Journal profile · RHEUMATOLOGY
Arthritis & Rheumatology
ISSN 2326-5191 · eISSN 2326-5205 · Wiley-Blackwell · UNITED STATES
Arthritis & Rheumatology: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 9.38; hybrid open access; APC about USD 5,190; median 120 days to acceptance (103 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 16% (journal website); 413 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Arthritis & Rheumatology is published by Wiley-Blackwell 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 Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders Research, together about 41.2% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Arthritis & Rheumatology, an official journal of the American College of Rheumatology, is a peer-reviewed publication for scientists and clinicians interested in the natural history, pathophysiology, treatment, and outcome of rheumatic disease. Arthritis & Rheumatology is known internationally as a top rheumatology research journal publishes the highest quality basic and clinical research related to rheumatic disease, encompassing a wide range of areas of investigative activity. Types of articles published include: Guidelines Original articles Review articles Editorials Clinical images Educational materials Abstracting and Indexing Information Abstracts in Anthropology (Sage) Abstracts on Hygiene & Communicable Diseases (CABI) Academic Search (EBSCO Publishing) Academic Search Alumni Edition (EBSCO Publishing) Academic Search Premier (EBSCO Publishing) AgBiotech News & Information (CABI) AgBiotechNet (CABI) Agricultural & Environmental Science Database (ProQuest) Agricultural Economics Database (CABI) Animal Breeding Abstracts (CABI) Animal Production Database (CABI) Animal Science Database (CABI) Biological Abstracts (Clarivate Analytics) Biological Science Database (ProQuest) BIOSIS Previews (Clarivate Analytics) Botanical Pesticides (CABI) CAB Abstracts® (CABI) CAS: Chemical Abstracts Service (ACS) Chemical Abstracts Service/SciFinder (ACS) Current Contents: Clinical Medicine (Clarivate Analytics) Current Contents: Life Sciences (Clarivate Analytics) Embase (Elsevier) EMCare (Elsevier) Environmental Impact (CABI) Environmental Science Database (CABI) Global Health (CABI) Health & Medical Collection (ProQuest) Health Research Premium Collection (ProQuest) HEED: Health Economic Evaluations Database (Wiley-Blackwell) Helminthological Abstracts (CABI) Hospital Premium Collection (ProQuest) IDIS: Iowa Drug Information Service (University of Iowa) International Pharmaceutical Abstracts (Clarivate Analytics) Journal Citation Reports/Science Edition (Clarivate Analytics) Materials Science & Engineering Database (ProQuest) MEDLINE/PubMed (NLM) Natural Science Collection (ProQuest) Nutrition & Food Sciences Database (CABI) Nutrition Abstracts & Reviews Series A: Human & Experimental (CABI) Parasitology Database (CABI) Pig News & Information (CABI) Plant Breeding Abstracts (CABI) Plant Genetics and Breeding Database (CABI) Plant Protection Database (CABI) ProQuest Central (ProQuest) Protozoological Abstracts (CABI) PubMed Dietary Supplement Subset (NLM) Review of
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): RHEUMATOLOGY
Editor-in-chief S. Louis BridgesPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United Kingdom 4, Japan 2, United States 1, South Korea 1, Germany 1 (13 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine20.8%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine11.2%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine9.3%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine8.9%
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsMedicine6.8%
- Systemic Sclerosis and Related DiseasesMedicine6%
- Vasculitis and related conditionsMedicine3.6%
- Inflammatory Myopathies and DermatomyositisMedicine3.3%
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
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: EBSCO, ProQuest
As the journal's website lists them, not checked against each database; for Web of Science editions the records above apply.
