Arthritis & Rheumatism
Format and organization
Submit all new manuscripts online. Launch your Web browser and go to http://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/rheumjournal. Check for an existing account. If you are submitting for the first time, create a new account. Follow all instructions. At the end of a successful submission, a confirmation screen with manuscript number will appear and you will receive an e-mail confirming that the manuscript has been received by the journal. If this does not happen, please check your submission and/or contact tech support at
Submit manuscript and all figures as one file if possible. You do not need to mail any copies.
An electronic cover letter should accompany the manuscript. Note in cover letter what type of manuscript is enclosed (Full-Length Article, Brief Report, Case Report, Concise Communication, or Letter to the Editor). Confirm that the manuscript has not been submitted or is not simultaneously being submitted elsewhere, and that no portion of the data has been or will be published in proceedings or transactions of meetings or symposium volumes. The publication of data in abstracts, and presentation in oral or poster sessions at meetings, do not constitute previous publication. Indicate any financial support or other benefits from commercial sources for the work reported on in the manuscript, or any other financial interests that any of the authors may have, which could create a potential conflict of interest or the appearance of a conflict of interest with regard to the work. Corresponding author should include address, telephone number, fax number, and E-mail address if applicable.
Type all pages of the manuscript, including those containing references, tables, and figure legends, double space in 12-point type, with 1- to1½-inch margins. Number all sheets in succession, including references, tables, and figure legends. Title page is page 1. On the first page, type the title, name(s) of the author(s) and their major degrees, grant supporter(s), address for reprint requests, and corresponding author's telephone and fax numbers and E-mail address.
Genetic association studies
Highest priority for acceptance of genetic association studies will be given to reports of new associations that have mechanistic implications, test and validation populations, quantitative significance (high odds ratios), clinical importance, and novelty.
Submissions reporting associations that lack test/validation populations, or that report low odds ratios with no mechanistic implication or clinical importance, will not under most circumstances be considered unless special justification is presented. Submissions that lack statistical power to support the claims made will not be considered.
Confirmatory studies, including those in special populations, should be submitted as brief reports or concise communications, not as full-length articles (full data can be included on the authors', the journal's, or a public Web site).
Authors should consult the following publications for further guidance:
Huizinga TW, Pisetsky DS, Kimberly RP. Associations, populations, and the truth: recommendations for genetic association studies in Arthritis & Rheumatism. Arthritis Rheum 2004;50:2066-71
and
Little J, Higgins JP, Ioannidis JP, Moher D, Gagnon F, von Elm E, et al. STrengthening the REporting of Genetic Association Studies (STREGA): an extension of the STROBE instrument. Ann Intern Med 2009;150:206-15
Full-Length Articles, Reviews, and Brief Reports
Definition: Full-Length Articles are descriptions of original research that adds to the body of knowledge in arthritis and the rheumatic diseases. Reviews critically and analytically discuss new and rapidly evolving fields. Brief Reports are short papers of investigations into disease mechanisms, reports of clinical experience, therapeutic trials, or research and/or clinical contributions to diagnosis, treatment, etiopathology, and epidemiology of rheumatic diseases.
On the second page of Full-Length Articles and Brief Reports (but not reviews), include an abstract of fewer than 250 words. The abstract should be divided into the following sections: Objective, Methods, Results, and Conclusion.
On the third page, begin the introduction (no heading is necessary). Follow this plan of organization: Materials and Methods (or Patients and Methods), Results, Discussion, References, Tables, and Figure Legends. Organization of reviews should be appropriate to the topic discussed.
Full-Length Articles and Reviews should not exceed 4,200 words from introduction through discussion (not including references, tables, and figure legends). The total number of tables and figures combined may not exceed 6, and the number of references may not exceed 50. Captions of tables and figures should be brief but allow the reader to understand the purpose of the table or figure at a glance. Captions do not include descriptions of methods or other material more appropriately presented in the text.
Brief Reports should not exceed 2,500 words from introduction through references. The total number of tables and figures combined may not exceed 3, and the number of references may not exceed 15.
