The year 2023 marks the 50th year of publication of The Journal of Rheumatology. To celebrate this milestone, I will look back on our history from its inception to the present day, highlight some significant accomplishments, examine the special features that will be published to mark the occasion, and consider the future.
The Journal was established in 1974 by Dr. Metro Ogryzlo as an independent, privately held, international medical journal that was not associated with a national rheumatology society. Metro was dedicated to the promotion of rheumatology. He recognized that the concept of rheumatology as a separate specialty was beginning to be recognized in North America, and, to help disseminate new scientific information, he created The Journal of Rheumatology. In 1974, there were only 11 other rheumatology journals and only one other journal was not associated with a national rheumatology society. The Journal began as a quarterly publication in March 1974. It was formally introduced at the VI Pan American Congress in June 1974 in Toronto. There were 130 pages total for the entire year of 1974. The Journal began publishing a bimonthly edition in 1979, and in 1988 it became a monthly print version (the 15th volume). With “Perspectives in Pediatric Rheumatology,” The Journal was the first journal to offer a publication dedicated to topics in pediatric rheumatology and continues to publish important research in this area.
Unfortunately, Metro did not see the fruits of his vision, as he passed away only 3 years later in 1977. Dr. Duncan Gordon took over as Editor-in-Chief of The Journal in 1977 and remained in this position for a remarkable span of 35 years until his passing in 2012. I took over from Duncan and remain the Editor-in-Chief today. From 1978 to 1994, Sonia Gruson served as the first Managing Editor; she was succeeded by Yvonne Pigott, who remained in that role until 2017. Presently, the Managing Editor is Carlyle Rodrigo.
In 2018, the Canadian Rheumatology Association (CRA) became the owner of The Journal. The Journal is not the official journal of the CRA. It continues to thrive as a separate publication with regard to all editorial and operational decisions.
The mandate for The Journal has been the publication of original clinical research articles, metaanalyses, systematic reviews, editorials, historical vignettes, case reports, medical educational papers, and letters in the field of rheumatology. Currently, The Journal receives an average of over 1500 submissions a year, approximately 1100 of which are research manuscripts. Approximately 80% of submissions are rejected. The impact factor as of 2021 is 5.346. The Journal publishes 15 to 20 articles each month. Supplement issues have been an important feature of The Journal. Supplements that have been featured include Proceedings of the Group for Research and Assessment of Psoriasis and Psoriatic Arthritis (GRAPPA) and Outcome Measures in Rheumatology (OMERACT); Canadian treatment recommendations for rheumatic diseases using Grading of Recommendations Assessment, Development, and Evaluation (GRADE) and living guidelines; and abstracts from the Canadian Rheumatology Association Annual Scientific Meeting.
In 1998, The Journal unveiled its first website. Online content from 2001 to the most recent edition is available on the website, and any items published before 2020 are freely available. All coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) articles are published as open access. The Editor’s Picks, which launched in 2018, is a podcast featuring an overview of our Expert Review series and Panorama articles (vide infra), a review of 5 selected articles of great interest or significance, and the Images in Rheumatology paper (a feature that debuted in 2007). One of the articles is chosen for a comprehensive interview with the author(s) and is available in both audio and video formats.
Aiming to highlight the work of our authors to a larger audience, Clinical Highlights for the Rheumatologist (CHR) was established in 2012. CHR is a bimonthly collection of up to 6 studies published in The Journal’s most recent issues chosen by the Editor-in-Chief for their clinical value. Each edition of CHR is sent to more than 4200 rheumatologists in the United States.
In 2021, we began publishing 2 new features: Panorama (360° View of Rheumatology) and Expert Reviews. Panorama is a feature that examines diverse issues in rheumatology from multiple perspectives, including those from patients, patient advocates, physicians, and trainees, among others. Topics to date have included the personal experience of a pediatrician who was the parent of a child with Kawasaki disease,1 COVID-19 issues including a physician’s perspective on unvaccinated patients and the effect of telemedicine on patient care,2 trials and tribulations of academic publishing,3 the inequality in healthcare delivery,4 and mixed media art depicting pain in osteoarthritis.5 This month’s Panorama section features an article by Dr. Alfonse Masi about his experiences with The Journal.6
Our Expert Review papers are invited submissions by clinicians, who may or may not be rheumatologists, and who have expertise in fields of interest and importance to rheumatology. To aid physicians in understanding the statistical techniques employed in articles published in The Journal, we are also publishing review articles. We would love to hear your thoughts on these features and all our articles.
In honor of the 50th anniversary, I will select 1 to 3 of our previously published manuscripts every 2 months that I believe have had a particularly significant influence on rheumatology. I will also include my reasoning for choosing these articles. The first article I chose for this month is “Evaluation of a Clinic Education Program for Patients With Rheumatoid Arthritis” by Vignos et al.7 This was one of the first controlled studies to assess the value of education for patients with rheumatoid arthritis in improving patients’ understanding of their disease in the long term. The second article is entitled “HLA B27 in Ankylosing Spondylitis: Differences in Frequency and Relative Risk in American Blacks and Caucasians” by Khan et al.8 This study showed that the incidence of HLA-B27 was lower in Black patients with ankylosing spondylitis (AS) than in White patients, and that its use for diagnostic purposes may lead to the underestimation of the incidence of AS in this population.
We will continue to be an independent, international publication committed to publishing the highest quality peer-reviewed content. We are dedicated to having a global influence on medical professionals to enhance patient care and quality of life for all individuals with rheumatological diseases. We will add new features over time that focus on what is important to the clinical practice of rheumatology. I welcome comments and suggestions regarding potential features. We value any and all feedback you may have regarding your experience over the past 50 years as a reader, author, or reviewer of The Journal of Rheumatology. Please join us in celebrating this important milestone.
Footnotes
The author declares no conflicts of interest relevant to this article.
- Copyright © 2023 by the Journal of Rheumatology
