We are pleased to announce this new, open-access, peer-reviewed academic journal, the Utah Journal of Communication (UJOC). We would love to get you involved as a peer reviewer on our review board and/or as a prospective author.

About the UJOC

The Utah Journal of Communication is a peer-reviewed, open-source, semiannual journal that publishes academic research in the diverse field of communication. The UJOC aims to be a general forum for communication scholarship, and all theoretical approaches and methods of scholarly inquiry are welcome. Submitted manuscripts should make original contributions to academic research in the field of communication studies. Submitted manuscripts should address critical theoretical and empirical questions in the field of communication that are relevant to scholars within and across specializations. This open-access journal available to all at no cost. The UJOC seeks to:

• efficiently and promptly publish rigorous, accessible, and informing material that will help communication scholars and professionals in their daily work, lifelong learning, and career development,
• be at the forefront of debate and discussion of communication topics,
• be among the most influential and widely read communication journals in the intermountain west.

While articles by scholars living in Utah, as well as articles covering topics particularly relevant to the state of Utah are especially welcome, all are encouraged to submit their work. Manuscripts from academics, professors, doctoral candidates, and masters candidates will receive full consideration regardless of any Utah connection. One article in each issue will be reserved for a student currently working to an advanced degree.

Call for Peer Reviewers
Manuscripts considered by the UJOC Managing Board to be of sufficient quality and in line with the UJOC mission will be sent to two members of the UJOC Editorial Board. The editorial board editors will serve as the peer reviewers of the double-blind review for those works deemed ready for external review. Publication judgements will be based on reviewer feedback and the Editorial Board’s own reading of the submission materials. All reviewer feedback is then sent to the UJOC Managing Board, which will send a final decision letter to the corresponding author. In most instances, authors can expect decisions on initial submissions within 30 days. Because manuscripts receive expert review, this time may vary. The UJOC Managing Board retains the right to make changes in accepted manuscripts that do not substantially alter meaning, as well as for grammatical, stylistic, and spatial considerations.

If you are interested in joining the UJOC Editorial Board as a peer reviewer, please fill out the form on this link. Only those with a terminal degree and a history of publishing will be accepted. Please email contact@ujoc.org if you have any questions.

Inaugural Call for Manuscripts: The Utah Journal of Communication

We invite authors in the field of communication to submit to the Utah Journal of Communication. While articles by scholars living in Utah, as well as articles covering topics particularly relevant to Utah are especially welcome, we encourage authors from all places to submit their work to this issue of UJOC. Your paper will receive full consideration regardless of any Utah connections.

UJOC publishes academic research of varying lengths. All submitted manuscripts should include an abstract of 100-200 words and five key words, which should be placed at the end of the abstract. The standard length of published articles is 5000 words inclusive of references, tables, figures, and notes. Organization is largely dependent on the methodological traditions used, but all submitted manuscripts should include a title page, an introduction, a literature review, a methodological summary, a report of results and findings, a discussion that explains the impact and analysis of the study, and a conclusion that considers the study’s limitations and implications for future research. UJOC adheres strictly to the 7th edition of the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA 7).

All submitted manuscripts must be prepared in strict accordance with to APA 7. Submitted manuscripts should include:

• Title Page (anonymized for blind review).
• Full article title.
• Each author’s complete name and institutional affiliation.
• Abstract (100-200 words).
• Five keywords located at the end of the abstract.
• Full Text.
• Headings and subheadings should be completed in accordance to APA 7.
• Citations and references should be completed in accordance to APA 7.

To encourage a faster production process of this journal, authors are requested to closely adhere to the points above. Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be rejected.

The UJOC Editorial Board is now accepting submissions for the first three issues of the Utah Journal of Communication. Articles can be submitted here. It is the intention of the UJOC Editorial Board to publish nine articles in the first issue, including one article reserved for graduate student research. The deadline to submit an article for consideration of the inaugural issue of the UJOC is December 18, 2022 for an anticipated publication date of May 2023.

An example issue of the UJOC can be found here.

We look forward to working with you.