Journal profile · Rheumatology
JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY
ISSN 0315-162X · eISSN 1499-2752 · Journal of Rheumatology · CANADA · Monthly · Founded 1974
JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.42; subscription journal; APC about USD 4,000; review about 1 month (community reports); community-reported acceptance: fairly easy; 930 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY is published by Journal of Rheumatology and is in Zone 3 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies, Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments and Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research, together about 46.8% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Journal of Rheumatology is owned by the Canadian Rheumatology Association Foundation, a charity dedicated to supporting research, education, and care delivery by rheumatology professionals for people with rheumatic diseases. This journal is published monthly by The Journal of Rheumatology Publishing Co. Ltd.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Rheumatology
Editor-in-chief Earl D. SilvermanPublisher website
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine22.3%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine13.8%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine10.7%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine7.5%
- Systemic Sclerosis and Related DiseasesMedicine6.5%
- Psoriasis: Treatment and PathogenesisImmunology and Microbiology4.7%
- Vasculitis and related conditionsMedicine3.9%
- Gout, Hyperuricemia, Uric AcidMedicine3.1%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 3 |
Top journal: noReview 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
- 3.42LetPub ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 4.9LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.02LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.95LetPub ·
- h-index
- 165LetPub ·
- h-index
- 138OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 3,797OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 5.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 2.53%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 163LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,820 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 452 | 109 | 34 |
| 2025 | 930 | 243 | 570 |
| 2024 | 273 | 261 | 1,055 |
| 2023 | 241 | 241 | 1,506 |
| 2022 | 333 | 227 | 3,043 |
| 2021 | 265 | 189 | 2,695 |
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
- Average review time (community reports)
- about 1 monthLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- Fairly easyLetPub ·
- Peer review
- Single-anonymous peer reviewPublisher website · model-extracted
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
Subscription journalLetPub
A subscription journal: articles are read by subscription or purchase, and authors usually pay no publication charge.
| Source | APC | Fee waiver | License | Observed |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Publisher website | USD 4,000 | — | — |
Other charges and waivers (author guidelines)
- Other fees
- 375
- Page charges
- 75
- Submission fee
- 4,000
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
- Not considered
- plain language summary
Article types accepted14
- brief communicationAll submissions must include a declaration regarding funding and conflict of interest. Titles are limited to 20 words and running heads are up to 4 words. Full-…Length not stated
- brief communicationsBrief Communications Short investigative reports, formatted in the same manner as full-length manuscripts.Length not stated
- case reportsCase ReportsLength not stated
- correspondenceCorrespondenceLength not stated
- editorialAll submissions must include a declaration regarding funding and conflict of interest. Titles are limited to 20 words and running heads are up to 4 words. Full-…Length not stated
- editorialsEditorials Solicited by the editors, but unsolicited material is also considered.Length not stated
- full-length manuscriptsFull-length Manuscripts Original, unpublished investigative reports regarding clinical, laboratory, and translational aspects of rheumatology. Includes systemat…Length not stated
- images in rheumatologyImages in Rheumatology Abbreviated case descriptions of abstract length that feature exceptional visual illustrations.Length not stated
- research lettersResearch LettersLength not stated
- review articleAll submissions must include a declaration regarding funding and conflict of interest. Titles are limited to 20 words and running heads are up to 4 words. Full-…Length not stated
- review articlesReview Articles Review articles on rheumatologic aspects of clinical practice, clinical therapeutics, current concepts, drug therapy, and mechanisms of disease.Length not stated
- rheumatology around the worldRheumatology Around the World Full-length articles or brief communications that focus on remote geographical areas and underrepresented populations.Length not stated
- supplementsSupplementsLength not stated
- systematic reviewAll submissions must include a declaration regarding funding and conflict of interest. Titles are limited to 20 words and running heads are up to 4 words. Full-…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Plagiarism, Self-archiving
- AI use AI Policy
AI Policy Model summary
The Journal permits responsible use with generative artificial intelligence (AI) and large language models, such as ChatGPT, to help authors prepare their research for publication only for improving language and readability. The following policy was made in alignment with Committee on Publication Ethics and the World Association of Medical Editors guidelines for the use of AI tools. Authors must d…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship
All persons designated as authors should qualify for authorship. Every author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for the content. Authorship credit should be based on authors fulfilling all 3 criteria: Substantial contribution to conception and design, execution, or analysis and interpretation of data; Drafting the article or revising it critically; and…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest
Authors of research articles, editorials, and reviews must disclose at the time of submission any relationships that could be viewed as potential conflicts of interest, for example, any financial interest in a company (or its competitor) that manufactures a product discussed in the article. Those relationships may further include employment, consultancies, speaker’s fees, honoraria, stock ownershi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publishing Misconduct
Publishing Misconduct Model summary
Articles are considered only for exclusive publication in The Journal with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (in part or in full, in other words or in the same words in letter or article form, or otherwise), are not at the time of submission under consideration by another journal or other publication, and will not be submitted elsewhere unless rejected by The Journal of…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Assignment of Copyright
The contact author of each manuscript will receive an Assignment of Copyright form at time of acceptance. The form must be signed by each author of the manuscript and returned to The Journal as soon as possible. Please be advised that failure to return the form in a timely manner will cause delay in publication.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access Publication Option ($4000 flat fee)
For those authors of original research articles who require immediate public access, The Journal of Rheumatology offers the option of Open Access publication. With this option, the article is available to non-subscribers from the time of first publication on The Journal’s website. Open Access articles will be identified on our table of contents. An article published under the Open Access option is…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer Review Process
Authors are encouraged to suggest the names of 3 or 4 persons who might be considered suitable reviewers of their work. Once the Editorial Committee moves a manuscript forward for peer review, reviewers are given a minimum of 21 days to review. Manuscripts must meet the following requirements or they will be returned to the authors for remedy prior to peer review: Include ethics/patient consent st…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism Plagiarism Policy
Plagiarism Policy Model summary
Overview The Journal of Rheumatology is committed to the highest standards of publishing original research. We respect research integrity at each stage of the publication process with the aim of protecting and promoting authors’ works. Authors are expected to abide by ethical standards and refrain from plagiarism in any form. Definition of Plagiarism The Journal defines plagiarism as the act of us…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-Archiving Policy
Authors of original research articles may deposit the peer-reviewed accepted version of the manuscript to a non-profit institutional and/or nonprofit centrally organized repository (including PubMed Central), but must stipulate that public access to the manuscript be delayed until 12 months after the copyedited version is published online as First Release on The Journal of Rheumatology website. In…
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
- Journal of Rheumatology
- Country or region
- CANADA
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1974
- ISSN
- 0315-162X
- Electronic ISSN
- 1499-2752
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY
What CAS zone is JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 3 of the minor category Rheumatology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 3 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.42; CiteScore 4.9, h-index 138.
How long does peer review take at JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY?
Authors report an average review time of about 1 month; the community-reported acceptance is “Fairly easy”. 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 JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Vancouver; Suggested reviewers: Optional; Graphical abstract: Optional. 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.
Which databases index JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
JOURNAL OF RHEUMATOLOGY is a subscription journal. APC about USD 4,000.
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: .