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
- 9.38LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.9Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 9.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 19.9LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 19.9Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 19.9Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 4.06LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 3.06LetPub ·
- h-index
- 189OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 2,670OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 4.11OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 44.16%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 165LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher)
- 1,999Publisher website ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 307Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,226,794Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 5,577 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 323 | 181 | 161 |
| 2025 | 413 | 258 | 1,478 |
| 2024 | 305 | 209 | 2,635 |
| 2023 | 367 | 273 | 5,619 |
| 2022 | 372 | 198 | 9,575 |
| 2021 | 401 | 209 | 13,140 |
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 Crossref · to
120 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 42 days – 180 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 45 days (103 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 168 days
- Sample
- 103 articles with submission and acceptance dates (818 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
- Acceptance rate (publisher)
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 16%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 4 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 93 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 74 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Single anonymous peer reviewPublisher website
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 5,190 / EUR 4,540 / GBP 3,890 | — | — |
A hybrid journal charges the APC only when the author chooses open access; publishing under the subscription model is usually free.
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Page charges
- USD 70
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted1
- reviewFor detailed instructions on formatting manuscripts by article type, review this document.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Preprints
- Authorship Authorship Criteria
Authorship criteria must be met by each named author Model summary
At the revision stage, the corresponding author must provide a listing of each co-author’s contributions, and the journal may publish this information. A downloadable form, in Microsoft Word, is provided on the manuscript submission site to assist corresponding authors in compiling the information. Arthritis & Rheumatology requires that individuals must meet the first 3 of the 4 authorship criteri…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosure of interest
The journal uses the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) disclosure of interest form to collect all author disclosures prior to acceptance. For revised manuscripts, the corresponding author should: collect a completed ICMJE disclosure of interest form from each co-author, combine all individual forms into a single PDF file upload the combined file with the manuscript files u…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data sharing policy
Data Sharing Statement required with accepted manuscripts Model summary
Authors are required to provide a Data Sharing Statement to be published along with accepted manuscripts. This statement should indicate whether data will or will not be shared. The manuscript submission system includes specific questions regarding data sharing, including the following options: No data were used in this article; No data other than what is included in this article or supplementary …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright: Wiley Online Licensing Service
Upon acceptance (except letters to the editor and replies, which are exempt), the corresponding author will receive an email with a link to the Copyright: Wiley Author Licensing Service. The Author must promptly complete and electronically sign the appropriate copyright and/or license agreement. The article will not be published in an issue if this has not been done.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
Arthritis & Rheumatology offers authors an open access publication option. You can read more about APCs and whether you may be eligible for waivers or discounts, through your institution, funder, or a country waiver. Editorial decisions at Arthritis & Rheumatology are independent of the processing of APC payments and waivers. If the Open Access option is selected the corresponding author will have…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review assignments and procedures
Single-blind peer review process Model summary
Arthritis & Rheumatology follows a single-blind peer review process. Authors may suggest potential reviewers for manuscript or individuals authors would prefer not to review. (Editors will consider these suggestions but are not bound by them.) Arthritis & Rheumatology requests that peer reviewers adhere to a set of basic principles during the peer-review process in research publication. You should…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints
Preprint server posting is not considered prior publication Model summary
Publication on a preprint server is not considered to be prior publication, and the journal accepts the submissions of manuscripts that have been previously posted on a preprint server.
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
- Wiley-Blackwell
- Country or region
- UNITED STATES
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2326-5191
- Electronic ISSN
- 2326-5205
- Society / sponsor
- American College of Rheumatology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 78, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Arthritis & Rheumatology
What CAS zone is Arthritis & Rheumatology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Arthritis & Rheumatology 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 Arthritis & Rheumatology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 9.38; CiteScore 19.9, h-index 189.
How long does peer review take at Arthritis & Rheumatology?
Based on the dates recorded on 103 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 120 days (interquartile range 42–180 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 16% (2025). 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.
What are the manuscript requirements of Arthritis & Rheumatology?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Cover letter: Required. A model extracted these from the author guidelines and each was checked against the text; check the latest version on the journal's website before submitting.
Where are the editorial board members of Arthritis & Rheumatology based?
Of the 13 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (4), Japan (2) and United States (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Arthritis & Rheumatology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Arthritis & Rheumatology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE, PubMed, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Arthritis & Rheumatology open access, and what is the APC?
Arthritis & Rheumatology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 5,190.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, Publisher website, 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: .