Compiled by Jason Tham
Last updated on March 28, 2023
Nota bene: Most journals here overlap in aim/scope and nature, and some readers may not consider my categorizing of them accurate under the thematic headings below. If you would like to suggest an amendment/addition, please email me at jason.tham@ttu.edu. Thanks!
Positionality: I am a technical communication researcher and teacher. I focus mainly on communication design from a technical perspective… and I read journals to identify approaches and theories that support my research, teaching, and practice.
What I mean by…
- Nature—Whether the journal focuses on theory, practice, pedagogy, philosophy, methodology, administration, or other scholarly directions
- Focus—Topical emphases or areas of studies, methodological approaches
- Notes—Any personal thoughts regarding the journal, including known facts or history
Jump to section:
Technical Communication, Experience Design, Business/Professional Communication
Journal of Business and Technical Communication (SAGE)
- Nature: Theory driven; seems to balance qualitative and quantitative research
- Focus: Technical and business communication practices and pedagogy; discussions about training students to be professionals; some useful teaching strategies and cases
- Notes: Currently one of the top journals in technical communication; arguably most cited; has a strong tie to Iowa State’s professional communication program
Journal of Technical Writing and Communication (SAGE)
- Nature: Slightly less theoretical than JBTC and TCQ but still heavy academic-speak
- Focus: Trends and approaches in technical communication practices and research
- Notes: One of the oldest technical communication journals in the US
Technical Communication (Society for Technical Communication)
- Nature: Arguably more practical than JTWC, JBTC, TCQ, and IEEE Transactions; caters to STC’s professional audience… and it’s associated with the STC’s annual summit
- Focus: Emerging topics, methods, and practices in technical communication; content management, information architecture, and usability research
- Notes: It’s behind a paywall some university libraries may not even access; there is an online version of the journal called Technical Communication Online… but it’s not as prominent as the print journal; seems to have a strong association with Texas Tech’s technical communication program
Technical Communication Quarterly (Association for Teachers of Technical Writing) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Theoretical + pedagogical
- Focus: Teaching methods and exemplary approaches to research; features many exemplary qualitative research cases
- Notes: Another top journal in technical communication; produces many award-winning pieces; associated with ATTW so it has a huge academic following… especially those who also attend the annual Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC)
IEEE Transactions on Professional Communication (Institute of Electrical & Electronics Engineers - Professional Communication Society)
- Nature: 50-50 theory and practice
- Focus: Engineering communication as professional communication; empirical research
- Notes: Another old journal that has a lot of history; seems to have a strong tie to the University of North Texas’s technical communication department
IEEE Transactions on Technology and Society (IEEE Society on Social Implications of Technology)
- Nature: 30% technical, 70% philosophical discussions about social technologies
- Focus: Computers science, CS education, technical design, social computing
- Notes: Good for interdisciplinary work, digital humanities, and digital education
Communication Design Quarterly (Association for Computing Machinery - Special Interest Group on Design of Communication)
- Nature: Theoretical, methodological
- Focus: Offers many accessible (comprehensible) research reports on design methods, research practices, teaching approaches, and industry trends
- Notes: Open access...yay! Recently pursued an “online first” model where articles are published on a rolling basis; it’s considered the second-tier journal in the academic circle but it’s surely becoming more popular among technical communication scholars
Journal of User Experience (User Experience Professionals Association)
