Journal rankings · indicator year 2022
Choose a field to open its ranking, or a journal to find its row in its subfield’s list.
Subfield ranking · 2022
Communication journal rankings 2022
77 ranked journals · Subfield in Social Sciences
Communication has 77 ranked journals in 2022. The median OJR rose 0.15 on 2021 to 1.48, above the world average of 1.00; Q1 starts at OJR 2.52. The top three are Political Communication, The International Journal of Press/Politics, and Annals of the International Communication Association.
Ranks and citation indicators: 2022. Journal access status and listed APC: source snapshot September 23, 2026.
Journals whose main subfield sits in this category and that published at least 30 citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) in 2019–2021, the window the 2022 score is computed on.
The OpenJournalRank Indicator (OJR) is a free, publicly available metric of a journal’s field-normalized citation impact, computed from open OpenAlex citation data. It compares citations to a journal’s papers from the previous three years with the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and values can be compared across fields. It is computed with the NCI3 method.
The middle OJR among ranked journals in this category: half score higher, half lower. 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type.
The dot is this category, the solid tick is the median of all ranked journals and the dashed line is the world average.
Share of ranked journals in this category that are fully open access, so every paper is free to read. Hybrid journals, which sell subscriptions and open single papers for a fee, are not counted.
Median list price of the article processing charge, in US dollars, among ranked journals in this category that list a price above zero. Journals with a listed APC of $0 and journals with no known price are left out of this median. The At a glance table below gives a second median that includes the $0 prices.
Subfields of Social Sciences (22)
77 ranked journals
Filters
Rank is the position by OJR within the list on screen; 1 is the highest. | OJR is field-normalized 3-year citation impact: 1.00 is the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so values compare across fields. The badge is the journal’s quartile in this list. | Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is not field-normalized, so compare it only between journals of the same field. ▲ or ▼ is the change from 2021. This is OpenJournalRank’s own count, not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. | Citable documents (articles, reviews and conference papers) published in 2019–2021, the window the 2022 OJR is computed on. A journal needs at least 30 to be ranked. | Share of the journal’s 2019–2021 papers that are free to read in any open-access form. The green OA tag next to a title marks a fully open-access journal. | List price of the article processing charge in US dollars. “$0 listed” means the listed price is zero; a dash means no price is listed. | The line is the journal’s OJR from 2013 to 2022. | Compare |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
1Political CommunicationTaylor & Francis · United States | 6.89Q1 | 9.29 0.04 down from 2021 | 129 | 47% | — | ||
2The International Journal of Press/PoliticsSAGE Publishing · United States | 6.85Q1 | 8.58 1.10 up from 2021 | 143 | 42% | $3,900 | ||
3Annals of the International Communication AssociationTaylor & Francis | 5.64Q1 | 9.41 0.84 up from 2021 | 60 | 32% | $3,368 | ||
4Digital JournalismTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 5.23Q1 | 7.37 3.87 down from 2021 | 275 | 55% | — | ||
5Journal of Knowledge ManagementEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 4.86Q1 | 8.75 0.68 down from 2021 | 399 | 31% | — | ||
6Journal of CommunicationOxford University Press · United States | 4.39Q1 | 7.00 0.83 up from 2021 | 138 | 38% | $4,235 | ||
7Journal of Studies in International EducationSAGE Publishing · United States | 4.04Q1 | 3.87 0.31 up from 2021 | 115 | 62% | $3,650 | ||
8International Journal of Strategic CommunicationTaylor & Francis · United States | 3.62Q1 | 3.11 3.22 down from 2021 | 67 | 34% | — | ||
9Communication TheoryWiley · United States | 3.53Q1 | 4.70 0.42 up from 2021 | 94 | 27% | $4,235 | ||
10Public Relations ReviewElsevier BV · United States | 3.49Q1 | 5.79 0.63 down from 2021 | 274 | 22% | $4,310 | ||
11Journal of Information Technology & PoliticsRoutledge · United States | 3.36Q1 | 3.91 1.09 down from 2021 | 111 | 35% | — | ||
12Journalism StudiesRoutledge · United Kingdom | 3.33Q1 | 4.53 0.99 down from 2021 | 308 | 41% | — | ||
13Journalism & Mass Communication QuarterlySAGE Publishing · United States | 3.29Q1 | 3.65 0.49 down from 2021 | 149 | 20% | $3,900 | ||
14Media International AustraliaPublisher not listed | 3.18Q1 | 4.43 0.13 down from 2021 | 182 | 32% | $3,650 | ||
