EULAR Launches New Open-Access Journal

The European Alliance of Associations for Rheumatology (EULAR) is launching a new open-access journal — EULAR Rheumatology Open — in January 2025.

The announcement is one of many journal changes at EULAR; last year, BMJ and EULAR shared that they will no longer jointly own Annals of the Rheumatic Diseases (ARD) and RMD Open. BMJ now fully owns RMD Open, whereas EULAR owns ARD.

In August 2024, EULAR announced a new partnership with publishing giant Elsevier to publish ARD. The journal will be available on ScienceDirect beginning in January 2025.

“We are delighted that our flagship journal will continue its successful journey with the world’s largest publisher and feel like this partnership will equip us ideally for the challenges of the future,” said EULAR president Daniel Aletaha, MD, in a press release.

Elsevier will also publish EULAR Rheumatology Open, which will cover a “wide range of topics within rheumatology,” including basic science, clinical and translational research, epidemiology and public health, health economics and policy, and pediatric rheumatology.

EULAR did not have additional details to share regarding their plans for either ARD or the fledgling EULAR Rheumatology Open.

The ARD archive will continue to be hosted at ard.bmj.com, a BMJ representative told Medscape Medical News.

BMJ also noted that their now full ownership of RMD Open “shows our continued commitment to open access for research and our focus on advancing rheumatology research and care,” the representative said. “We are dedicated to supporting authors by providing multiple options for how they want to share their research, and as we grow our portfolio, we are focused on delivering on the needs of the medical specialties we serve.”