About OCJ

The Ohio Communication Journal (OCJ) is an annual peer-reviewed online publication that publishes original scholarship in the field of communication studies. Within this broad purview, OCJ welcomes diverse disciplinary, conceptual, and methodological perspectives, especially scholarship covering a wide variety of topics from every facet of the field and encourages debut papers from undergraduate and graduate students.

Call for Volume 65

OCJ is now accepting manuscripts to be considered for publication in Volume 65, which will be released online in Summer 2027. We invite Ohio-based scholars and those residing in other parts of the world to contribute to this award-winning, peer-reviewed publication. OCJ features cutting-edge scholarship, ranging in methodological and theoretical approach, focused on a broad array of communication contexts and contemporary societal issues. We will consider full-length manuscripts (typically 5,000-7,500 words) that adhere to the journal’s submission guidelines.

Submission Guidelines

The Ohio Communication Journal believes that research must be carried out in an ethical fashion, so we subscribe to the National Communication Association Code of Professional Ethics for Authors, and we expect submissions to reflect these guidelines. These guidelines enjoin authors to use inclusive and non-defamatory language. All submissions must meet the following guidelines:

• The manuscript is original work, and proper publication credit is accorded to all authors.
• Simultaneous editorial consideration of the manuscript at another publication venue is prohibited. Please note in Comments to the Editor if the manuscript has been presented at a conference.
• Any publication history of the manuscript is disclosed, indicating in particular whether the manuscript or another version of it has been presented at a conference, or published electronically, or whether portions of the manuscript have been published previously.
• Duplicate publication of data is avoided; or if parts of the data have already been reported, then that fact is acknowledged.
• All legal, institutional, and professional obligations for obtaining informed consent from research participants and for limiting their risk are honored.
• The scholarship reported is authentic.

Manuscript Preparation

The Ohio Communication Journal publishes extended, complete studies that generally do not exceed 30 double-spaced pages (including references), except in cases where “thick description” of qualitative/rhetorical data may require a slightly extended length. Manuscripts may be philosophical, theoretical, methodological, critical, applied, pedagogical, or empirical in nature.

All submissions must be in a Microsoft Word or RTF document file format.

Submissions must be appropriately blinded so that all identifiable information that can be traced back to the author(s) is removed from the submission document. All manuscripts must include a 100-word abstract.

All manuscripts should conform to the most recent edition of the American Psychological Association (APA) Style Manual, 7th Edition.

In addition to the manuscript, authors must also submit a separate document of the cover page containing: (1) the title of the manuscript; (2) the author’s name; (3) author’s institutional affiliation; and (4) the author’s e-mail address.

Where available, URLs for the references should be provided. The text should be double-spaced, use a 12-point font, employ italics rather than underlining (except with URL addresses), and all illustrations, figures, and tables should be placed within the text at the appropriate points.

Appropriate Use of Artificial Intelligence Policy

Authors must disclose any use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools in their submission, including the specific tools used and how they were employed. AI may be used for limited tasks such as grammar checking or formatting assistance; however, AI must not be used to generate any substantive content in the manuscript, including but not limited to text, analysis, literature reviews, or discussion. Authors are strictly prohibited from using Generative AI to create, invent, or manipulate data, statistical analyses, and/or images. Authors are required to verify that every citation included is an actual reference and not fabricated. Manuscripts that do not comply with this policy will not be considered for publication.

Suggested Reviewers

Authors are encouraged to provide a list of 2–3 potential reviewers and include their contact information when submitting their manuscript.

Submit Your Manuscript

Authors must complete the required form and email their blinded manuscript and separate cover page document to alm133@uakron.edu. Any submission that does not complete both the required form and email of required documents by the October 15, 2026 deadline will not be eligible for review.

Questions

For questions about submissions, please contact OCJ Editor Dr. Andrea Meluch at alm133@uakron.edu.