- Nature: For academics, this is highly practical
- Focus: Empirical research; mostly quantitative
- Notes: Independent journal not associated with an academic institution; was Journal of Usability Studies
Behaviour and Information Technology (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Computer science emphasis… so, experimental + theoretical
- Focus: Human-computer interaction; information design, behavioral science
- Notes: This is a UK journal… provides a nice juxtaposition to US journals and perspectives
Human Factors: The Journal of the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (SAGE)
- Nature: Similar to BIT, experimental and theoretical
- Focus: Puts emphasis on the human factors and ergonomics discipline; draws from psychology
- Notes: As shown in its name… it’s a journal for the Human Factors and Ergonomics Society
Ergonomics in Design: The Quarterly of Human Factors Applications (SAGE)
- Nature: Slightly more theoretical than Human Factors
- Focus: Theoretical discussions, experiments, and demonstrations
- Notes: Also an HFES journal
International Journal of Human-Computer Studies (Elsevier)
- Nature: Theoretical
- Focus: More interdisciplinary than EID and Human Factors
- Notes: May be one that technical communication researchers feel more comfortable publishing in even if they are not working directly in HCI or computer science fields
Human Technology (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, philosophical
- Focus: Discusses technological futures and human-computer interaction
- Notes: It’s got less prestige compared to EID and Human Factors
Human Communication & Technology (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, empirical
- Focus: Communication studies and social technologies
- Notes: It’s fairly new and doesn’t seem to publish multiple issues a year
Journal of Computer-Mediated Communication (International Communication Association) (Oxford)
- Nature: Empirical; qualitative; quantitative
- Focus: Social scientific approach to computer-based communication; media studies and politics; social media research
- Notes: Top journal for solid communication technologies research
International Journal of Sociotechnology and Knowledge Development (IGI Global)
- Nature: Empirical; qualitative; quantitative; practical
- Focus: Social scientific approach to technology studies and professional communication; seems catered to practitioner audience
- Notes: Has an interdisciplinary feel to it; one or two special issues are of specific interest to technical communication design
Business and Professional Communication Quarterly (SAGE)
- Nature: Theoretical, pedagogical
- Focus: Workplace communication studies and teaching cases
- Notes: A journal of the Association for Business Communication (ABC); top tiered for business writing and communication research
International Journal of Business Communication (SAGE)
- Nature: Practical, pedagogical, experimental
- Focus: Similar focus to BPCQ
- Notes: Also an ABC journal (I am not sure why there is this other journal)
Programmatic Perspectives (Council for Programs in Technical and Scientific Communication)
- Nature: Programmatic, pedagogical
- Focus: Program and curriculum design; teaching issues; professional development of teachers
- Notes: Smaller journal… not sure how big is the readership but it’s got a good reputation
Rhetoric, Professional Communication, and Globalization (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical, mixed methods, case studies
- Focus: International and global perspectives on professional communication
- Notes: Was active between 2014-2017 then discontinued… Was turned into a book project but did not complete. Officially revived in 2022 with a special issue.
Technical Communication and Social Justice (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical, pedagogical, case studies
- Focus: Social justice, equity, justice, and inclusion issues in technical & professional communication
- Notes: It was launched in 2023
Xchanges: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Technical Communication, Rhetoric, and Writing across the Curriculum (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical, beginner research, experimental, teaching cases
- Focus: Technical communication, writing studies, rhet/comp, and everything in between!
