Journal profile · Rheumatology
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
ISSN 0003-4967 · eISSN 1468-2060 · BMJ Publishing Group · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1939
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 24.25; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,870; median 113 days to acceptance (111 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 3,396 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is published by BMJ Publishing Group and is in Zone 1 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research and Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments, together about 41.4% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (ARD) is an international peer review journal committed to promoting the highest standards of scientific exchange and education. It covers all aspects of rheumatology, which includes the spectrum of musculoskeletal conditions, arthritic disease, and connective tissue disorders. ARD publishes basic, clinical, and translational scientific research. Concise scientific communication is encouraged and peer reviewed proceedings of international meetings are featured. Educational papers include state of the art reviews, "how to" articles and educational cases that focus on problems faced in clinical practice. The journal was first published in 1939 and has an authorative global Editorial Board and a growing international readership.
Source: LetPub
Research area (LetPub): Rheumatology
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine21.4%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine11.3%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine8.8%
- Systemic Sclerosis and Related DiseasesMedicine7.6%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine5.5%
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchMedicine4.2%
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsMedicine3.7%
- Bone and Joint DiseasesMedicine3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 1 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Editions, and major and minor categories, are shown separately and never merged into one zone; check which edition your institution uses before you submit or report.
Metrics
Impact metrics and publication volume
Impact
- Impact factor
- 24.25LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 34.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 7.29LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 6.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 212LetPub ·
- h-index
- 374OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 13,562OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.53OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.8%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 43.95%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 137LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 73,093 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 217 | 133 | 265 |
| 2025 | 3,396 | 3,208 | 3,184 |
| 2024 | 3,626 | 193 | 7,616 |
| 2023 | 3,260 | 3,196 | 12,369 |
| 2022 | 3,762 | 3,663 | 18,674 |
| 2021 | 3,162 | 2,084 | 19,960 |
Sources count differently and were observed at different times, so each source's own value is kept; "publisher" marks figures from the journal's website.
Review & acceptance
Review time and acceptance
Review time from article dates manuscript dates registered with PubMed · to
113 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 72 days – 169 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 28 days (107 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 147 days
- Sample
- 111 articles with submission and acceptance dates (615 in the window); the latest was accepted on
Only articles that were accepted and published are counted, not the time spent on rejected manuscripts, so this usually runs longer than a publisher's "time to first decision".
Other sources
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 1.4 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 25%LetPub ·
Community reports come from authors' own submissions (confidence 0.5) and are not a promise from the journal; for publisher figures, the journal's own definitions apply.
Fees & open access
APC and open-access policy
Hybrid open accessLetPub
A subscription journal in which authors can pay to publish their article open access.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | USD 4,870 / EUR 4,560 / GBP 3,900 / JPY 604,030 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
The journal's website is authoritative for fees; sources were observed at different times and each keeps its own value, without averaging.
Submission
Article types and submission policies (journal website)
Policy excerpts from the journal's websitePeer review
- Peer review
From January 2025, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is published by Elsevier. Model summary
From January 2025, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is published by Elsevier.
Source ↗Publisher website ·
Excerpts are quoted from the journal's website; "model summary" lines are written by Workers AI and checked against the text. The journal's website is authoritative.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- BMJ Publishing Group
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1939
- ISSN
- 0003-4967
- Electronic ISSN
- 1468-2060
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases
What CAS zone is Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 1 of the minor category Rheumatology; it is a Top journal. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 1 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 24.25; CiteScore 34.6, h-index 374.
How long does peer review take at Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases?
Based on the dates recorded on 111 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 113 days (interquartile range 72–169 days); authors report an average review time of about 1.4 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 25%”. Article statistics cover accepted papers only, publisher figures follow the journal's own definitions, and community reports come from authors' own submissions; none is a promise from the journal.
Which databases index Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases open access, and what is the APC?
Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,870.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex; every figure is tagged with its source and the date it was observed, and conflicting values are kept per source. LetPub source page: view ↗ (archived 2026-08-26). Last updated: .