Case Reports
Definition: Case Reports are reports of single cases that contribute new knowledge of rheumatic diseases by reporting in-depth observations and/or laboratory investigations that may reveal etiopathogenetic mechanisms of a broader significance, or rarely by presenting a concise discussion of an infrequently encountered problem that emphasizes a particular clinical point not generally available in the literature. Emphasis will be placed on the scholarship of discussion and importance for understanding disease mechanisms or changing practice.
On the second page of Case Reports, include an abstract of less than 150 words. The abstract should not be divided into sections as required for Full-Length Articles and Brief Reports.
On the third page, begin the introduction (no heading is necessary). After the introduction, include a description of the case, followed by a general discussion.
Case Reports should not exceed 2,500 words from introduction through references. The total number of tables and figures combined may not exceed 3, and the number of references may not exceed 15.
Clinical Images
Definition: Clinical Images are photographic depictions (clinical, radiologic, or pathologic) of interesting rheumatologic phenomena. Clinical images should consist of no more than 2 figures (which should be oriented horizontally) and text of no more than 300 words. Reference citations are not required; if references are included, there should be no more than 3. Do not add separate figure legends to Clinical Images; the entire Clinical Image text is the figure legend. There is no page charge for Clinical Images.
Letters to the Editor/Concise Communications
Definitions: Letters to the Editor should be limited to commentaries on previous articles published in Arthritis & Rheumatism and issues affecting rheumatology and the American College of Rheumatology. Concise Communications should be very short reports of cases or research findings, with no abstract, subheads, or acknowledgments section.
Letters that are commentaries on previous articles must be submitted within 6 months after publication of the article.
All author names should be included in the manuscript of Letters to the Editor and Concise Communications.
Length of Letters to the Editor and Concise Communications should be no more than 2 pages, including references.
Only 1 table or figure may accompany a Letter to the Editor or Concise Communication.
Content
Do not use new technical words, laboratory slang, words not defined in dictionaries, or abbreviations or terminology not consistent with internationally accepted guidelines.
Define any abbreviations the first time they are used.
In order to make the description of patients as clear as possible and to facilitate comparisons with other studies, the Methods section should include, whenever possible, a short paragraph detailing the proportion of patients who satisfy the ACR classification criteria for the particular disease described.
Compliance with research ethics standards
Research carried out with human subjects must be in compliance with the Helsinki Declaration. A statement to this effect must appear in the Methods section of the manuscript, including the name of the body that gave approval. Similarly, for prospective studies involving animal subjects, the Methods section must include a statement indicating approval by the appropriate institutional review board or comparable formal ethics review committee. Clinical research studies must be registered with the appropriate national body. Compliance with Open Access regulations required by funding bodies, such as the National Institutes of Health, is required.
The journal reserves the right to subject any submitted text or figures to electronic scrutiny to ensure that text has not been plagiarized and images have not been inappropriately manipulated.
Illustrations
Images should be submitted with the manuscript in one of the following formats: .tif (preferred), .eps, .xls, or .doc. In the event a manuscript is accepted for publication, a set of hard-copy, publication-quality figures will be required.
Each figure must contain no more than 4 panels. A multiple-panel figure should be printed on 1 page, i.e., Figures 1A, 1B, and 1C should be on 1 page, not 3 pages. Each figure must be small enough that it can be reduced such that the figure, including the legend below it, will occupy no more than half of a journal page (i.e., 3¼ inch width x 8½ inch height, or 7 inch width x 4¼ inch height). Lettering and symbols on figures should be large enough, and shading distinct enough, to remain readable after the figure is reduced. Authors are expected to check their figures for legibility according to these rules before submitting manuscripts for review
Each figure legend should be no more than 200 words; lengthy descriptions of methods should appear in the Methods section of the article and not in figure legends.
Do not write on the back of any figure, but attach a label to each with the figure number and first author's name. Include on the label an arrow indicating which end is the top of the figure.
Although the letter of a multiple-part figure may be printed directly on the figure, the main figure number should not be (i.e., for Figure 2A, an "A" may appear on the figure, but "2" may not); the number will appear in the text of the figure legend.
Obtain releases from any patients whose identifiable pictures will be printed in the journal. Blinders on the eyes are not a substitute for patient's permission.
An article may include one page of color at no charge to the author. For subsequent pages of color, the author will be billed $500 per page.
