JCOM is an open access journal on science communication. Since the world of communication and the scientific community are now undergoing a rapid and uncertain transition, JCOM wants to provide some theoretical guidelines both for scholars and practitioners in the field of public communication of science and technology.

Why "science communication"? Because we want to challenge and dialogue with the world of social studies of science, stressing the importance of communicative processes into science's development and the dynamics of contemporary knowledge societies. We chose this privileged point of view even though we know that we are still looking for deep theoretical reflection, strong methodological tools and a clear identity.

JCOM wants to contribute to this identity by adopting a free circulation of information and non-eurocentric perspectives, encompassing heterogeneous visions such as gender studies, social history, action-research. Furthermore, JCOM is a platform where distant communities can meet: academic scholars, journalists, museum operators, and scientists who live and work in fields where theoretical reflection and concrete action are strongly intertwined.

So JCOM investigates the needs of communication between science and citizens and within the scientific community itself; the problems that are to be faced when models for theoretical analysis or practical means to popularize science are used; the changing relation between science and social institutions; and the informative, pedagogical, interpretative and political dimensions of science communication.

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JCOM has been published on-line quarterly since 2002. Texts are published in both English and the author's primary language, and each research article undergoes a multidisciplinary peer-review by experts belonging to different areas of competence. In addition to research articles, each issue contains a thematic commentary composed by several essays from multidisciplinary and international authors.

To improve JCOM's open access characteristics we have adopted a Creative Commons licensing policy, giving the community the opportunity to freely spread contents under a Creative Commons 3.0 by-nc-nd license.

JCOM is indexed and abstracted in:

• Qualis Capes
• Scopus
  
• Open J-Gate
  
• Wellcome Library, psci-com
• Directory of Open Access Journals
• Guide to successful communications of the European Commission (Science-society)

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