To find research to publish in addition to what is submitted organically, the AC&R editorial board may reach out to authors with work of interest to the journal, including at ACR Convergence. “In addition, many of the people on the editorial board are researchers with their own circles of research peers and spheres of influence, so they also reach out in other ways to encourage submissions of research that would be of interest to our readers.”
Presenting a Package
Many of the monthly AC&R’s issues cover an assortment of topics, but each year the journal publishes a themed issue. An example is the January 2025 issue on environment, geography and rheumatic disease. “Hopefully, themed issues like this one encourage authors to submit to us papers on that topic,” she says. “And for readers, themed issues give them a nice package of articles and accompanying editorials covering the latest work in an area.” We’re already accepting papers for the 2026 themed issue on pain science and therapy in rheumatic disease. Announcements for other themed issues are forthcoming.
The journal’s website also groups special collections of recent articles on a particular topic, so readers have quick and easy access to them. As of 2024, for example, a special collection on diversity, equity and inclusion listed more than two dozen articles from 2021–2024 on such subjects as interpreting and addressing racial, ethnic and socioeconomic inequities in care and outcomes; the effects of COVID-19 on patients and practices globally, particularly among vulnerable communities; approaches to increase participation by under-represented groups in behavioral intervention programs and tactics to ensure health data includes the diversity of populations. Other special collections include recent articles on systemic sclerosis, reproductive issues in rheumatology, rheumatology training and workforce, and pediatric rheumatology.
Along those same lines, the AC&R editorial board periodically requests review articles from experts in different fields as a way to give readers comprehensive overviews of pertinent work on various topics of interest. “Our primary emphasis is on publishing original research and new findings, but it is also helpful for readers to see good, thorough summaries of current important issues,” she says. “To that end, we’re taking a strategic approach toward inviting expert review articles as an added benefit for our readership.”
For the Reader
The editorial board is always seeking ways to highlight the journal’s relevancy and increase access to articles through multiple means of communication. Toward that end, the editorial board and ACR journals team have been expanding opportunities presented by social media. “For posted articles, we are now tracking those that have more clicks and more responses, which is a good indicator that specific topics are of high interest to people,” Dr. Allen says, noting that such insights help the journal keep its finger on the pulse of its readers.
