- Editor guidance
- COPE principles
For Editors
Editors of the Journal of Arthritis Research and Therapy oversee the assessment of manuscripts on arthritis and rheumatic disease, from initial screening to the editorial decision, and uphold the journal’s standards of publication ethics.
Editorial responsibilities
- Scope and screening
- Assess each assigned manuscript against the Aims and Scope and the journal’s minimum requirements before it is sent for review.
- Reviewer selection
- Invite reviewers with relevant subject and methodological expertise who are independent of the authors.
- Evaluation
- Read the manuscript and weigh the reviewer reports, which are advisory, in reaching a recommendation or decision.
- Communication
- Give authors clear, constructive reasons for decisions and specific guidance on requested revisions.
- Research integrity
- Act on concerns about research or publication ethics in line with COPE guidance, together with the editorial office.
Independence and conflicts of interest
Editors provide scholarly stewardship by overseeing peer review and upholding publication ethics. Editors recuse themselves from decisions on their own submissions; those manuscripts are handled independently.
An editor who has a competing interest in a manuscript, such as recent collaboration with an author, a shared institution, a personal relationship, or a financial interest in the work, declares it to the editorial office and does not handle that manuscript. Editorial Board membership confers no advantage in the review or acceptance of an editor’s own manuscripts.
Handling peer review
- Screening
- All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal’s scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review.
- Review model
- Single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. When double-blind review is requested, editors must ensure that author-identifying information is not shared with reviewers.
- Reviewers
- Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts. Reviewers suggested by authors are invited only when they are independent of the authors.
- Revisions
- Revised manuscripts are checked against the reviewers’ and editor’s requests; further review is arranged when the changes are substantial.
Ethics checks
Editors confirm that the following are addressed, as applicable to the study and article type, before a manuscript is accepted. The full requirements are in the Editorial Policies.
- Originality. Similarity reports from Crossref Similarity Check, powered by iThenticate, are assessed in context by the editor.
- Human participants. Ethics committee approval and informed consent, or a waiver documented by the ethics committee, where applicable.
- Animal research. Animal-ethics approval and reporting in line with the ARRIVE guidelines, where applicable.
- Trial registration. Interventional clinical trials must be registered in an accepted public trial registry at or before the first participant provides consent for enrollment.
- Data availability. Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement.
- Authorship and disclosures. Author contributions, competing interests and funding are stated.
- Concerns. Suspected plagiarism, data fabrication or duplicate publication are referred to the editorial office and handled following COPE guidance.
Decisions and confidentiality
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. Decisions are independent of the article processing charge and of any fee, service, membership or role, and take the form of acceptance, minor revision, major revision or rejection. Appeals are considered through a documented process coordinated by the editorial office.
Submitted manuscripts, reviewer identities and review reports are confidential. Editors do not upload manuscript content to AI tools where confidentiality cannot be assured. Reviewers must obtain journal permission before using AI to assist with a review. Any permitted use must be disclosed.
Joining the Editorial Board
Researchers with expertise in arthritis and rheumatic disease who would like to serve as editors can apply online or write to the editorial office at [email protected] with a CV and a short statement of interest.