Frequently Asked Questions
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For more information, contact the editor at Kenneth.firstname.lastname@example.org
What is the focus of Communication Studies?
Communication Studies (CS) is committed to publishing high-quality original scholarship focused centrally on human communication processes. Articles published in Communication Studies should represent the diversity of scholarship that composes the study of human communication, regardless of philosophical, theoretical, or methodological underpinnings. Published essays and reports of studies should make important and noteworthy contributions to the advancement of human communication scholarship. Communication Studies supports research and writing free of sexism and other biases.
Who is the Editor and how do I get in touch?
The current editor of Communication Studies is Kenneth A. Lachlan. His contact information is as follows:
Department of Communication
University of Connecticut
Storrs, CT 06269-1259
Phone: (860) 486-6689
Please contact the editor directly if you submitted a manuscript and have questions regarding its status.
What are the ethical standards governing the Journal?
Please peruse the following guidelines, contained in the American Psychological Association's Ethical Standards for the Reporting and Publishing of Scientific Information and the National Communication Association's Credo for Ethical Communication:
- If a reviewer discovers that s/he has previously reviewed a particular manuscript for another publication outlet, please notify the Editor or CS staff immediately. NCA has initiated a policy prohibiting reviewers from reviewing a manuscript for multiple publication outlets.
- Scholars should decline requests for reviews of work of others where strong conflicts of interest are involved, such as may occur when a person is asked to review a piece by current or former instructors, friends, or colleagues for whom s/he feels an overriding sense of personal obligation, competition, or enmity.
- Scholars should decline review requests when requests cannot be timely fulfilled. CS is committed to providing timely feedback to authors. Our goal is to return a decision letter to authors within six weeks of our receipt of their manuscript.
- Materials accepted for review should be read in their entirety and considered carefully and confidentially. Evaluations should be justified with explicit reasons and relevant citations where appropriate.
- Reviewers should respect the confidentiality of information presented and the proprietary rights of the authors who submitted it.
- Scholars who review material submitted for publication may not, without the author's explicit permission, quote from a manuscript or circulate copies for any purpose other than that of editorial review. Nor may reviewers use the material from an unpublished manuscript to advance their own or others' work without the author's consent.
- We advocate truthfulness, accuracy, candor, and reason as essential to the integrity of communication.
- We endorse freedom of expression, diversity of perspectives, and tolerance of dissent to help achieve informed and responsible decision making fundamental to a civil society.
- We strive to understand and respect other communicators before evaluating and responding to their messages.
- We promote access to communication resources and opportunities as necessary to fulfill human potential and contribute to the well-being of families, communities, and society.
- We promote communication climates of caring and mutual understanding that respect the unique needs and characteristics of individual communicators.
- We condemn communication that degrades individuals and humanity through discrimination, distortion, intimidation, coercion, and violence, and through the expression of intolerance and hatred. This stance does not mean, however, that legitimate studies of hate speech, for example, would be rejected outright.
- We are committed to the courageous expression of personal convictions in pursuit of fairness and justice.
- We advocate sharing information, opinions, and feelings when facing significant choices while also respecting privacy and confidentiality.
- We accept responsibility for the short- and long-term consequences for our own communication and expect the same of others.
How often is the Journal published?
Communication Studies (ISSN 0008-9575) (formerly the Central States Speech Journal) is publication of the Central States Communication Association (CSCA). The journal is published five times per year.
How does a manuscript get published?
The Editor first peruses each manuscript (ms) abstract and then identifies potential reviewers based on their areas of expertise, review experience, and performance. Abstracts are sent to potential reviewers to better ascertain interest, "fit," and conflicts of interest. Once a reviewer indicates his/her willingness to review without conflicts of interest, the manuscript is sent along. Upon receipt, s/he will have 30 days to complete the review. Each manuscript will be placed with two reviewers. Upon completion of the reviews, the Editor will weigh the evaluations and make a final decision.
What is the Journal's acceptance rate?
For 2003-2004 as of April 2004: 15.9%
For 2004-2005 as of April 2005: 19.7%
For 2005-2006 as of April 2006: 20.5%
For 2007-2009 as of April 2009: 27%
For 2010: 12%
For 2013: 19%
For 2014: 9%
For 2015: Pending