Journal profile · Rheumatology
Rheumatology International
ISSN 0172-8172 · eISSN 1437-160X · Springer Berlin Heidelberg · GERMANY · Tri-annual · Founded 1981
Rheumatology International: CAS Zone 3 · Medicine (2025 upgraded edition); impact factor 3.46; hybrid open access; APC about USD 4,990; median 54 days to acceptance (109 articles, last 24 months); community-reported acceptance: about 75%; 294 articles in 2025; indexed in SCIE and Scopus.
Scope
Aims, scope and focus
Rheumatology International is published by Springer Berlin Heidelberg 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, Systemic Lupus Erythematosus Research and Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders Research, together about 36.6% of its articles. Its main subfields are Rheumatology. (generated from OpenAlex topic counts and CAS ranking data)
RHEUMATOLOGY INTERNATIONAL is an independent journal reflecting world-wide progress in the research, diagnosis and treatment of the various rheumatic diseases. It is designed to serve researchers and clinicians in the field of rheumatology. RHEUMATOLOGY INTERNATIONAL will cover all modern trends in clinical research as well as in the management of rheumatic diseases. Special emphasis will be given to public health issues related to rheumatic diseases, applying rheumatology research to clinical practice, epidemiology of rheumatic diseases, diagnostic tests for rheumatic diseases, patient reported outcomes (PROs) in rheumatology and evidence on education of rheumatology. Contributions to these topics will appear in the form of original publications, short communications, editorials, and reviews. "Letters to the editor" will be welcome as an enhancement to discussion. Basic science research, including in vitro or animal studies, is discouraged to submit, as we will only review studies on humans with an epidemological or clinical perspective. Case reports without a proper review of the literatura (Case-based Reviews) will not be published. Every effort will be made to ensure speed of publication while maintaining a high standard of contents and production.Manuscripts submitted for publication must contain a statement to the effect that all human studies have been reviewed by the appropriate ethics committee and have therefore been performed in accordance with the ethical standards laid down in an appropriate version of the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki. It should also be stated clearly in the text that all persons gave their informed consent prior to their inclusion in the study. Details that might disclose the identity of the subjects under study should be omitted.The editor reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not comply with the above-mentioned requirements. The author will be held responsible for false statements or for failure to fulfil the above-mentioned requirements.Rheumatology International aims to publish the latest research on:Public health issues related to rheumatic diseaseso Rheumatology in underserved populationso Health indicators, standards of care, health care indicators and standards o Strategies for improvement - Health policies - How to change practiceo How to change the vision of rheumatology worldwideo Classification of diseases - New diseases - New definitions - New criteriao International efforts related to public health ma
From the journal's Aims & Scope
Research area (LetPub): Rheumatology
Editor-in-chief Armen YuriPublisher website
Editorial board by country: none in mainland China; most named Türkiye 8, Poland 5, Ukraine 4, Croatia 3, United Kingdom 2 (35 members with a country) Editorial board ↗Publisher website ·
Main research topics OpenAlex counts of recent articles; shares are approximate
- Rheumatoid Arthritis Research and TherapiesMedicine15.1%
- Systemic Lupus Erythematosus ResearchMedicine13%
- Autoimmune and Inflammatory Disorders ResearchMedicine8.4%
- Spondyloarthritis Studies and TreatmentsMedicine7.9%
- Systemic Sclerosis and Related DiseasesMedicine5.3%
- Vasculitis and related conditionsMedicine5.2%
- Inflammasome and immune disordersBiochemistry, Genetics and Molecular Biology4%
- Monoclonal and Polyclonal Antibodies ResearchMedicine3.5%
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 4 |
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 3
| Level | Category | Zone |
|---|---|---|
| Major | Medicine | Zone 3 |
| Minor | Rheumatology | Zone 4 |
Top journal: noReview journal: no
Database indexing
SCIEScopusLetPub
International journal early-warning lists: not listed in any editionLetPub
Indexing the journal's website claims
MEDLINEEmbaseCASCAB AbstractsCurrent ContentsPublisher website
Other: Google Scholar, EBSCO, ProQuest, Dimensions, CNKI, Baidu, Naver, OCLC, Portico, CLOCKSS, Semantic Scholar
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
- 3.46LetPub ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.5Publisher website ·
- Impact factor (publisher) 2020
- 2.63Publisher website ·
- 5-year impact factor (publisher) 2025
- 3.2Publisher website ·
- CiteScore 2026-06
- 5.6LetPub ·
- SJR 2026-06
- 0.91LetPub ·
- SNIP 2026-06
- 1.14LetPub ·
- h-index
- 66LetPub ·
- h-index
- 118OpenAlex ·
- i10-index
- 4,701OpenAlex ·
- 2-year mean citedness
- 3.77OpenAlex ·
- Self-citation rate
- 17.1%LetPub ·
- Share of gold OA articles
- 42.7%LetPub ·
Volume
- Articles per year
- 279LetPub ·
- Downloads per year (publisher) 2025
- 1,400,000Publisher website ·
Articles by year OpenAlex count · 7,720 in total · the current year is incomplete
| Year | Articles | Open access | Citations |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2026 | 241 | 122 | 109 |
| 2025 | 294 | 145 | 1,065 |
| 2024 | 247 | 121 | 1,778 |
| 2023 | 249 | 110 | 2,599 |
| 2022 | 202 | 105 | 2,834 |
| 2021 | 301 | 154 | 6,211 |
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
54 daysMedian, submission to acceptance · P25–P75 35 days – 81 days
- Acceptance to online
- median 17 days (109 articles)
- Submission to online
- median 72 days
- Sample
- 109 articles with submission and acceptance dates (574 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 acceptance (community reports)
- 75%LetPub ·
- Submission to first decision
- 5 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 4,990 / EUR 3,890 / GBP 3,090 | — | — |
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 prepare4 items from the author guidelines
- Abstract
- 150–250 words
- Keywords
- ≥ 4
- Reference style
- Numbered, in order of citation
- Suggested reviewers
- Optional
Article types accepted16, with length limits
- case based reviews• Case Based Reviews: word limit 2500 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figuresLength not stated
- case report• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…Length not stated
- consensus articles• Consensus articles: word limit 4000 words, 100 references, no more than 6 figures or tablesLength not stated
- editorialDouble-Blind Peer Review This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure by experts in the field. Editors are ultimately responsible for weighing review…Length not stated
- letter• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…Length not stated
