Author Guidelines

Instructions for Authors

1. Aims, Scope, and General Information 

Rheumatology (Bulgaria) publishes peer-reviewed research articles, review articles, clinical case reports, and editorial commentaries. National and regional guidelines and recommendations relevant to Bulgarian and Balkan rheumatology are also considered, subject to independent peer review and full ethical compliance. The aim of the journal is to help scientific authors formulate and structure their hypotheses, plan their research studies, and rigorously consider related aspects of research and publication ethics. The journal's scope encompasses theoretical and practical issues related to rheumatology and allied fields of medicine. The editors actively promote published works through available open-access platforms to attract global readership.

2. Article Types, Templates, and Manuscript Length 

The Journal publishes several types of articles. Authors must adhere strictly to the maximum manuscript length requirements (inclusive of references, tables, and figures):

• Original Research Articles: Up to 15 standard typewritten pages (STPs).

• Review Articles: Up to 17 STPs. Review articles presenting a new hypothesis or summarizing data should be highly structured.

• Editorials and Case Reports: Up to 10 STPs.

Note: One STP equals 1,800 characters, including spaces. Approximately 2.5 STPs correspond to one printed journal page (A4 format).

Authors must utilize the official article templates (available as of 19 Jan 2026, Updated 24 May 2026) prior to submission:

• Research Article: EN

• Review Article: EN

• Case Report: EN

The Journal editors encourage authors to familiarize themselves with the following documents prior to manuscript submission:

• Recommendations for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of scholarly work in medical journals (ICMJE).

• The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.

3. Language, Preparation, and Formatting of Manuscripts 

Manuscripts must be written in English. Well-edited submissions in either British or American English are strongly encouraged to attract global readership; however, mixing language styles in a single article is unacceptable. Where feasible (but not mandatory for non-Bulgarian authors), authors are encouraged to provide a Bulgarian translation of the abstract to support local dissemination. It is the authors’ responsibility to ensure that their manuscripts are substantively edited and corrected for readability. The Journal editors will check the readability of submissions and may suggest editing prior to review, or reject outright based on poor language quality.

While editing, authors should avoid copying sentences or larger passages of text and graphics from published works. Referring to highly relevant literature, primarily items retrieved from multidisciplinary bibliographic databases, is mandatory. Referring to each scientific fact requires at least one reference, but citing multiple examples of similar references (more than 3) for a single point is not acceptable. Referring to primary rather than secondary literature is advisable. Authors are also advised to adhere to the San Francisco Declaration on Research Assessment (DORA).

4. Structure of the Manuscript 

Manuscripts should consist of the following ordered sections:

• The title page must include:

• The manuscript title (maximum 30 words, reflecting key concepts and searchable keywords). Authors should avoid using abbreviations in titles.

• Full names of all authors (first name, middle initial if applicable, and family name).

• Author affiliations, clearly identified by numeric superscripts.

• Full contact details of the corresponding author (name, postal address, telephone, e-mail).

• ORCID iD of the corresponding author (mandatory); ORCID iDs of all co-authors are strongly encouraged and should include full information regarding biographic notes and academic commitments.

• Optional: authors’ professional social media identifiers (e.g., X/Twitter handles).

• A declaration by the corresponding author confirming that the work has not been published previously, except as an abstract at a scientific meeting.

• Original Articles, Review Articles, and Case Reports must have an abstract of up to 300 words, following the structure presented in the journal’s templates for the respective article type. A list of keywords (preferably 4-6 relevant Medical Subject Headings [MeSH] terms) must follow the abstract.

• Abbreviations in the text should be clearly explained when mentioned first. Confusing abbreviations must be avoided.

• Original Research Articles must include distinct sections according to the structure presented in the journal’s templates for the respective article type. All manuscripts must clearly state the study aim. Review Articles are strongly recommended to follow recognized principles for narrative reviews or systematic reviews and meta-analyses. Systematic review authors are highly encouraged to register protocols in PROSPERO.

• Formatted in line with the ICMJE authorship criteria.

