Journal profile · Rheumatology
RHEUMATOLOGY
ISSN 1462-0324 · eISSN 1462-0332 · Oxford University Press · ENGLAND · Monthly · Founded 1999
RHEUMATOLOGY: CAS Zone 2 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 4.53; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,597; median 129 days to acceptance (112 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 25%; 1,065 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
RHEUMATOLOGY is published by Oxford University Press and is in Zone 2 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, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research and Spondyloarthritis Studies and Treatments, together about 39% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
Rheumatology strives to support global research and discovery by publishing the highest quality scientific papers covering the full breadth of rheumatology, from hypothesis-generating basic results to translational and clinical research, as well as adult, adolescent, and paediatric conditions. Rheumatology invites submission of original articles including clinical trial results and concise reports, reviews, guidelines, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters arising from published material, and editorials that allow authors to provide their opinion or challenge beliefs concerning a topic of high relevance to the community. The journal takes pride in continuing to serve the global rheumatology community after over 70 years of publishing. Rheumatology maintains a focus on high societal impact in the form of contextual podcasts, videos and extended social media presence, and utilizing alternative metrics to support dissemination from Day 1 of publication. Keep up to date by following the journal on Twitter @RheumJnl. Rheumatology is an official journal of the British Society for Rheumatology, published by Oxford University Press.
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Rheumatology
Editor-in-chief Ernest ChoyPublisher website
Editorial board by country: 2 in mainland China (about 2%); most named United Kingdom 40, United States 9, India 6, Netherlands 5, Canada 3 (83 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine19.8%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine10.5%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine8.8%
- Systemic Sclerosis and Related DiseasesMedicine7.4%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine6.5%
- Musculoskeletal Disorders and RehabilitationMedicine6%
- Vasculitis and related conditionsMedicine5.9%
- Inflammatory Myopathies and DermatomyositisMedicine4.3%
Rankings & indexing
CAS ranking and database indexing
CAS Journal Ranking
CAS Journal Ranking, upgraded edition (March 2025)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 2 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
CAS Xinrui Journal Ranking (March 2026)Medicine Zone 2
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 2 |
| 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 2 |
Top journal: yesReview 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
- 4.53LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 5.1Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 8.3Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 8.3LetPub ·
- CiteScore (publisher) 2025
- 8.3Publisher website ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 1.75LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.55LetPub ·
- h-index
- 156LetPub ·
- h-index
- 234OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 9,901OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 2.4OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 6.4%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 35.75%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 529LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 2,602,011Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 27,412 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 940 | 244 | 210 |
| 2025 | 1,065 | 708 | 2,132 |
| 2024 | 1,009 | 727 | 4,902 |
| 2023 | 1,109 | 860 | 7,634 |
| 2022 | 1,152 | 677 | 10,648 |
| 2021 | 1,284 | 563 | 17,416 |
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
129 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 98 days – 168 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 21 days (72 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 154 days
- Sample
- 112 articles with submission and acceptance dates (1,871 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)
- about 2 monthsLetPub ·
- Average acceptance (community reports)
- 25%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision 2025
- 14 daysPublisher website ·
- Acceptance to publication
- 18 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 | GBP 3,486 | — | — | |
| Publisher website | No APC | — | — |
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)
- Colour charges
- GBP 100
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 prepare2 items from the author guidelines
- Reference style
- Vancouver
- Graphical abstract
- Optional
Article types accepted18
- clinical vignettesWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- concise reportsWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- editorialAn Editorial is a short opinion piece on a relevant topic, which may comment on an article in an issue or be an independent piece on a current issue. We prefer …Length not stated
- editorialsWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- guidelinesWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- hypothesisArticle type and template Required elements in addition to the main text, figures, and tables Limits Other notes Original article Original articles are based on…Length not stated
- lettersWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- letters to the editorThe journal welcomes Letters to the Editor (Matters arising) from readers offering relevant comments and providing objective and scholarly criticism of recently…Length not stated
- matters arising from published materialWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- meta-analysesWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- original articleArticle type and template Required elements in addition to the main text, figures, and tables Limits Other notes Original article Original articles are based on…Length not stated
- original articlesWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- original case reportsWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- original researchArticle type and template Required elements in addition to the main text, figures, and tables Limits Other notes Original article Original articles are based on…Length not stated
