal. In addition, a single article should always be assessed on its own merits and never based on the metrics of the journal it was published in.
For more details, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
Journal metrics in brief
Usage and acceptance rate data above are for the last full calendar year and are updated annually in February. Speed data is updated every six months, based on the prior six months. Citation metrics are updated annually mid-year. Please note that some journals do not display all of the following metrics (find out why).
- Usage: the total number of times articles in the journal were viewed by users of Taylor & Francis Online in the previous calendar year, rounded to the nearest thousand.
Citation Metrics
- Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles published in the journal within a two-year window. Only journals in the Clarivate Science Citation Index Expanded (SCIE), Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI), Arts and Humanities Citation Index (AHCI) and the Emerging Sources Citation Index (ESCI) have an Impact Factor.
- Impact Factor Best Quartile*: the journal’s highest subject category ranking in the Journal Citation Reports. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest Impact Factors.
- 5 Year Impact Factor*: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal within a five-year window.
- CiteScore (Scopus)†: the average number of citations received by articles in the journal over a four-year period.
- CiteScore Best Quartile†: the journal’s highest CiteScore ranking in a Scopus subject category. Q1 = 25% of journals with the highest CiteScores.
- SNIP (Source Normalized Impact per Paper): the number of citations per paper in the journal, divided by citation potential in the field.
- SJR (Scimago Journal Rank): Average number of (weighted) citations in one year, divided by the number of articles published in the journal in the previous three years.
Speed/acceptance
- From submission to first decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision. Based on manuscripts receiving a first decision in the last six months.
- From submission to first post-review decision: the average (median) number of days for a manuscript submitted to the journal to receive a first decision if it is sent out for peer review. Based on manuscripts receiving a post-review first decision in the last six months.
- From acceptance to online publication: the average (median) number of days from acceptance of a manuscript to online publication of the Version of Record. Based on articles published in the last six months.
- Acceptance rate: articles accepted for publication by the journal in the previous calendar year as percentage of all papers receiving a final decision.
For more details on the data above, please read the Author Services guide to understanding journal metrics.
*Copyright: Journal Citation Reports®, Clarivate Analytics
†Copyright: CiteScore™, Scopus
Editorial board
EDITOR
Mike Schmierbach
Pennsylvania State University, USA
PAST EDITOR
Fuyuan Shen, 2017-2020
ASSOCIATE EDITORS
Keren Eyal - Interdisciplinary Center Herzliya, Israel
Jay Hmielowski - University of Florida, USA
Jinhee Kim - Pohang University of Science and Technology, South Korea
Patrick Meirick - University of Oklahoma, USA
Elizabeth Stoycheff - Wayne State University, USA
Celine Yunya Song - Hong Kong Baptist University, China
BOOK REVIEW EDITOR
Michael McCluskey - University of Tennessee at Chattanooga, USA
EDITORIAL ASSISTANT
Hui Min Lee - Pennsylvania State University, USA
EDITORIAL BOARD
Cory Armstrong - University of Nebraska-Lincoln, USA
Laura Arpan - University at Buffalo, USA
Jennifer Stevens Aubrey - University of Arizona, USA
Stephen Banning - Bradley University, USA
Matthew Barnidge - University of Alabama, USA
Amy Becker - Loyola University of Maryland, USA
Helena Bilandzic - University of Augsburg, Germany
Andrew Billings - University of Alabama, USA
Kimberly Bissell - University of Alabama, USA
Leticia Bode - Georgetown University, USA
Mark Boukes - University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Paul Brewer - University of Delaware, USA
Michael Butterworth - University of Texas - Austin, USA
Michael Cacciatore - University of Georgia, USA
Kalyani Chadha - Northwestern University, USA
Sedona Chinn - University of Wisconsin-Madison, USA
Elizabeth Cohen - West Virginia University, USA
Renita Coleman - University of Texas - Austin, USA
Nicoleta Corbu - National University of Political Studies and Public Administration, Romania
David Cuillier - University of Arizona, USA
Paul D'Angelo - The College of New Jersey, USA
Frank Dardis - Pennsylvania State University, USA
Bryan Denham - Clemson University, USA
Francesca Dillman Carpentier - University of North Carolina, USA
Stephanie Edgerly - Northwestern University, USA
Shahira Fahmy - American University, Cairo, Egypt
Guangchao Charles Feng - Hong Kong Baptist University, China
Christopher Ferguson - Stetson University, USA
Rhonda Gibson - University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, USA
Joseph Graf - American University, USA
Jennifer Greer - University of Kentucky, USA
Lei Guo - Fudan University, China
Michael Hameleers - University of Amsterdam, Netherlands
Marie Hardin - Pennsylvania State University, USA
Jennifer Henderson - Trinity University, USA
James Hertog - University of Kentucky, USA
Lindsay Hoffman - University of Delaware, USA
Lance Holbert - University of Pennsylvania, USA
Brian Houston - University of Missouri, USA
James Ivory - Virginia Tech, USA
Jakob D. Jensen - University of Utah, USA
Tom Johnson - University of Texas - Austin, USA
Mo Jones-Jang - Boston College, USA
Seok Kang - University of Texas - San Antonio, USA
Joon Kim - University of Rhode Island, USA
Sei-Hill Kim - University of South Carolina, USA
Diana Knott Martinelli - West Virginia University, USA