• Recognize individuals who contributed to the work (e.g., language editing, statistical analyses) but do not meet ICMJE authorship criteria, as well as institutional support.

• Conflicts of Interest Disclosures.

• Funding.

• Ethics Approval and Written Informed Consent Statements.

• References, Tables, and Figure Legends.

5. How to Cite and Format Reference Lists 

References must be cited in the text numerically using Arabic numerals in square brackets (e.g., [1, 2, 3]) and presented in the reference list strictly in order of appearance. The reference list should follow Index Medicus journal abbreviations, standard biomedical formatting, and the guidance of the ICMJE. The authors should be familiar with the contents of all cited items and ensure they are appropriately matched. If a cited work has up to three authors, all names must be listed. If there are more than three authors, list the first three followed by "et al.". Only the first word of the article title and words that normally begin with a capital letter are capitalized.

Full bibliographic information for a reference must include the author name(s), article title, and the source title, adhering to the journal abbreviations found in the National Library of Medicine (NLM) Catalog.

Examples of References:

• Journal article: Yakub YN, Freedman RB, Pabico RC. Renal transplantation in systemic lupus erythematosus. Nephron. 1981;27(1):197–201.

• Book chapter: Wilkinson AH. Evaluation of the transplant recipient. In: Danovitch GM (ed.). Handbook of Kidney Transplantation. 2nd ed. Boston: Little, Brown and Co.; 1996:109–122.

• Book: Sharma A. Textbook of Systemic Vasculitis. New Delhi: Jaypee Brothers Medical Publishers; 2015:20–30.

• Web source: Read the Budapest Open Access initiative. [Updated 2002]. [Accessed April 16, 2019]. http://www.budapestopenaccessinitiative.org/read

6. Tables and Figures 

Tables, figures, and images should be embedded directly in the text, each accompanied by a clear title and legend. Figures should be presented at high resolution (at least 300 dpi). 

7. Research Reporting Guidelines to Consult 

While structuring their manuscripts, authors are strongly requested to consult the following main research reporting guidelines:

• PRISMA (for systematic reviews and meta-analyses)

• STROBE (for observational studies)

• CARE (for case reports)

• ARRIVE (for animal research)

8. Internal and External Peer Review Policy 

All submissions are checked by the editorial team and external reviewers prior to a publication decision. Rheumatology (Bulgaria) operates a single-blind peer review model (reviewer identity is blinded). Reviewers must act confidentially, declare conflicts of interest, provide constructive and timely reviews, and alert editors to any ethical concerns. Reviewer recognition via Web of Science is fully supported.

The Editor-in-Chief invites reviewers based on their academic record and specialized expertise. Reviewers are expected to strictly adhere to established ethical guidelines for peer review.

9. Research Ethics and Patient Privacy 

Authors are required to report in the Methods section the ethics approval protocol number, date, and the name of the approving institution. A statement regarding written informed consent must accompany any study involving human subjects. Ethics approval of longitudinal and archival studies should be dated prior to the start of the research. Research must rigorously comply with:

• The WMA Declaration of Helsinki.

• EU legislation on animal research.

• The NIH Policy on the Use of Laboratory Animals.

Patient privacy and data protection must be strictly respected. Case studies of patients must not disclose their identity under any circumstances.

10. Authorship Criteria and Contributors 

The Journal editors fully endorse the principles of integrity and scholarly visibility articulated in the Sarajevo Declaration on Integrity and Visibility of Scholarly Publications. Consistent with these principles, authors are strongly advised to register for the Open Researcher and Contributor iD (ORCID) and provide their informative ORCID iDs within their manuscript submissions.

Adherence to the authorship criteria established by the ICMJE is mandatory for all contributors. Acceptance as an author requires fulfilling the following conditions:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND

2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND

3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND

4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet these criteria, including those providing language editing or statistical analysis, must be recognized in the Acknowledgements section.