- Notes: Open access journal with pretty good editorial support; provides mentorship to undergrad and graduate writing; multimedia friendly
RhetTech Undergraduate Journal (Independent journal)
- Nature: Beginner research, undergraduate research
- Focus: Writing studies, rhet/comp, technical communication
- Notes: Open access; print based (PDF) so it’s not very multimedia-friendly
Rhetoric, Composition, Literacies, Pedagogy
Computers and Composition (Elsevier)
- Nature: Theoretical, pedagogical, case studies
- Focus: Methods for digital writing research and teaching practices
- Notes: Associated with the national Computers & Writing conference, which is affiliated with the Conference on College Composition and Communication (CCCC) of the National Council of Teachers of English (NCTE)
Computers and Composition Online (Independent journal)
- Nature: Same as its print counterpart
- Focus: Same, with more emphasis on original multimedia elements
- Notes: It doesn’t publish on a regular cycle… I haven’t really figured out its rhythm yet
Enculturation: A Journal of Rhetoric, Writing, and Culture (Independent journal)
- Nature: Rhetorical criticism; theoretical
- Focus: Pretty much rhetorical analysis of topics and components of digital communication
- Notes: Fully online and open access; supports multimedia
Intraspection: A Journal of Rhetoric, Culture, and Style (Independent journal)
- Nature: Rhetorical, philosophical, literary
- Focus: Rhetoric, cultural studies, English and communication studies
- Notes: It’s fairly new, doesn’t seem to publish multiple issues a year
Technoculture: An Online Journal of Technology in Society (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; artistic; poetic
- Focus: Rhetorical criticism and artistic expressions about technology use in social contexts
- Notes: Open access and includes creative works like digital art and poetry… something most academic writing journals don’t do
Journal of Computers in Education (Springer)
- Nature: Empirical; quantitative; qualitative; critical
- Focus: Edtech; technology studies; curriculum and instruction
- Notes: One of the best non-rhet/comp journals on edtech; solid research and clear presentation of findings; international contexts
Written Communication (SAGE)
- Nature: Theoretical, philosophical, experimental, pedagogical
- Focus: Wide range of research focus as seen in its publication nature… very well peer reviewed and edited; it even fits in the technical communication category at times
- Notes: Top tiered; has exceptional impact factors; used to be associated with the University of Minnesota and now with Auburn University
College Composition and Communication (National Council of Teachers of English)
- Nature: Pedagogical, theoretical, auto/ethnographic
- Focus: Pedagogy; writing programs and models; assessments, criticisms,
- Notes: Flagship journal of the NCTE/CCCC; widely read and cited; one of the oldest
College English (National Council of Teachers of English)
- Nature: Philosophical, theoretical, pedagogical
- Focus: Criticisms, theory building, narratives
- Notes: Highly respected journal; offers many teaching models
Research in the Teaching of English (National Council of Teachers of English)
- Nature: Empirical, qualitative + quantitative
- Focus: Teaching assessment, experimental designs, student feedback
- Notes: Arguably the empirical/research arm of the NCTE journal series
Composition Studies (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical
- Focus: Teaching college (academic) writing; assessment; teacher development
- Notes: One of the oldest journals in the field of composition studies
Composition Forum (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical
- Focus: Similar to Composition Studies
- Notes: Open access; produces interviews with scholars
Community Literacy Journal (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical; reflective
- Focus: Community development and partnership; public writing; teaching models
- Notes: Open access
Literacy in Composition Studies (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical, theoretical; reflective
- Focus: Similar to CLJ
- Notes: Open access; supports multimedia
Journal of Literacy Research (SAGE)
- Nature: Pedagogical, theoretical, evaluative
- Focus: Literacy education approaches, methods, and directions
- Notes: Slightly more “social scientific” but appeals to rhet/comp readers
Journal of Literacy Innovation (independent journal)
- Nature: Mixed methods, programmatic, case studies
- Focus: Literacy instruction, pedagogy
- Notes: Open access
Reflections: A Journal of Community-Engaged Writing and Rhetoric (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical, qualitative
- Focus: Cultural rhetorics, community writing, public rhetoric
- Notes: Recently moved to open-access format… yay!