- reviewArticle type and template Required elements in addition to the main text, figures, and tables Limits Other notes Original article Original articles are based on…Length not stated
- review articleArticle type and template Required elements in addition to the main text, figures, and tables Limits Other notes Original article Original articles are based on…Length not stated
- reviewsWe publish original articles, reviews, editorials, guidelines, concise reports, meta-analyses, original case reports, clinical vignettes, letters and matters ar…Length not stated
- systematic reviewArticle type and template Required elements in addition to the main text, figures, and tables Limits Other notes Original article Original articles are based on…Length not stated
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAuthorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, Open access, Peer review, Preprints, Self-archiving
- Authorship Authorship
Authorship is limited to those who have made a significant contribution to the design and execution of the work described. Any contributors whose participation does not meet the criteria for authorship should be acknowledged but not listed as an author. The journal may contact all listed authors at the point of submission to confirm their role. For a detailed definition of authorship, please see t…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest
Authors The journal requires all authors to disclose any potential conflict of interest at the point of submission. It is the responsibility of the corresponding author to ensure that conflicts of interest of all authors are declared to the journal. A conflict of interest exists when the position, activities, or relationships of an individual, whether direct or indirect, financial or non-financial…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Availability of data and materials
Data and software code release required Model summary
The journal requires all authors, where ethically possible, to publicly release all data and software code underlying any published paper as a condition of publication. Authors are required to include a data availability statement in their paper. When data and software underlying the research article are available in an online source, authors should include a full citation in their reference list.…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Screening for misconduct
Manuscripts will be screened using iThenticate to help detect publication misconduct including plagiarism and redundant publication. Manuscripts may also be screened, including with services provided by third parties, to help detect integrity issues such as inappropriate image alteration and papermill activity.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access charges
Please see the details of open access licences and charges. If you select an open access licence, you must pay the open access charge or request to use an institutional agreement to pay the open access charge through our licencing and payment portal, SciPris. OUP has a growing number of open access agreements with institutions and consortia, which provide funding for open access publishing (also k…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Peer review process
Single-anonymized peer review Model summary
The journal operates single-anonymized peer review, meaning that the identity of the authors is known to the editors and to the reviewers, but that the reviewers’ identities are known only to the editors and are hidden from the authors. During peer review, reviewers communicate directly with the editors but not the authors or other reviewers. Reviewers may collaborate with early career researchers…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Preprints Preprints
As an author, you retain the right to make an Author’s Original Version (preprint) available through various channels and this does not prevent submission to the journal. If accepted, the authors are required to update the status of any preprint, including adding your published paper’s DOI. For full details on allowed channels and updating your preprint, please see our Author self-archiving policy…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Self-archiving Self-archiving
Self-archiving refers to posting a copy of your work on a publicly accessible website or repository. Under certain circumstances, you may self-archive versions of your work on your own webpages, on institutional webpages, and in other repositories. For information about the journal's policy, and to learn which version(s) of your paper are acceptable for self-archiving, please see our Author self-a…
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
- Oxford University Press
- Country or region
- ENGLAND
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Monthly
- Founded
- 1999
- ISSN
- 1462-0324
- Electronic ISSN
- 1462-0332
- Society / sponsor
- British Society for Rheumatology
- Latest issue on the website
- Volume 65, Issue 9 (September 2026)
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗LetPub
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about RHEUMATOLOGY
What CAS zone is RHEUMATOLOGY in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, RHEUMATOLOGY is in Zone 2 of Medicine, and in Zone 2 of the minor category Rheumatology. In the 2026 Xinrui edition it is in Zone 2 of Medicine. Zones from different editions, and from major and minor categories, are not interchangeable.
What is the impact factor of RHEUMATOLOGY?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 4.53; CiteScore 8.3, h-index 234.
How long does peer review take at RHEUMATOLOGY?
Based on the dates recorded on 112 articles published between October 2024 and October 2026 (the last 24 months), the median time from submission to acceptance is 129 days (interquartile range 98–168 days); authors report an average review time of about 2 months; the community-reported acceptance is “about 25%”. 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 RHEUMATOLOGY?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Reference style: Vancouver; 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.
Where are the editorial board members of RHEUMATOLOGY based?
Of the 83 board members whose country the journal's board page names, 2 (about 2%) are in mainland China; the countries named most often are United Kingdom (40), United States (9) and India (6). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index RHEUMATOLOGY?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, RHEUMATOLOGY is indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Is RHEUMATOLOGY open access, and what is the APC?
RHEUMATOLOGY is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,597.
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: .