Call for Papers, Iowa Journal of Communication, 2026

 
 

Iowa Journal of Communication

Call for Submissions

General Issue: Open to any topic in communication (Volume 58, Issue 1)

Deadline: April 30, 2026

The Iowa Journal of Communication (IJC), an award-winning journal, invites submissions for our next volume. Manuscripts may be philosophical, theoretical, critical, applied, pedagogical, or empirical in nature. Manuscripts may focus on any type of communication, including group, face-to-face, family, health, mediated, intercultural, interpersonal, public address, etc. We are particularly interested in unique approaches and voices. All communication scholars and professionals are encouraged to consider submitting high quality work for publication; one need not be a member of the Iowa Communication Association to submit.

Editor's Forum

Additionally, we invite submissions to the Editor's Forum. Higher education is under attack in the United States. Professional Organizations for the communication discipline were established to help focus collective advocacy of and for their members. State communication associations can be a way of building local advocacy networks. We are interested in how state communication associations can more effectively serve their members. How can state associations encourage more engagement with K-12 instructors, graduate and undergraduate students, and communication professionals? Given a majority of instruction is provided by contingent faculty, how can state associations help provide stability and protection for them? What opportunities are state associations missing? For those that are loyal members of state associations, why? For those not, why and what would make you reconsider? Authors may propose their own question to explore within the context of how state associations can more effectively serve their members. Submissions to the Editor's Forum are limited to 3,000 words inclusive of references.

Submission guidelines:

  • All documents must be submitted as Microsoft Word filetype, Times New Roman or Arial font, 12-point, double spaced and must utilize the APA Style Guide, 7th edition.

  • Include a cover letter that includes author names and affiliations, indicates the corresponding author, notes that the manuscript is not currently under consideration with another outlet, indicates conflicts of interest if any, establishes ethical approval, and notes the history of the manuscript if portions of the manuscript have been previously published.

  • Graphs, charts, figures, tables, and other visuals must be static images inserted (not linked) into the document, numbered, and captioned appropriately. Images must be high resolution and cited; captioned if they are author generated.

  • Manuscript must be submitted with any author identifying information removed from the manuscript text and digital properties. Include a 150-200 word abstract on the title page, follow article structure conventions (intro, lit review, method, etc.), and do not exceed 9,000 words inclusive of references for standard submissions, 3,000 words for submissions to the Editor's Forum.

Address any questions or submissions to Dr. Joshua E. Young at joyoung@dwci.edu making sure to note IJC (Iowa Journal of Communication) in the subject line.