Journal of Communication

Top Research Topics at Journal of Communication?

The topics of Social psychology, Advertising, Public relations, Mass media and Media studies are the focal point of discussions in the journal. The journal addresses concerns in Social psychology which are intertwined with other disciplines, such as Developmental psychology and Perception. It investigates Advertising research which frequently intersects with Content analysis.

The study on Public relations presented in it intersects with the topics under Politics.

• Social psychology (16.58%)
• Advertising (12.09%)
• Public relations (8.78%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Framing: Toward Clarification of a Fractured Paradigm (8185 citations)
• Defining Virtual Reality: Dimensions Determining Telepresence (3144 citations)
• Framing as a theory of media effects (2385 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Journal of Communication:

The most cited papers are organized to reinforce research efforts on Social psychology, Advertising, Public relations, Politics and Mass media. The Social psychology research tackled in the most cited articles is interrelated with Suicide prevention which concerns subjects like Occupational safety and health. The works on Politics tackled in the journal publications bring together disciplines like Social media, Framing (social sciences) and Media studies.

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

• Law
• World War II
• Social psychology

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Journal of Communication investigates areas of study like Computer network, Media studies, Social psychology, Real-time computing and Wireless. Journal of Communication explores issues in Computer network which can be linked to other research areas like Mobile ad hoc network and Vehicular ad hoc network. Journal of Communication focuses on Media studies as well as the interrelated topic of Social media.

In addition to Real-time computing research, the journal aims to explore topics under Wireless sensor network and Path loss. The work on Wireless addressed in Journal of Communication expands to the thematically related Electrical engineering.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• An Agenda for Open Science in Communication (30 citations)
• Social Media Use and Adolescents’ Self-Esteem: Heading for a Person-Specific Media Effects Paradigm (5 citations)
• Political Humor, Sharing, and Remembering: Insights from Neuroimaging (4 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.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Journal of Communication (based on the number of publications) are:

• Bradley S. Greenberg (15 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Viranjay M. Srivastava (13 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition, 3 less than at the previous edition,
• W. Lance Bennett (13 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Larry Gross (12 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Dolf Zillmann (12 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.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Journal of Communication (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison (125 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 2 more than at the previous edition,
• University of Pennsylvania (124 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition,
• Michigan State University (117 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (100 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Ohio State University (89 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 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, 53.10% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 41.51% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 9.43% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 13.21% of all publications and 35.85% 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.

The Role of Mental Health Discourse in Communication Research

In recent years, mental health has increasingly become a key focus of discussion in various interdisciplinary fields, including Social psychology and Media Studies. Several researchers have focused on how mental health is represented in the media and how these representations influence societal attitudes and public policies, as well as individual mental health outcomes. For instance, media portrayals of mental illness have been linked to stigma and discrimination, highlighting the critical role that communication research can play in addressing these issues. As part of our continuous commitment to promote awareness and contribute to ongoing debates, we are carving out a space for exploring mental health topics in communication research. We encourage contributions that examine the intersection of communication studies and mental health issues from various perspectives. Some potential topics may include (but are not limited to) examining how mental health is represented in advertising; exploring the impacts of social media usage on mental health; or analyzing the role of public relations in shaping public perceptions of mental health. To facilitate opportunities for researchers interested in exploring this critical domain, we offer resources on career paths related to the field of mental health. If you're considering a career in this area, you can check our guide on how to become a Mental health counselor in Vermont . Notably, our guide provides detailed requirements needed to pursue this career path, which can help aspiring mental health counselors to understand the steps and processes necessary to enter this profession in the state of Vermont. We look forward to receiving and reviewing future submissions related to mental health discourse and communication research.