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Mass Communication and Society
H-index 16

Mass Communication and Society

1520-5436

Published by: Taylor & Francis

https://www.tandfonline.com/toc/hmcs20/current

Ranking & Metrics

Discipline name Position Best Scientists Publications D-Index
Social Sciences and Humanities 517 17 22 9

Additional Metrics

Number of Best Scientists*: 41
Documents by Best Scientists*: 49
Top 100 Ranked Scientists*: 3
SCIMAGO H-index: 61
SCIMAGO SJR: 1.424
Impact Factor: 2.7

Overview

Top Research Topics at Mass Communication and Society?

Mass Communication and Society aims to foster the development of research in Social psychology, Media studies, Politics, Perception and Newspaper. The research on Social psychology featured in Mass Communication and Society combines topics in other fields like Entertainment, Advertising, News media, Developmental psychology and Content analysis. The studies in Media studies featured incorporate elements of Social media and Social science, Framing (social sciences).

Political communication and Presidential election studies are all carried out as a component of the study in Politics presented.

  • Social psychology (44.05%)
  • Media studies (24.05%)
  • Politics (17.57%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

  • Uses and Gratifications Theory in the 21st Century (1614 citations)
  • Defining Identification: A Theoretical Look at the Identification of Audiences With Media Characters (1017 citations)
  • Agenda-Setting, Priming, and Framing Revisited: Another Look at Cognitive Effects of Political Communication (775 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Mass Communication and Society:

Social psychology, Media studies, Politics, Newspaper and Mass media are the main subjects of interest in the journal papers. The published articles are mostly focused on Social psychology, specifically Interpersonal communication. The works on Media studies tackled in the journal papers bring together disciplines like Personality, Framing (social sciences) and Media relations.

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

  • Law
  • Social psychology
  • Politics

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Mass Communication and Society mainly deals with areas of study such as Social psychology, Media studies, Social media, Politics and Criminology. Research on Social psychology presented in Mass Communication and Society focuses, in particular, on Media use and Socialization. Comedy and Content (Freudian dream analysis) are some topics wherein Media studies research discussed in the journal have an impact.

The study on Social media presented is investigated in conjunction with research in Internet privacy. Mass Communication and Society explores issues in Politics which can be linked to other research areas like Perception and Power (social and political). The studies on Criminology discussed can also contribute to research in the domains of Economic Justice and Framing (construction).

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

  • Prospect Theory in Times of a Pandemic: The Effects of Gain versus Loss Framing on Risky Choices and Emotional Responses During the 2020 Coronavirus Outbreak - Evidence from the US and the Netherlands (5 citations)
  • One Less Reason Why: Viewing of Suicide-Themed Fictional Media is Associated with Lower Depressive Symptoms in Youth (4 citations)
  • Protest Coverage Matters: How Media Framing and Visual Communication Affects Support for Black Civil Rights Protests (2 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 Mass Communication and Society (based on the number of publications) are:

  • Stephen D. Perry (20 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Douglas M. McLeod (10 papers) absent at the last edition,
  • Mike Schmierbach (9 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
  • Wilson Lowrey (9 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Frederick Fico (9 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 Mass Communication and Society (based on the number of publications) are:

  • University of Wisconsin-Madison (32 papers) published 3 papers at the last edition, 1 less than at the previous edition,
  • Pennsylvania State University (32 papers) published 9 papers at the last edition, 7 more than at the previous edition,
  • Washington State University (22 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
  • Ohio State University (22 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition, 1 more than at the previous edition,
  • University of Texas at Austin (21 papers) published 2 papers at the last 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, 3.75% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 36.36% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 15.58% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 19.48% of all publications and 28.57% 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.

Career Paths in Mass Communication and Society

In addition to the research pursuits within the field of Mass Communication and Society, there are various potential career paths that knowledge in this discipline can lead to. One of these professions is a substance abuse counselor. Substance abuse counselors provide support and treatment to individuals struggling with drug and alcohol addiction. This can be an especially rewarding career path for those interested in Psychology, a subject often studied in tandem with the field of Mass Communication. How to become a substance abuse counselor in Georgia, provides an in-depth guide to pursuing this career in the state of Georgia.

Besides substance abuse counseling, some other careers that can stem from studies in Mass Communication include media relations, journalism, politics, and advertising. All of these professions involve communicating effectively with large audiences, a skill that is at the core of Mass Communication studies.

Choosing a career path that aligns with one's passion for Mass Communications can lead to a fulfilling career. As seen with the example of the substance abuse counselor, the skills learned in this field can translate to real-world applications that can make a positive impact on society.

Top Publications

  • Russian Meddling in U.S. Elections: How News of Disinformation’s Impact Can Affect Trust in Electoral Outcomes and Satisfaction with Democracy

    (2022)
    20 Citations
  • Beyond the Text: Testing Narrative Persuasion Mechanisms with Audio Messages

    (2022)
    20 Citations
  • “The Good, the Bad, and the Ugly”: A Panel Study on the Reciprocal Effects of Negative, Dirty, and Positive Campaigning on Political Distrust

    Franz Reiter;Jörg Matthes

    (2021)
    16 Citations
  • Navigating the Coronavirus Infodemic: Exploring the Impact of Need for Orientation, Epistemic Beliefs and Type of Media Use on Knowledge and Misperception about COVID-19

    (2022)
    16 Citations
  • Reflections on a Legacy: Thoughts from Scholars about Agenda-Setting Past and Future

    (2022)
    15 Citations
  • Peers Versus Pros: Confirmation Bias in Selective Exposure to User-Generated Versus Professional Media Messages and Its Consequences

    Axel Westerwick;Daniel Sude;Melissa Robinson;Silvia Knobloch-Westerwick

    (2020)
    15 Citations
  • Eudaimonic Media in Lived Experience: Retrospective Responses to Eudaimonic vs. Non-Eudaimonic Films

    Jared M. Ott;Naomi Q. P. Tan;Michael D. Slater

    (2021)
    15 Citations
  • More of the Same? Homogenization in News Recommendations When Users Search on Google, YouTube, Facebook, and Twitter

    (2023)
    14 Citations
  • Mobile (Self-)Socialization: The Role of Mobile Media and Communication in Autonomy and Relationship Development in Adolescence

    Anna Schnauber-Stockmann;Mathias Weber;Leonard Reinecke;Christian Schemer

    (2021)
    9 Citations
  • A Vicious Cycle? Threat of Terror, Perceived Media Bias, and Support for Surveillance Policies

    (2022)
    7 Citations

Related Online Degrees & Career Pathways

Pursuing a degree in Social Sciences and Humanities can open doors to a variety of career opportunities, especially when complemented by specialized online programs. For those interested in information management and community services, exploring ala accredited schools offers a pathway into library and information science, a field that blends technology and human interaction.

Is library science a good career? According to industry insights, it provides stability and growth potential, especially for individuals passionate about information access and cultural preservation. Degrees in this area can be earned fully online, making it accessible for many students.

For students drawn to understanding societal behaviors and structures, enrolling in one of the best online bachelors in sociology programs offers a strong foundation. Sociology graduates can pursue roles in research, public policy, and social services, contributing to positive change within communities.

Additionally, those aiming for advanced practice in mental health may consider pursuing an online doctorate in counseling. This credential supports career growth in clinical counseling, academia, and leadership within health organizations, emphasizing flexible learning suited to working professionals.

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