Journal profile · RHEUMATOLOGY
Musculoskeletal Care
ISSN 1478-2189 · eISSN 1557-0681 · Wiley-Blackwell
Musculoskeletal Care: CAS Zone 4 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 1.5 (journal website); hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,240; median 25 days to acceptance (93 articles, last 24 months); acceptance rate 23% (journal website); 153 articles in 2025; indexed in ESCI and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Musculoskeletal Care is published by Wiley-Blackwell and is in Zone 4 of Medicine in the CAS Journal Ranking (2025 upgraded edition). By OpenAlex counts of its recent articles, its largest topics are Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitation, Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and Therapies and Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms, together about 39.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Musculoskeletal Care is a peer-reviewed journal for all health professionals committed to the clinical delivery of high quality care for people with musculoskeletal conditions and providing knowledge to support decision making by professionals, patients and policy makers. This journal publishes papers on original research, applied research, review articles and clinical guidelines. Regular topics include patient education, psychological and social impact, patient experiences of health care, clinical up dates and the effectiveness of therapy The objectives of the journal include: 1. Dissemination of evidence based practice e.g. implementation of best practice 2. Provision of clinical information on the management of patients with Musculoskeletal conditions 3. Sharing clinical, educational and research innovations relevant to professionals working within Musculoskeletal health or to patients with a musculoskeletal condition 4. Musculoskeletal Service developments e.g. clinical guidelines
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): RHEUMATOLOGY
Editor-in-chief Emmanuel Souza da RochaPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named United States 1, Spain 1, Brazil 1, Chile 1 (4 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Musculoskeletal pain and rehabilitationMedicine15.7%
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine14.7%
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsMedicine9.5%
- Musculoskeletal Disorders and RehabilitationMedicine8%
- Total Knee Arthroplasty OutcomesMedicine7.7%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine5.1%
- Fibromyalgia and Chronic Fatigue Syndrome ResearchMedicine3.3%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 4
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 4 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Not covered
Not covered by this edition.
Database indexing
ESCIScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
Web of ScienceMEDLINEPubMedPublisher 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 (publisher)
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 1.5Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 2.7Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.52LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 0.65LetPub ·
- h-index
- 50OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 468OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.09OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 13.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 54.29%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 141LetPub ·
- Articles per year (publisher) 2025
- 144Publisher website ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 316,038Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 1,423 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 84 | 42 | 9 |
| 2025 | 153 | 102 | 288 |
| 2024 | 147 | 114 | 507 |
| 2023 | 130 | 103 | 608 |
| 2022 | 114 | 68 | 1,157 |
| 2021 | 80 | 36 | 915 |
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
25 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 14 days – 119 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 13 days (94 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 41 days
- Sample
- 93 articles with submission and acceptance dates (283 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)
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Acceptance rate (publisher) 2025
- 23%Publisher website ·
- Submission to first decision
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 6 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance 2025
- 15 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication 2025
- 12 daysPublisher website ·
- Peer review
- Double 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 3,240 / EUR 2,660 / GBP 2,160 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | Yes, amount not published | — | — |
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)
What to prepare3 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 250 words
- Keywords
- ≤ 7
- Reference style
- APA
Article types accepted7, with length limits
- comprehensive reviewsComprehensive reviews: on clinical care or educational developments that contain a critical review of the literature (3,500-5000 words)Length not stated
- editorialThe acceptance criteria for all papers are the quality and originality of the research and its significance to journal readership. Except where otherwise stated…Length not stated
- original paperOriginal papers: reports of new research findings or service developments that make a significant contribution to knowledge (3,500-5,000 words). Research papers…Length not stated
- original papersOriginal papers: reports of new research findings or service developments that make a significant contribution to knowledge (3,500-5,000 words).Length not stated
- research paperOriginal papers: reports of new research findings or service developments that make a significant contribution to knowledge (3,500-5,000 words). Research papers…Length not stated
- reviewOriginal papers: reports of new research findings or service developments that make a significant contribution to knowledge (3,500-5,000 words). Research papers…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- short reportsShort reports: on professional issues or preliminary findings of research (2,000). An abstract is not required.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Peer review, Plagiarism, Preprints, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- Authorship Authorship
On initial submission, the submitting author will be prompted to provide the email address and country for all contributing authors.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Conflict of Interest Statement
Authors will be asked to provide a conflict of interest statement during the submission process. For details on what to include in this section, see the section ‘Conflict of Interest’ in the Editorial Policies and Ethical Considerations section below. Authors should ensure they liaise with all co-authors to confirm agreement with the final statement.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data Sharing and Data Availability
Journal expects data sharing. Model summary
This journal expects data sharing. Review Wiley’s Data Sharing policy where you will be able to see and select the data availability statement that is right for your submission.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Publication Ethics
Member of COPE. Model summary
This journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts. Read Wiley'sTop 10 Publishing Ethics Tips for Authors here. Wiley’s Publication Ethics Guidelines can be found here.Wiley’s Author Name Change PolicyIn cases where authors wish to change their …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review
Manuscripts are double-blind reviewed except where otherwise stated. Model summary
Except where otherwise stated, manuscripts are double-blind reviewed.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Plagiarism
Uses iThenticate CrossCheck for similarity detection. Model summary
Note this journal uses iThenticate’s CrossCheck software to detect instances of overlapping and similar text in submitted manuscripts.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprint Policy
Preprints considered; submitted version may be posted to a preprint server at any time. Model summary
Musculoskeletal Care will consider for review articles previously available as preprints. Authors may also post the submitted version of a manuscript to a preprint server at any time. Authors are requested to update any pre-publication versions with a link to the final published article.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The journal requires that clinical trials are prospectively registered in a publicly accessible database and clinical trial registration numbers should be included in all papers that report their results. Authors are asked to include the name of the trial register and the clinical trial registration number at the end of the abstract. If the trial is not registered, or was registered retrospectivel…
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
- ISSN
- 1478-2189
- Electronic ISSN
- 1557-0681
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 24, Issue 3 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Musculoskeletal Care
What CAS zone is Musculoskeletal Care in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Musculoskeletal Care is in Zone 4 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 of the minor category Rheumatology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 4 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of Musculoskeletal Care?
The journal's website gives an impact factor of 1.5 (2025); this is the journal's own figure, as LetPub lists none for it; CiteScore 2.7, h-index 50.
How long does peer review take at Musculoskeletal Care?
Based on the dates recorded on 93 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 25 days (interquartile range 14–119 days); the journal's website gives an acceptance rate of 23% (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 Musculoskeletal Care?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 250 words; Keywords: ≤ 7; Reference style: APA. 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 Musculoskeletal Care based?
Of the 4 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (1), Spain (1) and Brazil (1). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Musculoskeletal Care?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Musculoskeletal Care is indexed in ESCI and Scopus. The journal's website also lists Web of Science, MEDLINE and PubMed; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Musculoskeletal Care open access, and what is the APC?
Musculoskeletal Care is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,240.
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: .