15Media and CommunicationOACogitatio · Portugal | 3.15Q1 | 4.80 0.02 up from 2021 | 328 | 100% | $1,132 | ||
16Journal of Communication ManagementEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 2.93Q1 | 4.48 0.80 up from 2021 | 76 | 25% | — | ||
17European Journal of CommunicationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.83Q1 | 2.65 0.27 down from 2021 | 183 | 29% | $3,650 | ||
18Asian Journal of CommunicationRoutledge · United Kingdom | 2.71Q1 | 3.68 1.44 up from 2021 | 80 | 10% | — | ||
19Discourse & CommunicationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.55Q1 | 3.10 0.73 up from 2021 | 95 | 26% | $3,650 | ||
20JournalismSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.52Q1 | 3.41 0.91 down from 2021 | 332 | 46% | $3,900 | ||
21Knowledge Management Research & PracticeTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 2.48Q2 | 5.06 1.34 up from 2021 | 216 | 26% | — | ||
22Journal of Public Relations ResearchTaylor & Francis · United States | 2.43Q2 | 3.13 2.56 down from 2021 | 49 | 17% | — | ||
23Journalism and MediaOAMultidisciplinary Digital Publishing Institute · Switzerland | 2.42Q2 | 3.03 0.20 up from 2021 | 63 | 100% | $1,207 | ||
24El Profesional de la InformacionOAEdiciones Profesionales de la Informacion SL · Spain | 2.39Q2 | 4.90 0.22 up from 2021 | 478 | 100% | — | ||
25International Communication GazetteSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.22Q2 | 2.05 0.80 down from 2021 | 97 | 26% | $3,650 | ||
26Nordicom review/NORDICOM reviewOADe Gruyter Open · Sweden | 2.21Q2 | 1.67 0.55 down from 2021 | 109 | 100% | — | ||
27VINE Journal of Information and Knowledge Management SystemsEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 2.05Q2 | 4.27 0.52 up from 2021 | 197 | 14% | — | ||
28Journalism PracticeTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 2.04Q2 | 3.14 0.23 up from 2021 | 421 | 26% | — | ||
29International Journal of Cross Cultural ManagementSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 2.00Q2 | 2.95 0.45 up from 2021 | 58 | 22% | $3,650 | ||
30Public Relations InquirySAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.87Q2 | 3.11 0.64 up from 2021 | 62 | 38% | $3,650 | ||
31Journal of International and Intercultural CommunicationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.83Q2 | 1.96 0.04 up from 2021 | 81 | 20% | — | ||
32Communication Research and PracticeTaylor & Francis · Australia | 1.78Q2 | 1.60 0.81 down from 2021 | 74 | 19% | — | ||
33Journal of International StudentsOAEditors of the journals · United States | 1.77Q2 | 2.13 0.50 down from 2021 | 298 | 100% | — | ||
34Corporate Communications An International JournalEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 1.76Q2 | 2.89 0.22 up from 2021 | 147 | 34% | — | ||
35Global Media and CommunicationSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.57Q2 | 2.21 0.99 up from 2021 | 52 | 39% | $3,650 | ||
36Media War & ConflictSAGE Publishing · United Kingdom | 1.53Q2 | 2.02 0.05 down from 2021 | 98 | 42% | $3,650 | ||
37Revista ICONO14OAIcono 14 · Spain | 1.51Q2 | 2.63 1.22 up from 2021 | 82 | 100% | — | ||
38Westminster Papers in Communication and CultureOAUnited Kingdom | 1.50Q2 | 1.58 0.08 up from 2021 | 31 | — | — | ||
39African Journalism StudiesTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.48Q2 | 1.52 0.48 down from 2021 | 91 | 14% | — | ||
40Journal of International CommunicationTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.41Q3 | 1.69 0.25 up from 2021 | 48 | 13% | — | ||
41Journal of Global Mobility The Home of Expatriate Management ResearchEmerald Publishing Limited · United Kingdom | 1.23Q3 | 2.39 0.16 up from 2021 | 79 | 57% | — | ||
42Studies in Communication and MediaOANomos · Germany | 1.23Q3 | 1.77 0.21 down from 2021 | 64 | 100% | — | ||
43Journal of Intercultural Communication ResearchTaylor & Francis · United Kingdom | 1.22Q3 | 1.20 0.07 up from 2021 | 120 | 14% | — | ||
44Journal of Political MarketingTaylor & Francis · United States | 1.21Q3 | 1.75 0.22 down from 2021 | 57 | 7% | — | ||
45Journal of Teaching in International BusinessTaylor & Francis · United States | 1.19Q3 | 1.81 0.39 up from 2021 | 57 | 53% | — | ||
46Internet HistoriesRoutledge · United Kingdom | 1.10Q3 | 1.53 1.13 down from 2021 | 81 | 23% | — | ||
47Communication & SocietyOAUniversity of Navarre · Spain | 1.09Q3 | 2.24 0.99 up from 2021 | 299 | 100% | $301 | ||
48Journal of Digital Media & PolicyIntellect · United Kingdom | 1.05Q3 | 1.31 0.59 down from 2021 | 104 | 13% | — | ||
49Radio Journal International Studies in Broadcast & Audio MediaIntellect · United Kingdom | 1.05Q3 | 1.10 0.50 down from 2021 | 57 | 12% | — | ||
50Electronic NewsSAGE Publishing · United States | 1.02Q3 | 1.68 0.92 up from 2021 | 33 | 10% | $3,650 |
Subfields of Social Sciences, with Communication highlighted.
