Founded in 2015, the Communication & Media Studies Research Network emerged from collaborations among universities, media practitioners, and cultural institutions focused on how communication and media shape public life. From its earliest meetings, the Network has fostered dialogue across communication theory, journalism, digital media, cultural studies, and visual communication—linking empirical research, creative practice, and policy debates. Today it convenes a global community examining media systems, platforms, and publics across diverse social, cultural, and linguistic contexts.
The International Conference on Communication & Media Studies is hosted each year in partnership with a leading university. The conference invites academics, media professionals, and policy thinkers to share research, case studies, and innovations addressing the dynamics of communication in a globalized, digital age. Sessions welcome proposals and presentations in both English and Spanish, reflecting the multilingual realities of contemporary media cultures.
The Journal of Communication and Media Studies is a peer-reviewed, hybrid open access journal that advances interdisciplinary research on how communication and media shape social life—bridging empirical and theoretical work from across the humanities and social sciences. Articles explore topics such as platform governance, media ethics, journalism and democracy, visual culture, datafication, and audience practices in local and transnational contexts. All submissions undergo double-anonymous, rubric-guided peer review, with constructive editorial feedback aimed at clarifying arguments, strengthening methodological transparency, and enhancing relevance for diverse scholarly and professional audiences. The journal maintains pathways from conference presentations and Member Knowledge Community contributions to fully developed, peer-reviewed publications and accepts work in both English and Spanish.
The Communication & Media Studies Book Imprint features monographs and edited collections that examine media systems, communication ethics, and technological transformations from interdisciplinary perspectives. Volumes connect theory, case study, and practice, documenting how communication infrastructures and media cultures shape public discourse, everyday life, and institutional change. The Imprint supports English- and Spanish-language projects, including regionally grounded studies that speak to global debates in communication and media.
The Communication & Media Studies Research Network’s Member Knowledge Community on CGScholar is a year-round hub for members—keeping profiles, projects, and conversations in motion. Built for collaboration, it pairs a multimodal authoring environment with light, community-guided review to strengthen purpose and reader context before sharing. Works in progress sit alongside programs, recordings, and calls, connecting conference contributions with our peer-reviewed journal and books, and opening clear pathways for ongoing participation and publication across media systems, platforms, audiences, and public spheres. Alongside the main space, a dedicated Spanish-language Communication & Media Studies community supports members who wish to post, review, and publish entirely in Spanish.
The Network is chaired by Dr. Eric Freedman, Executive Vice President for Academic Affairs and Provost, Truman State University, USA, with Jesús Miguel Flores Vivar, Universidad Complutense de Madrid, Spain, serving as the Spanish Network Chair. Together they foster international and bilingual engagement across the Network’s programs.
Partnerships extend the Network’s member-based, scholar-led mission—linking universities, research institutes, and professional organizations that share our commitment to advancing the study of communication, media, and society. Through these collaborations, the Network’s annual conference, publishing programs, and online community foster interdisciplinary exchange and global engagement. Below are some recent partners.