Writing on the Edge: On Writing and Teaching Writing (Independent journal)
- Nature: Narratives, qualitative, pedagogical
- Focus: Arguments and directions on teaching practices and methods
- Notes: Publishes interviews with named scholar-teachers
Pedagogy: Critical Approaches to Teaching Literature, Language Composition, and Culture (Duke University Press)
- Nature: Pedagogical; philosophical; critical; narratives
- Focus: English studies; pedagogical practices and methods
- Notes: Another catch-all journal that covers everything English related in terms of teaching
Currents in Teaching and Learning (Independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical; qualitative; quantitative; pedagogical
- Focus: Curriculum and instruction; pedagogy strategies
- Notes: Caters to education scholars… but seems to attract attention from writing instructors as well
Basic Writing e-Journal (independent journal)
- Nature: Assessment, evaluation, empirical
- Focus: “Basic” writing, development composition pedagogy
- Notes: Open accessed; last accessible issue is in 2014 so not sure if this is still active
Spark: A 4C4Equality Journal (Working & Writing for Change by Parlor Press) (New City Community Press)
- Nature: Pedagogical; practical
- Focus: Advocacy; policies; social justice
- Notes: This journal emerged from the 4C4Equality working group that started in 2014 at CCCC Indianapolis); open access
JAC: A Journal of Rhetoric, Culture, and Politics (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, philosophical
- Focus: Rhetorical perspectives on the teaching of writing and communication
- Notes: Used to be the journal of the now-discontinued Association for Teachers of Advanced Composition (thus the acronym JAC: Journal of Advanced Composition); JAC Online and the print JAC is the same journal; hasn’t produced new issues for the last 2 years… so probably discontinued
Pre/Text: A Journal of Rhetorical Theory (Link: FB Group) (Independent journal)
- Nature: Philosophical, theoretical
- Focus: Rhetorical perspectives and approaches to social issues; emphasis on digital and cultural rhetorics
- Notes: Couldn’t locate its website; not sure what the submission and subscription systems are; back issues are available on Amazon as print copies; probably discontinued
Writers: Craft and Context (Independent journal)
- Nature: Experimental (as in playful), narrative, theoretical, pedagogical
- Focus: Personal essay, counterstory, multimodal, critical higher education, studies/reflections of writers
- Notes: Open access!
Kairos: A Journal of Rhetoric, Technology, Pedagogy (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical, theoretical, demonstrative
- Focus: Digital writing and pedagogy; digital rhetorics; cultural rhetorics; sound studies and sound composition
- Notes: Has a deep history with Computers and Writing (conference) and the now-retired technorhetoric workgroup; open access; multimodal friendly; leading webtext journal in writing studies
Rhetoric Society Quarterly (Rhetoric Society of America) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Theoretical, philosophical, qualitative
- Focus: Rhetorical theory, critical methods, pedagogical approaches, qualitative studies
- Notes: Arguably the most important journal for rhetoric scholars who are theory driven in rhet/comp
Rhetoric Review (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Very similar to RSQ… philosophical, theoretical
- Focus: Rhetorical theory, critical methods, pedagogical approaches, historical reviews
- Notes: Up for new perspectives and experimentation such as sonic rhetoric
Rhetoric of Health and Medicine (University of Florida Press)
- Nature: Empirical, qualitative, theoretical… sometimes philosophical
- Focus: Health and medical rhetorics, qualitative and quantitative studies, humanities approach with a touch of social scientific methods
- Notes: Fairly new… strives to be transparent about editorial and publication process
Survive & Thrive: A Journal for Medical Humanities and Narrative as Medicine (Independent journal)
- Nature: Narrative; poetic; auto/ethnographic
- Focus: Medical humanities; narrative medicine; rhetoric of health
- Notes: Publishes literary works as well
Rhetorica: A Journal of the History of Rhetoric (International Society for the History of Rhetoric)
- Nature: Historical/archival, qualitative, philosophical, theoretical
- Focus: Poetics, literary theory, rhetorical criticism, philosophy of rhetoric
- Notes: Highly theoretical and philosophical… not cited much in rhet/comp and writing studies but still has a strong reputation
