Journal profile · Rheumatology
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
ISSN 1063-4584 · eISSN 1522-9653 · W.B. Saunders Ltd · ENGLAND · Bimonthly · Founded 1993
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage: CAS Zone 1 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition, Top journal); impact factor 8.99; hybrid open access; APC about USD 3,700; median 166 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: hard; 1,025 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage is published by W.B. Saunders Ltd 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 Osteoarthritis Treatment and Mechanisms, Total Knee Arthroplasty Outcomes and Knee injuries and reconstruction techniques, together about 54.9% of its articles. Its main subfields are Surgery. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage is the official journal of the Osteoarthritis Research Society International.It is an international, multidisciplinary journal that disseminates information for the many kinds of specialists and practitioners concerned with osteoarthritis.The Journal fosters the cross-fertilization of findings from both the clinical and basic sciences of the various disciplines involved, including:Osteoarthritis Cartilage Molecular biology Clinical pharmacology Orthopaedics Rheumatology Physical medicine Biochemistry Epidemiology CollagensAuthors are also welcome to submit their manuscripts to the journal's open access companion title, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage Open.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Rheumatology
Editor-in-chief D. HunterPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 4 in mainland China (about 4%); most named United States 42, Australia 11, Canada 10, United Kingdom 9, Mainland China 4 (100 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Osteoarthritis Treatment and MechanismsMedicine36.8%
- Total Knee Arthroplasty OutcomesMedicine11.3%
- Knee injuries and reconstruction techniquesMedicine6.9%
- Inflammatory mediators and NSAID effectsMedicine5.2%
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine4.7%
- Lower Extremity Biomechanics and PathologiesEngineering3.9%
- Bone and Joint DiseasesMedicine2.7%
- Orthopaedic implants and arthroplastyMedicine2.1%
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 | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 1
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 1 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: yesReview journal: not marked
CAS Journal Ranking, previous upgraded edition (December 2023)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Orthopedics | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 2 |
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
- 8.99LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher)
- 9.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 16.2LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher)
- 16.2Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 2.82LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 2.7LetPub ·
- h-index
- 138LetPub ·
- h-index
- 236OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,692OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 1.27OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 4.3%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 47.74%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 111LetPub ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 21,436 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 769 | 85 | 67 |
| 2025 | 1,025 | 982 | 906 |
| 2024 | 1,159 | 1,159 | 2,790 |
| 2023 | 794 | 788 | 4,197 |
| 2022 | 772 | 772 | 4,785 |
| 2021 | 806 | 806 | 10,755 |
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
166 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 112 days – 222 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 6 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 171 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (402 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)
- 3–8 weeksLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- HardLetPub ·
- First decision after review
- 55 daysPublisher website ·
- Submission to acceptance
- 142 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 8 daysPublisher website ·
- 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
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 3,700 / EUR 3,460 / GBP 2,960 / JPY 458,910 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | USD 2,588 | — | — |
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)
- Submission fee
- USD 50
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)
Open calls for papers1, by deadline
Publisher websiteWhat to prepare5 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- ≤ 350 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 3
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- First submission
- Free format: the journal's layout is not required
- Cover letter
- Required
Article types accepted9, with length limits
- brief report of original researchSuch Letters, which should not be original research communications (see Brief Report the appropriate format for such manuscripts), are subject to editorial revi…Length not stated
- commentaryThe purpose of a Commentary is similar to an Editorial, however these may be unsolicited and need not be invited contributions.Length not stated
- editorialstimulate discussion in the community. Editorials and Commentaries should be no longer than 1500 words with a maximum of 2 figures and/or tables and 15 referenc…main text ≤ 1,500 words
- full length original research article1.2 Full length original research articleLength not stated
- letter to the editorComments regarding articles published in the Journal, or other current matters, are solicited and should be submitted as 'Letter to the Editor'.Length not stated
- meta-analysesSystematic reviews and meta-analyses should be reported following the recommendations of the PRISMA statement (http://www.prisma-statement.org) .Length not stated
- narrative reviewsNarrative reviews are published at the discretion of the editors-in-chief and are usually invited.Length not stated
- original research articlepoints described above. 1.2 Full length original research article Full length original articles should amount to no more than 4000 words, 8 figures and tables, …main text ≤ 4,000 words
- systematic reviewsThe Systematic Review format is preferred wherever possible and appropriate.Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use 1.9.11 Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing
The below guidance only refers to the writing process, and not to the use of AI tools to analyse and draw insights from data as part of the research process. Where authors use generative artificial intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technologies in the writing process, authors should only use these technologies to improve readability and language. Applying the technology should be done with human o…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Changes to authorship
The editors of this journal generally will not consider changes to authorship once a manuscript has been submitted. It is important that authors carefully consider the authorship list and order of authors and provide a definitive author list at original submission. The policy of this journal around authorship changes: All authors must be listed in the manuscript and their details entered into the …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest 1.9.10 Competing interests
At the end of the manuscript text, under a subheading "Competing interest statement" every author must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could potentially and inappropriately influence (bias) their work and conclusions. Examples of potential conflicts of interest include employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, paid expert testi…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Scientific misconduct
The editors of Osteoarthritis and Cartilage consider very seriously all possible forms of misconduct. We follow guidance and definitions provided by e.g. the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/) the World Association of Medical Editors (http://www.wame.org/) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (http://www.icmje.org/). Submitted manuscripts …
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Upon acceptance of an article, authors will be asked to sign a "Journal Publishing Agreement" (for more information on this and copyright see https://www.elsevier.com/copyright). Acceptance of the agreement will ensure the widest possible dissemination of information. An e-mail (or letter) will be sent to the corresponding author confirming receipt of the manuscript together with a "Journal Publis…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open Access
This journal offers authors a choice in publishing their research:
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review 5. PEER REVIEW
All manuscripts submitted to Osteoarthritis and Cartilage are peer reviewed, internally and or externally. A significant proportion of the submitted articles are rejected after a first review by one of the editors-in-chief and one or more editors for reasons of insufficient originality, scientific flaws, or an absence of message important to the readers of the Journal. This decision is forwarded t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines
Clinical trial registration required Model summary
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage has adopted the proposal from the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) which requires, as a condition of consideration for publication of clinical trials, registration in a public trials registry such as http://www.clinicaltrials.gov/ or http://www.isrctn.com/.
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
- W.B. Saunders Ltd
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Bimonthly
- Founded
- 1993
- ISSN
- 1063-4584
- Electronic ISSN
- 1522-9653
- Society / sponsor
- Osteoarthritis Research Society International
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗Publisher website
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Osteoarthritis and Cartilage
What CAS zone is Osteoarthritis and Cartilage in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage is in Zone 1 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Orthopedics / 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 Osteoarthritis and Cartilage?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 8.99; CiteScore 16.2, h-index 236.
How long does peer review take at Osteoarthritis and Cartilage?
Based on the dates recorded on 109 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 166 days (interquartile range 112–222 days); authors report an average review time of 3–8 weeks; the community-reported acceptance is “Hard”. 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 Osteoarthritis and Cartilage?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: ≤ 350 words; Keywords: ≥ 3; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; First submission: Free format: the journal's layout is not required; 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 Osteoarthritis and Cartilage based?
Of the 100 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 4 (about 4%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United States (42), Australia (11) and Canada (10). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Osteoarthritis and Cartilage?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Osteoarthritis and Cartilage is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is Osteoarthritis and Cartilage open access, and what is the APC?
Osteoarthritis and Cartilage is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 3,700.
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: .