Publication Guide
The American College of Rheumatology (ACR) is the definitive US professional society for rheumatology - a not-for-profit association founded in 1934 that serves more than 10,000 physicians, health professionals, and researchers worldwide. Its journal program is small but authoritative: three peer-reviewed titles covering the full arc of rheumatic and autoimmune disease research, all published in partnership with Wiley and hosted on the ACR Journals site at Wiley Online Library.
If you work on rheumatoid arthritis, lupus, vasculitis, osteoarthritis, gout, or any other rheumatic condition, the ACR journals are among the most visible venues in the field. This guide covers which of the three titles fits your paper, the open-access options and fees, the peer-review process, and how to submit.
Which ACR journal fits your paper?
| You're most likely to... | Choose this journal |
|---|---|
| Report basic, translational, or clinical science on the causes and treatment of rheumatic disease | Arthritis & Rheumatology (A&R) - the ACR's flagship, established in 1958 as Arthritis & Rheumatism and renamed in 2014. The highest-profile venue in the portfolio. |
| Report outcomes research, epidemiology, health services, or clinical-practice studies | Arthritis Care & Research (AC&R) - focused on the natural history, treatment, and outcomes of rheumatic diseases, including work by and for the interprofessional care team. |
| Want a fully open-access venue with a broad rheumatology scope | ACR Open Rheumatology - the society's Gold OA journal, launched in 2019. Sound-science criteria with a wider scope than the two flagships. |
A useful feature of the portfolio: manuscripts declined by one ACR journal can often be transferred to another (most commonly to ACR Open Rheumatology) without reformatting or resubmitting from scratch.
What the ACR publishes
- Arthritis & Rheumatology - original basic and clinical research across the rheumatic diseases, plus reviews, ACR clinical guidelines, and classification criteria papers. Hybrid open access.
- Arthritis Care & Research - clinical and health-services research; the original journal was established in 1980, merged into Arthritis & Rheumatism in 2000, and relaunched as a standalone ACR title in 2010. Hybrid open access.
- ACR Open Rheumatology - fully open access since launch in 2019; publishes original research, reviews, and brief reports under Creative Commons licenses (CC BY, CC BY-NC, or CC BY-NC-ND).
The ACR also produces podcasts and clinical guidance documents, but the three journals above are its peer-reviewed research venues.
Open access and APCs
| Route | What it covers | Cost |
|---|---|---|
| Gold OA - ACR Open Rheumatology | Fully open-access journal; article published under a CC license immediately | APC up to ~$3,910 (USD; also listed at ~EUR 3,360 / GBP 2,940) - confirm on the journal's page before submitting |
| Hybrid OA - A&R and AC&R | Wiley's per-article OA option on the two subscription flagships | Per Wiley's current APC price list - check the journal's author page |
| Green OA (self-archiving) | Deposit of the accepted manuscript in a repository, subject to Wiley's embargo terms | Free |
| Read & Publish agreements | Institutional Wiley deals that can cover OA fees for affiliated corresponding authors | Free to the author if the institution has a qualifying agreement - check with your library |
Wiley's standard waiver and discount policy for authors in eligible lower-income countries applies to the OA options; eligibility is assessed at submission.
Peer review
ACR journals use single-anonymized peer review: reviewers know the authors' identities, but not vice versa. Editorial decisions are made by academic editors who are practicing rheumatologists and researchers. Decision times vary by journal and manuscript type; the journals do not publish a portfolio-wide average, so check recent author experiences for the specific title.
How to submit
- Pick the journal. Use the decision table above; when in doubt between A&R and AC&R, scope is the differentiator - mechanism and treatment science to A&R, outcomes and care delivery to AC&R.
- Read the author guidelines. Each journal has its own instructions on the ACR Journals site at Wiley Online Library.
- Format your manuscript. ACR journals use AMA-style numbered references. SciSpace templates for ACR journals handle the formatting automatically.
- Submit via ScholarOne Manuscripts. Each journal runs its own ScholarOne site, linked from the journal homepage.
- Consider transfer offers. If declined, you may be offered a transfer to another ACR title - reviews can travel with the manuscript, saving months.
Ethics and integrity
The ACR journals follow COPE guidance on publication ethics, and Wiley's integrity policies apply across the portfolio. Clinical trials must be prospectively registered, and ICMJE conflict-of-interest disclosure is required from all authors. Guideline and criteria papers go through the ACR's own rigorous development and approval process before publication.
