TUSCALOOSA, Ala. – The journal Media Psychology, co-edited by two University of Alabama professors, has the third highest impact factor among 44 communication journals ranked by the Journal Citation Reports-Social Science Edition.

Media Psychology is edited by Dr. Jennings Bryant, professor and Reagan Chair of Broadcasting and director of the Institute for Communication Research in the College of Communication and Information Sciences, and Dr. David Roskos-Ewoldsen, professor of psychology and formerly Reese Phifer Chair of Communication Studies.

Currently in its seventh volume, Media Psychology is an interdisciplinary journal devoted to publishing theoretically oriented empirical research that is at the intersection of psychology and media communication and focuses on media uses, processes, and effects. It is also recognized as the 17th most cited journal among 49 journals in applied psychology and is published by Lawrence Erlbaum Associates.

“There was a flurry of activity in the psychological aspects of media but there wasn’t one place for it to be published,” said Bryant. “We saw a need and our publishers helped promote our format.”

“There was a lot working against the journal when we started,” said Roskos-Ewoldsen. “The journal wasn't associated with a professional organization, it was an interdisciplinary journal, and libraries were cutting back on subscriptions to journals. Having had this much of an impact so quickly with Media Psychology tells us something about the importance of this area of research.”

Journal Citation Reports lets users compare and evaluate journals based on how often a particular journal is used. An example of a key advantage and capability is that it enables authors to identify journals in which to publish, confirm the status of journals in which they have published, and identify journals relevant to their research.

Its high impact factor has dramatically affected the number of submissions to Media Psychology, especially by European scholars who typically are required to include in their annual reports the impact ratings of every journal in which they publish. Submissions to Media Psychology by European scholars have more than tripled since publication of the latest quarterly impact ratings. In order to accommodate its increased volume yet maintain its approximately 18 percent acceptance rate, the journal has increased its number of pages by 25 percent during the past year.