- Sociology and Political Science1,389
- Education752
- Political Science and International Relations339
- Communication77
- Gender Studies63
- Safety Research58
- Health54
- Public Administration52
- Linguistics and Language51
- Transportation51
- Urban Studies50
- Law47
- Library and Information Sciences42
- Demography39
- Anthropology37
- Geography, Planning and Development34
- Cultural Studies6
- Development4
- General Social Sciences3
- Human Factors and Ergonomics1
- Archeology0
- Life-span and Life-course Studies0
Journals
Citations made in 2022. Corpus-wide, 89.5% of core-journal articles and reviews published that year have at least one matched reference; the share varies by journal and field.
13 additional Communication journals with metrics are unranked under this release’s eligibility rules: a journal needs at least 30 citable documents in 2019–2021, at least 80% of them with a subfield, and a positive world-average expectation. Ranks are within the whole category; filters hide rows without re-ranking. OJR excludes self-citations.
At a glance
Indicator year: 2022. Publication window: 2019–2021. How these summaries are calculated
- Ranked journals
- 77
- Window papers (baseline)
- 43,466 +26.0% from indicator year 2019
- Median OJR
- 1.48 +10.7% from indicator year 2019
- Rising journals (2025)
- 3
Window papers are the baseline paper population: citable papers (articles, reviews and conference papers) from 2019–2021 in all journals of the world-average baseline, including non-core journals, counted by each paper’s own subfield. They are not the papers of the ranked journals alone.
| Measure | Year series | 2000 | 2001 | 2002 | 2003 | 2004 | 2005 | 2006 | 2007 | 2008 | 2009 | 2010 | 2011 | 2012 | 2013 | 2014 | 2015 | 2016 | 2017 | 2018 | 2019 | 2020 | 2021 | 2022 | 2023 | 2024 | 2025 |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Ranked journals | 28 | 30 | 32 | 36 | 35 | 35 | 38 | 38 | 43 | 48 | 52 | 52 | 54 | 57 | 66 | 65 | 68 | 71 | 74 | 74 | 79 | 75 | 77 | 73 | 72 | 71 | |
| Window papers (baseline) | 6,625 | 7,353 | 8,060 | 9,040 | 9,893 | 11,132 | 12,598 | 14,308 | 16,130 | 18,165 | 20,333 | 22,525 | 25,150 | 27,541 | 29,419 | 31,115 | 32,404 | 33,284 | 33,565 | 34,506 | 36,327 | 39,973 | 43,466 | 44,324 | 43,348 | 42,854 | |
| Median OJR | 0.692 | 0.54 | 0.691 | 0.67 | 0.94 | 1.31 | 1.570 | 1.66 | 1.47 | 1.86 | 1.80 | 1.85 | 1.67 | 1.72 | 1.49 | 1.74 | 1.56 | 1.59 | 1.54 | 1.333 | 1.42 | 1.326 | 1.48 | 1.62 | 1.68 | 1.565 |
How to read these rankings
- OJR, the OpenJournalRank Indicator
- A field-normalized 3-year citation impact, computed from OpenAlex with the NCI3 method. It divides the citations a journal’s papers received by the world average for papers of the same subfield, year and type, so 1.00 is the world average and 2.00 means twice as many citations as expected. Because it is normalized, it can be compared across fields. Read the methodology
- Quartiles
- Q1 to Q4 split the ranked journals of the list you are viewing into four equal groups by OJR. A journal’s quartile depends on the list: the same journal can be Q1 in its subfield and Q2 among all journals.
- Impact factor (2-year)
- Citations per paper over a two-year window, counted from OpenAlex. It is easy to compare with familiar impact factors but is not field-normalized, so compare it only within a field. It is not Clarivate’s Journal Impact Factor. Why it differs from the Journal Impact Factor
- Rank ranges
- Each rank in the latest year carries a likely range from 1,000 resamples of the journal’s papers. Where two journals’ ranges overlap, the data cannot tell them apart, so treat neighbouring ranks as ties.