- letter to the editor• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…Length not stated
- letters to editor• Letters to editor: up to 600 words, 10 references, no more than a figure or table.Length not stated
- literature review• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…Length not stated
- original article• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…main text ≤ 4,000 words
- original articles• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tablesLength not stated
- protocol• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…main text ≤ 2,000 words
- protocols• Protocols: word limit 2000 words, 25 references, no more than 4 figures or tables.Length not stated
- review• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…main text ≤ 2,500 words
- review article• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…main text ≤ 5,000 words
- review articles• Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more than 6 figures or tablesLength not stated
- short communication• Original articles: Word limit 4000 words, 50 references, no more than 6 figures or tables • Review articles: Word limit 5000 words, 100 references, no more th…main text ≤ 2,000 words
Policy excerpts from the journal's websiteAI use, Authorship, Conflicts of interest, Data availability, Publication ethics, License & copyright, Open access, Peer review, Trial registration / reporting guidelines
- AI use Generative AI Images
Please check Springer’s policy on generative AI images and make sure your work adheres to the principles described therein.
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Authorship Authorship principles
4 to 6 keywords required Model summary
These guidelines describe authorship principles and good authorship practices to which prospective authors should adhere to. Authorship clarified The Journal and Publisher assume all authors agreed with the content and that all gave explicit consent to submit and that they obtained consent from the responsible authorities at the institute/organization where the work has been carried out, before th…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Conflicts of interest Competing Interests
Authors are requested to disclose interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work. Disclo…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Data availability Data availability statements
All original research must include a data availability statement. This statement should explain how to access data supporting the results and analysis in the article, including links/citations to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Please see our full policy here. If it is not possible to share research data publicly, for instance when individual privacy could be com…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Publication ethics Compliance with Ethical Standards
COPE member Model summary
To ensure objectivity and transparency in research and to ensure that accepted principles of ethical and professional conduct have been followed, authors should include information regarding sources of funding, potential conflicts of interest (financial or non-financial), informed consent if the research involved human participants, and a statement on welfare of animals if the research involved an…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- License & copyright Copyright
Open Choice articles do not require transfer of copyright as the copyright remains with the author. In opting for open access, the author(s) agree to publish the article under a Creative Commons license. Details of the OA licences offered to authors can be found on the individual journal website, in the journal's How to publish with us guide. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Open access Open access publishing
To find out more about publishing your work Open Access in Rheumatology International, including information on fees, funding and licences, visit our Open access publishing page. Back to top
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Peer review Double-Blind Peer Review
Double-blind peer review Model summary
This journal follows a double-blind reviewing procedure by experts in the field. Editors are ultimately responsible for weighing reviewer critics and revision or publication decisions that may not abide by reviewer recommendations. Authors are requested to submit: • A blinded manuscript without any author names and affiliations. This blinded version should start directly in the introduction. The a…
Source ↗Publisher website ·- Trial registration / reporting guidelines Clinical Trial Registration
The World Health Organization (WHO) definition of a clinical trial is "any research study that prospectively assigns human participants or groups of humans to one or more health-related interventions to evaluate the effects on health outcomes". The WHO defines health interventions as “A health intervention is an act performed for, with or on behalf of a person or population whose purpose is to ass…
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
- Springer Berlin Heidelberg
- Country or region
- GERMANY
- Language
- English
- Frequency
- Tri-annual
- Founded
- 1981
- ISSN
- 0172-8172
- Electronic ISSN
- 1437-160X
- Official links
- Journal homepage ↗OpenAlex
- Submission system ↗LetPub
- Author guidelines ↗LetPub
- Special issues ↗Publisher website
FAQ
Frequently asked questions about Rheumatology International
What CAS zone is Rheumatology International in?
In the 2025 upgraded edition of the CAS Journal Ranking, Rheumatology International is in Zone 3 of Medicine, and in Zone 4 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 Rheumatology International?
The latest impact factor listed by LetPub is 3.46; CiteScore 5.6, h-index 118.
How long does peer review take at Rheumatology International?
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 54 days (interquartile range 35–81 days); the community-reported acceptance is “about 75%”. 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 International?
According to the journal's author guidelines: Abstract: 150–250 words; Keywords: ≥ 4; Reference style: Numbered, in order of citation; Suggested reviewers: 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 International based?
Of the 35 board members whose country the journal's board page names, none are in mainland China; the countries named most often are Türkiye (8), Poland (5) and Ukraine (4). Counted from the institutions listed on the board page; for reference only.
Which databases index Rheumatology International?
According to LetPub and DOAJ records, Rheumatology International is indexed in SCIE and Scopus. The journal's website also lists MEDLINE, Embase, CAS, CAB Abstracts and Current Contents; that list has not been checked against each database.
Is Rheumatology International open access, and what is the APC?
Rheumatology International is a hybrid journal. For open-access publication: APC about USD 4,990.
Sources and updates
The facts on this page come from LetPub, OpenAlex, Publisher website; 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: .