Journal for the History of Rhetoric (American Society for the History of Rhetoric) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Theoretical, philosophical, historical/archival
- Focus: Historical approach to the study of rhetoric; rhetoric in writing and speaking
- Notes: Quite comparable to RSQ and RR; open to digital methods as well; formerly titled Advances in the History of Rhetoric
Peitho: Journal of the Coalition of Feminist Scholars and the History of Rhetoric and Composition (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, philosophical, historical/archival, pedagogical
- Focus: Rhetorical theory; composition theory; writing administration
- Notes: As the name reflects, this is a journal associated with the Coalition of Feminist Scholars in the History of Rhetoric and Composition… a pretty niche subfield with great following
Relevant Rhetoric: A New Journal of Rhetorical Studies (Independent journal)
- Nature: Critical; theoretical; philosophical
- Focus: Rhetorical criticism; applied rhetorics
- Notes: Not so “new” since it was established in 2010; pretty tight editorial and review process… it only publishes works that are really solid
Present Tense: A Journal of Rhetoric in Society (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, qualitative, philosophical
- Focus: Rhetorical theory, digital rhetoric, new media and publics, cultural rhetorics
- Notes: Open access, multimedia friendly
POROI: An Interdisciplinary Journal of Rhetorical Analysis and Invention (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, critical
- Focus: Rhetorical criticism and analysis; rhetoric of science and technology
- Notes: POROI is short for Project on Rhetoric of Inquiry, a research institute at the University of Iowa; open-access
Journal of Response to Writing (independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical, pedagogical, assessment
- Focus: First, second and foreign language writing, theory and practice
- Notes: Open access
Journal of Multimodal Rhetorics (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; pedagogical; practical
- Focus: Digital rhetorics; multimodality; cultural rhetorics
- Notes: Fairly new; open access; multimodal friendly; pays attention to accessibility
JUMP+: The Journal of Undergraduate Multimodal Projects (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical; theoretical
- Focus: Undergraduate multimedia/multimodal projects; digital rhetorics
- Notes: Publishes work completed by or with undergrads; open access
Convergence/Rhetoric: A Journal of Undergraduate Research in Writing & Rhetoric and the Digital Humanities (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; argumentative; pedagogical
- Focus: Undergraduate projects; digital rhetoric; writing studies; digital humanities
- Notes: Open access
Young Scholars in Writing: Undergraduate Research in Writing and Rhetoric (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; empirical
- Focus: Writing theory; arguments; rhetorical analysis; digital rhetorics
- Notes: One of the first established undergraduate writing journals
Intersect: The Stanford Journal of Science, Technology, and Society (Independent journal)
- Nature: Narrative; theoretical; philosophical; pedagogical; empirical
- Focus: Science and technology studies; social impacts of technology; history of technologies
- Notes: I admire the breath and quality of the works presented by undergrads here; open access
Journal of Interactive Technology and Pedagogy (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical; practical; theoretical
- Focus: Digital rhetorics; tools review; teaching cases
- Notes: My experience tells me they are mainly run by graduate students at CUNY
Constellations: A Cultural Rhetorics Publishing Space (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; analytical; narrative/reflective; pedagogical
- Focus: Cultural rhetorics; digital rhetorics
- Notes: New; open-access; multimedia friendly
Hybrid Pedagogy: An Open Access Journal of Learning, Teaching, and Technology (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical; philosophical
- Focus: Critical pedagogy; edtech
- Notes: Hybrid Pedagogy is also a 501(c)(3) organization that frequently provides webinars and other resources on teaching and learning; open-access
Digital Humanities Quarterly (Association for Computers and the Humanities) (Alliance of Digital Humanities Organizations)
- Nature: Theoretical; pedagogical; somewhat practical
- Focus: Digital technology in arts and humanities; teaching practices
- Notes: Open access; interdisciplinary… expect coverage of fields like media studies, languages and literatures, history, computer science, library science, etc.
