Journal profile · RHEUMATOLOGY
Lancet Rheumatology
ISSN 2665-9913 · ELSEVIER · ENGLAND
Lancet Rheumatology: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 26.3; hybrid open access; APC about USD 7,280; median 64 days to acceptance (81 articles, last 24 months); 187 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Lancet Rheumatology is published by ELSEVIER 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 34.1% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
The Lancet Rheumatology is an independent journal committed to publishing content relevant to rheumatology specialists worldwide, with a focus on studies that advance clinical practice, challenge the status quo, and advocate change in health policy. The journal publishes clinical research (with a focus on clinical trials), expert reviews, and provocative comment and opinion relating to the diagnosis and classification, management, and prevention of rheumatic diseases, including arthritic, musculoskeletal, and connective tissue diseases, as well as disorders of the immune system. The journal also publishes high-quality human translational studies that are supported by robust clinical data, with priority given to studies that identify potential new therapeutic targets, advance efforts toward precision medicine, or have the potential to directly inform future clinical trials.With a strong clinical focus, The Lancet Rheumatology provides an independent voice for the rheumatology community and advocates strongly for the improved lives of patients with rheumatic diseases around the globe.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): RHEUMATOLOGY
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine15.6%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine9.6%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine8.9%
- COVID-19 Clinical Research StudiesMedicine6.6%
- Systemic Sclerosis and Related DiseasesMedicine6.5%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine6.4%
- SARS-CoV-2 and COVID-19 ResearchMedicine5.8%
- Vasculitis and related conditionsMedicine4.1%
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: 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
- 26.3LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 29.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 28.5LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 28.5Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 6.17LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 7.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 85OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 479OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 7.13OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 24.34%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 63LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,450 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 144 | 29 | 110 |
| 2025 | 187 | 55 | 929 |
| 2024 | 210 | 79 | 2,817 |
| 2023 | 163 | 80 | 7,307 |
| 2022 | 198 | 104 | 2,589 |
| 2021 | 228 | 141 | 7,087 |
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
64 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 31 days – 119 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 59 days (67 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 137 days
- Sample
- 81 articles with submission and acceptance dates (386 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
- Submission to first decision
- 2 daysPublisher website ·
- First decision after review
- 26 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 45 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 100 daysPublisher 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 7,280 / EUR 6,810 / GBP 5,830 / JPY 902,940 | — | — |
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.
Profile
Publication details and official links
- Publisher
- ELSEVIER
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- ISSN
- 2665-9913
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Lancet Rheumatology
What CAS zone is Lancet Rheumatology in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Lancet 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 Lancet Rheumatology?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 26.3; CiteScore 28.5, h-index 85.
How long does peer review take at Lancet Rheumatology?
Based on the dates recorded on 81 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 64 days (interquartile range 31–119 days). 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 Lancet Rheumatology?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Lancet Rheumatology is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Lancet Rheumatology open access, and what is the APC?
Lancet Rheumatology is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 7,280.
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 2026-08-25). Last updated: .