The journal specializes in the publication of reports-style manuscripts using social scientific methods (such as quantitative data analysis).

The most common type of manuscripts published are research reports, which often feature "scales, causal models, novel correlations, and immediate observations — constitute the 'nuts and bolts' of human communication..."[1] In 2016, the journal was rated as the third-most central to the field of human communication.

[2] Since April 2019, the journal supports several of the open science initiatives sponsored by the Center for Open Science, including the use of badges on certain articles that allow readers unfettered access to research materials, sharing copies of study materials (questionnaires or stimulus materials used in experiments), as well as sharing data analysis files.

[3][failed verification] The journal is abstracted and indexed in EBSCO databases, PsycINFO,[4] and Scopus.

[5] The founding editor-in-chief of the journal was James C. McCroskey (Pennsylvania State University).