Digital America (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; critical; narratives
- Focus: Digital cultures; technology reviews
- Notes: The editorial board claims this is not a peer-reviewed “journal”... but my experience with them was comparable to a double-masked review process; open access
Platform: Journal of Media and Communication (Independent journal)
- Nature: Narratives; empirical; qualitative
- Focus: Media studies
- Notes: Open access; graduate publication; Australian journal
M/C Journal: A Journal of Media and Culture (Independent journal)
- Nature: Philosophical; theoretical
- Focus: Internet culture; media studies
- Notes: Has a lot of thought-provoking pieces; strong independent journal
Disability & Society (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Auto/Ethnographic; philosophical; empirical; theoretical
- Focus: Human rights; policies; societal practices
Disability Studies Quarterly (Society of Disability Studies)
- Nature: Theoretical; critical; empirical
- Focus: Advocacies; policies; critical discourse around disability
- Notes: Claim to be the first journal in disability studies; open access (since 2016)
NYMG: Feminist Game Studies Journal (Independent journal)
- Nature: Critical; philosophical; theoretical; pedagogical
- Focus: Game studies; feminist critique of game media
- Notes: This journal emerged from the Not Your Mama’s Gamer project; open access; multimedia friendly
Textshop Experiments (Independent journal)
- Nature: Philosophical; experimental; critical; pedagogical
- Focus: Digital rhetorics; craft & material rhetorics
- Notes: Open access; multimedia; non-traditional perspectives
Ada: A Journal of Gender, New Media, and Technology (Independent journal)
- Nature: Critical; philosophical; theoretical
- Focus: Critical reviews of technology; feminist perspectives
- Notes: Open access; uses open peer review
Canadian Journal for Studies in Discourse and Writing (Canadian Association for the Study of Discourse and Writing)
- Nature: Rhetorical, critical, philosophical
- Focus: Rhetoric, writing studies, discourse studies
- Notes: Open access; features Canadian scholarship
Double Helix: A Journal of Critical Thinking and Writing (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical, critical, creative
- Focus: Research on writing instruction, pedagogies
- Notes: Open access
Journal of Basic Writing (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical, quasi-experimental, programmatic
- Focus: Basic writing, developmental writing instruction
- Notes: Open access
Journal of Second Language Writing (Elsevier)
- Nature: Empirical, quantitative, qualitative, quasi-experimental, programmatic
- Focus: L2 and foreign language writing and writing instruction
- Notes: Relatively low acceptance rate
Journal of Writing Analytics (independent journal)
- Nature: Reflective, empirical, programmatic
- Focus: Data analytics in writing studies
- Notes: Open access; probably the only journal in writing studies that focuses on data practices
Journal of Writing Research (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical, quantitative, qualitative
- Focus: Cognitive and social processes of written product; k-12, college writing
- Notes: Hosted in Belgium; features international scholarship; open access! Claim to have a “high rejection rate (90%)”
Praxis: A Writing Center Journal (independent journal)
- Nature: Programmatic, evaluative, reflective
- Focus: Writing center studies
- Notes: open access
Prompt: A Journal of Academic Writing Assignments (independent journal)
- Nature: Programmatic, pedagogical case studies, praxis
- Focus: Design and delivery of writing assignments and learning activities
- Notes: Practical, useful assignments to be adopted in writing courses; published 1 general issue and 1 special issue a year; open access
Research in Online Literacy Education (Global Society of Online Literacy Educators)
- Nature: Empirical, programmatic
- Focus: Online literacy, literacy education in online contexts, online teaching
- Notes: Open access; includes technology reviews
The WAC Journal (independent journal)
- Nature: Programmatic, case studies, critical, empirical
- Focus: WAC/WID topics
- Notes: “Longest running journal devoted to writing across the curriculum”; open access
Teaching English in the Two-Year College (National Council of Teachers of English)
- Nature: Empirical; qualitative; quantitative
- Focus: 2-year college writing studies; developmental education; literacy studies; writing assessment; program admin
- Notes: Starting to gain following from tech comm scholars who attend CCCC
Writing and Pedagogy (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical
- Focus: Writing theory and pedagogy
- Notes: Semi open access; features international scholarship