Tables
Type tables entirely in double space. Do not include any vertical lines in tables. Include horizontal lines below the title and headings and above the table footnotes only; there should be no horizontal lines separating the individual lines of data in the table body. Limit the width of each table (number of columns) such that it will fit in portrait (not landscape) orientation on a journal column (3¼ inches) or page (7 inches) and will not exceed the height of the page. Refer to current issues of the journal for further guidance regarding table style.
Tables with sections (e.g., Table 1a, Table 1b) are not acceptable and will be handled as two separate tables unless the information can be logically combined into one table with one set of headings.
Provide each table with an explanatory title so that it is intelligible without specific reference to the text.
Provide each table column with an appropriate heading. Indicate clearly any units of measure on a table.
Lengthy descriptions of methods should appear in the Methods section of the article and not in table footnotes.
References
Compile references numerically according to the order of the citation. Use abbreviations for titles of medical periodicals that conform to those in Index Medicus.
In 1997, the journal changed its reference style to conform to the style suggested in the Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals. All references should be in this style, which can be found in the article "Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals" (N Engl J Med, January 23, 1997, pp 309-15). For a standard journal reference, the Uniform Requirements style is as follows:
Mattey DL, Hutchinson D, Dawes PT, Nixon NB, Clarke S, Fisher J, et al. Smoking and disease severity in rheumatoid arthritis: association with polymorphism at the glutathione S-transferase M1 locus. Arthritis Rheum 2002;46:640-7.
Assignment of reviewers
Authors are asked to suggest potential reviewers of their manuscript. If there are individuals they would prefer not to review their manuscripts, they may also indicate. Editors will consider these suggestions but are not bound by them.
Related manuscripts/Duplicate publication
If the authors are aware of any related manuscript (e.g., another manuscript resulting from the same study) that has been or will be published by or submitted to another journal or to Arthritis & Rheumatism, a copy of the other manuscript should be sent along with the one that is being submitted for publication in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Articles are received only for exclusive publication in Arthritis & Rheumatism with the understanding that they have not been published elsewhere (in part or in full, in other words or in the same words, in letter or article form, or otherwise), are not at the time of submission under consideration by another journal or other publication, and will not be submitted elsewhere unless rejected by Arthritis & Rheumatism. Publication of preliminary data in the form of an abstract generally is not considered duplicate publication unless the abstract exceeds two pages in length and/or is cited in PubMed.
If an author violates this requirement or engages in other similar misconduct, the Editor may, in addition to rejecting the manuscript, impose a moratorium on the acceptance of new manuscripts from the author and, if the misconduct is deemed sufficiently serious, may refer the matter to the author's academic institution or hospital and/or the appropriate state or local disciplinary body.
Disclosure of interest/copyright transfer
At the time a manuscript under consideration is sent for revision, the corresponding author must obtain the journal's Disclosure of Interest forms. The corresponding author should have each individual author fill out the form to disclose information about financial support and consulting activities that might be interpreted as constituting a possible conflict of interest for the study and about each author’s role in the study. The corresponding author must collect the completed forms from all authors and submit them to the journal editorial office along with the revised manuscript. Reported information that constitutes a possible conflict of interest, or the appearance thereof, will be divulged in a footnote.
The Disclosure of Interest form described above also contains a section in which, in accordance with the 1978 Copyright Law, authors are requested to sign a copyright transfer statement.
Author corrections on proofs
The corresponding author will be provided with page proofs and asked to check for errors and editorial queries. Although the correction of editorial and typographical errors will be made without charge, the cost of excessive additional alterations may be charged to the author.
Authors are requested to return corrected proofs and accompanying forms within 72 hours. Publication of the article may be delayed if the proofs are not sent back on time.
Page charge
A $70 per page charge will be assessed for publication in Arthritis & Rheumatism.
Instructions for payment will be sent to authors along with the proofs. In extreme cases of inability to pay, the page charge may be reduced or waived. There is no page charge for solicited articles, letters to the editor, or book reviews. Questions regarding the page charge should be directed to the Managing Editor, Arthritis & Rheumatism, 2200 Lake Boulevard NE, Atlanta, GA 30319.
