Journal History

1. Foundation and Institutional Evolution

Communicare: Journal of Communication Studies (ISSN 2089-5739 printed and E-ISSN 2502-2091 online) is a peer-reviewed academic journal dedicated to advancing the field of communication sciences. The name "Communicare" originates from the Latin word meaning to share, to accept, and to join, which also serves as a wordplay on "Communi(cation)-care", reflecting the journal's mission to be an open, caring medium for scholarly dialogue.

The journal’s institutional management has evolved through several structural transitions:

  • 2013–2016: First published in printed form in 2013 by the LSPR Research Centre Department under the Lembaga Penelitian dan Pengabdian Masyarakat (LPPM) Sekolah Tinggi Ilmu Komunikasi LSPR. Print ISSN was officially registered in 2015, followed by the transition to a digital format with an E-ISSN in 2016.

  • 2017–2019: Following a brief hiatus, management shifted to the expanded Research Centre and Publication Department. By March 2019, it was placed under the specialized Publication Department of LPPM LSPR.

  • 2020–2021: On June 26, 2020, the institutional publisher rebranded as Lembaga Penelitian, Publikasi dan Pengabdian Masyarakat (LP3M) Institut Komunikasi dan Bisnis LSPR.

  • 2022–Present: Structural reorganization took place, where the publication unit was restructured into LSPR Publishing. Since this transition, LSPR Publishing operates independently outside the structural hierarchy of LP3M. Today, Communicare and all other institutional academic journals within the LSPR Institute are managed centrally and supervised directly under LSPR Publishing.

2. Operational Milestones, Peer-Review, and Accreditation

In its early transition from print to digital, the journal faced publication continuity challenges. In 2016, only one issue was released (Vol. 3, No. 1), with all submissions and reviews handled entirely via email. Extensive editorial recovery occurred throughout 2017 and 2018 to resolve delayed volumes, successfully publishing multiple editions back-to-back (Vol. 3 No. 2 through Vol. 5 No. 2).

The journal has continuously refined its rigorous quality control and peer-review mechanisms:

  • Vol. 3 (2016): Reviewed by two external reviewers.

  • Vol. 4 to Vol. 5 (2017–2018): Utilized a double-blind process handled by a single reviewer due to transitional limitations.

  • Vol. 6 (2019) onwards: Re-established a strict double-blind peer review process conducted by at least two independent reviewers for every article.

Communicare joined the Indonesian Communication Journal Management Association (APJIKI) in February 2017. Following extensive system improvements in collaboration with APJIKI and Ristekdikti workshops, the journal was officially indexed in GARUDA in August 2019 and achieved SINTA 4 Accreditation from the Ministry of Research and Technology/National Research and Innovation Agency in September 2019.

3. Cyber Security Challenges and System Recovery

The journal's digital infrastructure has encountered significant security challenges over time:

  • 2020: A brief server security breach caused publication delays for Volume 7, No. 1, which was promptly resolved.

  • November 2025–March 2026: All academic journals managed under the LSPR Institute, including Communicare, fell victim to a massive, coordinated cyberattack involving malware and online gambling server exploitations. This severe attack resulted in significant infrastructure damage, including the loss of core database contents, corrupted manuscript files, and extensive disruption to the Open Journal System (OJS) metadata.

  • Current Status (Post-March 2026): Despite facing persistent, ongoing cyber threats, LSPR Publishing’s technical and editorial teams remain actively engaged in multi-phased system restoration. The journal is continually applying security patches, recovering corrupted data, and upgrading its server resilience to safeguard the intellectual properties of our authors and reviewers.

4. Language Policy and Layout/Template Transformations

To expand its global reach and maintain visual excellence, the journal's editorial guidelines and technical layouts have undergone significant upgrades:

  • 2017: Shifted the typesetting process from Adobe InDesign to a standard Microsoft Word template (A4 size, Cambria font) to expedite formatting.

  • 2020 (Volume 7): Upgraded the aesthetic layout based on national accreditation assessors' recommendations and tightened article length constraints to 6,000–9,000 words (previously 4,000–9,000 words) to ensure deeper academic analysis.

  • 2023: Implemented a comprehensive template overhaul to enhance structural readability and citation presentation.

  • 2024: Enacted a major internationalization policy. Starting from this year, the journal officially transitioned to publishing articles exclusively in English, moving away from the previous bilingual model (Indonesian and English). Concurrently, the layout standard was refined, adjusting the word count requirements to a more focused and compact range of 4,000–8,000 words.

  • 2025: Refined the article template further to strictly optimize metadata presentation and citation tools synchronization in alignment with international indexing standards.

5. Article Processing Charge (APC) Policy Timeline

To support sustainable open-access publishing, maintain OJS infrastructure, and ensure rigorous editorial workflows, Communicare transitioned from a fully subsidized model to an author-funded model:

  • Prior to 2023: Article submission and publication were completely free of charge.

  • 2023: Introduced a formal Article Processing Charge (APC) policy for all accepted manuscripts to co-share publication and administrative costs.

  • February 2026: Adjusted the APC structure to match current publishing overheads and support enhanced editorial processing under LSPR Publishing, particularly in reinforcing security infrastructures. Current fee specifications are explicitly detailed on the Article Processing Charges menu.

6. Scope and Editorial Policies

Communicare publishes groundbreaking research across diverse communication sub-disciplines, including Public Relations, Mass & Social Media Communication, Marketing Communication, Digital Media & Advertising, Performing Arts Communication, International Relations Communication, Entrepreneurship & Business Communication, Hospitality Communication & MICE, Environmental Communication, Political Communication, Media Literacy, and Journalism.

In 2024, the journal officially expanded its focus by adding Health Communication to its scope, responding to the growing academic and practical significance of communication strategies within global and local healthcare sectors.

In line with the LSPR Institute's institutional commitment to health and community well-being, the editorial board enacted a strict policy in 2019 stating that the journal no longer accepts or considers manuscripts that promote, evaluate favorably, or are funded by the tobacco/cigarette industry, supporting LSPR’s mandate as a smoke-free campus.