Jennifer Kowaleski - Georgia Southern University, USA
Maja Krakowiak - University of Colorado - Colorado Springs, USA
Marina Krcmar - Wake Forest University, USA
Kristen Landreville - University of Wyoming, USA
Francis Lee - Chinese University of Hong Kong, China
Seow Ting Lee - University of Colorado – Boulder, USA
Tien-Tsung Lee - University of Macau, China
Carolyn Lin - University of Connecticut, USA
Wenlin Liu - University of Houston, USA
Yanqin Lu - Bowling Green State University, USA
Jörg Matthes - University of Vienna, Austria
Bryan McLaughlin - Texas Tech University, USA
Lindsey Mean - Arizona State University, USA
Patricia Moy - University of Washington, USA
Jessica Myrick - Pennsylvania State University, USA
Seungahn Nah - University of Florida, USA
Jacob L. Nelson - University of Utah, USA
Anne Oeldorf-Hirsch - University of Connecticut, USA
Mary Beth Oliver - Pennsylvania State University, USA
Stephen D. Perry - Regent University, USA
John C. Pollock - The College of New Jersey, USA
Donnalyn Pompper - University of Oregon, USA
Arthur Raney - University at Buffalo, USA
Julius Matthew Riles - University of Missouri, USA
David Sachsman - University of Tennessee - Chattanooga, USA
Melanie Sarge - Indiana University, USA
Erica Scharrer - University of Massachusetts - Amherst, USA
Desiree Schmuck - University of Vienna, Austria
Adam Shehata - University of Gothenburg, Sweden
Fuyuan Shen - Pennsylvania State University, USA
Fred Vultee - Wayne State University, USA
T. Franklin Waddell - University of Florida, USA
Ran Wei - Hong Kong Baptist University
Erin Whiteside - University of Tennessee - Knoxville, USA
Kevin Williams - Mississippi State University, USA
Gi Woong Yun - University of Nevada Reno, USA
Masahiro Yamamoto - University at Albany, USA
Fan Yang - University of South Florida, USA
Nan Yu - University of Central Florida, USA
Shuhua Zhou - University of Hong Kong, Hong Kong
Abstracting and indexing
Open access
Mass Communication and Society is a hybrid open access journal that is part of our 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 readership of your article
- Make an impact and reach new readers, not just those with easy access to a research library
- Freely share your work with anyone, anywhere
- Comply with funding mandates and meet the requirements of your institution, employer or funder
- Rigorous peer review for every open access article
Article Publishing Charges (APC)
If you choose to publish open access in this journal you may be asked to pay an Article Publishing Charge (APC). You may be able to publish your article at no cost to yourself or with a reduced APC if your institution or research funder has an open access agreement or membership with Taylor & Francis.
Use our APC finder to calculate your article publishing charge
Association information
The Assocation for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication (AEJMC) aims to improve professional practice by promoting the highest possible standard in education, research, freedom of communication and multi-cultural society in the classroom. Representing journalism and mass communication educators, students and media professionals, AEJMC is comprised of several divisions and interest groups to connect professionals with shared interests.
The Mass Communication and Society Journal is published by the Mass Communication and Society Division, one of the largest of the AEJMC divisions which focuses on advertising, public relations and journalism.
Membership of the AEJMC Mass Communication and Society Division provides a free subscription to Mass Communication and Society Journal .
AEJMC publishes three journals with Taylor & Francis:
Mass Communication and Society
Visual Communication Quarterly
Journalism History
AEJMC is affiliated with the following Taylor & Francis journals:
Journal of Public Relations Research
Journal of Media Ethics
Journal of Media and Religion
Communication Methods and Measures
Communication Law and Policy
For submission information read the Instructions for Authors.
To register as a peer reviewer for Mass Communication and Society visit the journal’s submission site. For reviewer training opportunities, discover our Peer Reviewer Training Network.
6 issues per year
Advertising information
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Mass Communication & Society Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and our publisher Taylor & Francis make every effort to ensure the accuracy of all the information (the "Content") contained in our publications. However, Mass Communication & Society Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and our publisher Taylor & Francis, our agents (including the editor, any member of the editorial team or editorial board, and any guest editors), and our licensors make no representations or warranties whatsoever as to the accuracy, completeness, or suitability for any purpose of the Content. Any opinions and views expressed in this publication are the opinions and views of the authors, and are not the views of or endorsed by Mass Communication & Society Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and our publisher Taylor & Francis. The accuracy of the Content should not be relied upon and should be independently verified with primary sources of information. Mass Communication & Society Division of the Association for Education in Journalism and Mass Communication and our publisher Taylor & Francis shall not be liable for any losses, actions, claims, proceedings, demands, costs, expenses, damages, and other liabilities whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with, in relation to, or arising out of the use of the Content. Terms & Conditions of access and use can be found at http://www.tandfonline.com/page/terms-and-conditions .
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