World's Best Scientists 2026 revealed!
Information Communication and Society
H-index 26

Information Communication and Society

1369-118X

Published by: Taylor & Francis

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/rics20/current

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Social Sciences and Humanities 118 40 54 19

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 84
Documents by Best Scientists*: 104
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 8
SCIMAGO H-index: 125
SCIMAGO SJR: 2.026
Impact Factor: 3.3

Overview

Top Research Topics at Information, Communication & Society?

Information, Communication & Society primarily focuses on research topics in Media studies, Social media, The Internet, Politics and Social science. The research on Media studies tackled can also make contributions to studies in the areas of New media and Social movement. The studies in The Internet featured incorporate elements of Social psychology, Public relations and Internet privacy.

The journal holds forums on Public relations that merges themes from other disciplines such as Information and Communications Technology and Knowledge management. Research in the field of Law was used to conduct the presented Politics study.

  • Media studies (20.52%)
  • Social media (18.59%)
  • The Internet (18.06%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • CRITICAL QUESTIONS FOR BIG DATA (2908 citations)
  • Social networks and Internet connectivity effects (914 citations)
  • Protest in an Information Society: a review of literature on social movements and new ICTs (525 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Information, Communication & Society:

The journal publications cover a variety of subjects, including The Internet, Social media, Social psychology, Social science and Politics. While The Internet is the key highlight in the most cited publications, thet also covered some subjects on Public relations and Information and Communications Technology. The most cited papers with studies in Social media featured incorporate elements of Context (language use), Media studies, Advertising, Media relations and Internet privacy.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

  • Law
  • The Internet
  • Social science

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Social media, Media studies, Politics, Public relations and The Internet are the subjects of interest in Information, Communication & Society. Affordance, Social psychology, Gender studies and Political communication are some topics wherein Social media research discussed in Information, Communication & Society have an impact. In addition to Media studies research, it aims to explore topics under Narrative and Populism.

Issues in Politics were discussed, taking into consideration concepts from other disciplines like Political economy and Power (social and political). It connects research in Political economy with the related topic of Government. Most of the works presented in it deals with The Internet but it intersects with the subject of Internet privacy.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Digital sociology: The reinvention of social research (61 citations)
  • News literacy, social media behaviors, and skepticism toward information on social media (34 citations)
  • Algorithmic inference, political interest, and exposure to news and politics on Facebook (25 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

The top authors publishing in Information, Communication & Society (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Barry Wellman (12 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Eszter Hargittai (11 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition,
  • Laura Robinson (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Brian D. Loader (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Anabel Quan-Haase (10 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Information, Communication & Society (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Oxford (58 papers) published 7 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of York (56 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of Sydney (31 papers) published 6 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • RMIT University (29 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 4 less than at the previous edition,
  • University of Amsterdam (29 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition, 2 less than at the previous edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 7.56% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 13.94% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 11.06% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 19.71% of all publications and 55.29% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

  • Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
  • Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
  • Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
  • Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
  • Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Professional Opportunities in Related Fields

Conducting research in Information, Communication & Society may open up various career opportunities, one of which is to become a professional counselor. With a thorough understanding of social sciences, the internet, media studies, and social psychology, you can apply these insights into your counseling sessions. You can achieve this by obtaining a LPC license in Iowa.

In this digital era, understanding the nuances of communication, internet behavior, and the impact of social media can considerably enhance your counseling approaches. As a counselor, you could use your knowledge of social sciences to better understand individuals or groups in their social contexts. Further, insights from media studies can help you in resolving the psychological commitments a person has with the media and their environment.

The key is to amalgamate your research knowledge with your counseling skills and offer a comprehensive therapeutic process. This could lead to a gratifying career where you not only keep progressing in your research but also get to make a significant difference in people's lives.

Top Publications

  • Too good to be true, too good not to share: the social utility of fake news

    Andrew Duffy;Edson Tandoc;Rich Ling

    (2020)
    288 Citations
  • Digital inequalities in the Internet of Things: differences in attitudes, material access, skills, and usage

    Alexander J.A.M. van Deursen;Alex van der Zeeuw;Pia de Boer;Giedo Jansen

    (2021)
    106 Citations
  • Black box measures? How to study people’s algorithm skills

    Eszter Hargittai;Jonathan Gruber;Teodora Djukaric;Jaelle Fuchs

    (2020)
    96 Citations
  • Children’s understanding of personal data and privacy online – a systematic evidence mapping

    Mariya Stoilova;Rishita Nandagiri;Sonia Livingstone

    (2021)
    75 Citations
  • Excessive internet use by young Europeans : psychological vulnerability and digital literacy?

    Ellen Johanna Helsper;David Šmahel

    (2020)
    71 Citations
  • Making sense of credibility in complex information environments: the role of message sidedness, information source, and thinking styles in credibility evaluation online

    Andrew J. Flanagin;Stephan Winter;Miriam J. Metzger

    (2020)
    69 Citations
  • Older adults’ online social engagement and social capital: the moderating role of Internet skills

    Minh Hao Nguyen;Amanda Hunsaker;Eszter Hargittai

    (2020)
    53 Citations
  • Persuasive strategies in online health misinformation: a systematic review

    (2022)
    44 Citations
  • Caveat emptor: boycott through digital humour on the wave of the 2019 Hong Kong protests

    Marta Dynel;Fabio Indìo Massimo Poppi

    (2021)
    44 Citations
  • ‘There’s nothing really they can do with this information’: unpacking how users manage privacy boundaries for personal fitness information

    Michael Zimmer;Priya Kumar;Jessica Vitak;Yuting Liao

    (2020)
    43 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

For students interested in Social Sciences and Humanities, exploring online degree options can open doors to fulfilling careers. Fields such as library science, art therapy, social work, and human services offer diverse pathways that blend practical skills with a passion for helping others. Pursuing an online Master of Library and Information Science (MLIS) can lead to roles in information management and archival work, all while benefiting from mlis programs that prioritize affordability and flexibility.

Art therapy is another dynamic field, combining creativity and psychology to support mental health. Students can find world-class options by exploring the best art therapy programs in the world, providing the training needed to make a tangible difference in clients’ lives.

For those drawn to advocacy and community support, obtaining an online social work masters degree offers versatile career opportunities, from clinical social work to policy development. Similarly, earning a masters in human services provides essential skills for leading programs that improve social welfare and community wellbeing, often with accelerated online options to suit busy professionals.

Overall, these related online degrees emphasize flexibility and practical training, helping students translate their interests in humanities and social sciences into impactful careers.

Best Scientists Contributing to This Journal