The Writing Center Journal (JSTOR archive; International Writing Centers Association)
- Nature: Programmatic, case studies, pedagogical
- Focus: Writing center theory and administration
- Notes: Not sure if it’s still running
Writing Lab Newsletter (independent journal)
- Nature: Empirical, reflective, case studies
- Focus: Writing center theory and practice; administration
- Notes: Mostly open access; published since 1976
Program Administration, Assessment
WPA: Writing Program Administration (Council of Writing Program Administrators)
- Nature: Empirical; theoretical; assessment
- Focus: Administration; institutional directions
- Notes: Articles basically guide writing program admins how to do their jobs
Across the Disciplines (Independent journal)
- Nature: Narratives; qualitative, assessment
- Focus: Writing instruction; cross-disciplinary assessment; institutional directions
- Notes: Kinda competes with WPA journal but less cited
Assessing Writing (Elsevier)
- Nature: Qualitative; assessment; pedagogical
- Focus: Writing instruction and administration
- Notes: Another underdog in WPA, WAC, and assessment scholarship… has a lot of good pieces but not highly cited
Journal of Writing Assessment (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical; evaluative; empirical
- Focus: Writing instruction; assessment methods
- Notes: Covers K-12 writing assessment
Journal of Teaching Writing (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical; narrative
- Focus: Writing instruction; assessment methods
- Notes: Doesn’t seem consistent with publication cycle
Teaching/Writing: The Journal of Writing Teacher Education (Independent journal)
- Nature: Pedagogical, qualitative
- Focus: K-college writing instruction; writing assessment
- Notes: Recently revived and re-energized; open access!
Communication Studies
Philosophy and Rhetoric (Penn State University Press)
- Nature: Philosophical; theoretical
- Focus: Rhetorical theory
- Notes: Top journal that crosses communication studies and writing studies; has a lot of history
Argumentation and Advocacy (American Forensic Association) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Theoretical; philosophical; pedagogical
- Focus: Theoretical arguments; theoretical expansions; argumentation techniques
- Notes: Associated with debate teams and scholars
Argumentation: An International Journal on Reasoning (Springer)
- Nature: Critical; philosophical; theoretical
- Focus: Rhetorical reviews; criticisms; history
- Notes: Open access
International Journal of Communication (U of Southern California Annenberg Press)
- Nature: Qualitative; quantitative; theoretical
- Focus: Social scientific approach to communication research
- Notes: Given its scope, its surprising to be an independent journal
Journal of Communication (International Communication Association) (Wiley/Oxford)
- Nature: Qualitative; quantitative; experimental
- Focus: Similar to IJoC
- Notes: Tech comm scholars may find some theoretical arguments in this journal useful for their research and pedagogical design
Critical Studies in Media Communication (National Communication Association) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Critical; qualitative; analytical
- Focus: Critical theory; cultural studies
Human Communication Research (International Communication Association) (Oxford)
- Nature: Qualitative; argumentative; pedagogical; meta-analytical
- Focus: Interpersonal/relational communication; political communication; social/community building; organizational communication
- Notes: Sort of the catch-all communication related research journal; not sure how well it ranks against other top tiered communication studies journals, especially NCA or ICA journals
Quarterly Journal of Speech (National Communication Association) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Philosophical; theoretical; commentary
- Focus: Rhetorical criticism and analysis
- Notes: Arguably the most important theory journal for communication-rhetoric scholars; the oldest NCA journal (started in 1915)
Text and Performance Quarterly (National Communication Association) (Taylor & Francis)
- Nature: Theoretical; critical evaluative; philosophical
- Focus: Performance studies; visual rhetoric
- Notes: I haven’t read this enough to describe it for tech comm or writing studies readers… but definitely of interest to rhetoric theorists; supports multimedia scholarship (albeit quite limited to print based)
KB Journal: The Journal of the Kenneth Burke Society (Independent journal)
- Nature: Theoretical; philosophical; critical; pedagogical
- Focus: Kenneth Burke theories, methods, ideologies, etc.
- Notes: Last issue was in summer 2018… not sure if it’s still active
Other Scholarly Spaces
Archived/Discontinued