11. Conflicts of Interest and Funding Disclosures 

Authors are responsible for full disclosures of any financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that may compromise the trustworthiness of their manuscripts. All submissions must include:

• A comprehensive Conflict of Interest Statement from all authors.

• Disclosure of all sources of financial or material support, including grants, institutions, associations, or explicit confirmation of no funding.

• The completion of the official ICMJE Conflict of Interest Disclosure Form.

12. Plagiarism, Redundancy, and Preventive Procedures 

All submitted manuscripts undergo automated similarity screening for text and graphics plagiarism. Plagiarism, redundant publication, and unethical overlap are handled strictly according to COPE guidelines. The authors of reviews will be asked to ensure that all parts of their manuscripts are free of copied texts and may be requested to add a Disclaimer stating no part of the manuscript is published elsewhere. Submission of articles already published in whole or in part elsewhere is unacceptable. Preprints (e.g., medRxiv, bioRxiv) are permitted with transparent disclosure upon submission. Ethical secondary publications (e.g., society guidelines) may be considered with official permissions, adhering strictly to ICMJE recommendations.

13. Corrections and Retractions 

Corrections will be published by the editors if minor mistakes are detected in published articles. Major errors, lack of ethics approval, substantive plagiarism, research misconduct, and other violations of publication ethics will inevitably require retractions in line with COPE retraction guidelines. The Publisher fully supports editorial independence and corrective database notifications when misconduct is confirmed.

14. Copyright, Distribution Licenses, and Open Access 

Authors who publish in Rheumatology (Bulgaria) agree to the following conditions:

• Authors retain full copyright of their work.

• Authors grant the journal the right of first publication.

• The published article is made available under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0), permitting free use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium or format, provided the original work is properly cited.

• Authors may enter into separate, additional contractual arrangements for the non-exclusive distribution of the journal’s published version, provided that its initial publication in Rheumatology (Bulgaria) is appropriately acknowledged.

• By submitting a manuscript, authors confirm the work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal. Authors are encouraged to reposit their published articles on platforms like ResearchGate and share information through social media channels.

15. Privacy Statement and GDPR Compliance 

Rheumatology (Bulgaria) operates under the responsibility of the Publisher, acting as the Data Controller in accordance with the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Through the Open Journal Systems (OJS 3.5), the journal collects personal data (e.g., names, affiliations, emails, ORCID iDs) exclusively for manuscript submission, peer review, editorial decision-making, and academic indexing (e.g., Scopus, Crossref, Google Scholar). Personal data are safeguarded through technical measures such as role-based access control and password-protected accounts, and are never sold or used for commercial marketing. Under GDPR, users retain rights to access, correct, restrict processing, and request erasure of their data where legally permissible.

16. Open-Access Publication and Charges

The Journal editors are committed to the highest standards of transparency and best practices in open-access scholarly publishing. The following guidelines are regularly consulted to align the journal’s website and editorial policies with global standards: Principles of transparency and best practice in scholarly publishing.

The Journal operates under the Gold Open Access model. All published content is made available fully and immediately upon publication, ensuring unrestricted global access for all readers. To support this model and cover publication, editorial, and technical infrastructure costs, the journal requires an article processing charge (APC) for accepted manuscripts. 

The Journal editors strictly enforce the principles articulated in the following landmark declarations:

• The Budapest Open Access Initiative.

• The Berlin Declaration on Open Access to Knowledge in the Sciences and Humanities.

• The Bethesda Statement on Open-Access Publishing.

Article Processing Charges (APC)

Articles submitted to the Journal after August 1, 2026, and subsequently accepted for publication, are subject to an obligatory publication fee:

• Standard Publication Fee: EUR 100 (Net, exclusive of 20% VAT). 

Fee Waivers and Exemptions

In special cases, the Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to modify or waive the publication fee.

The following categories of submissions are entirely free of charge:

• Editorials by invitation

• Invited Reviews

• Letters to the Editor commissioned by the Editorial Office

• Review articles commissioned by the Editorial Office

Payment and Invoicing Instructions

An invoice will be sent once the paper is officially accepted for publication. Payment is due within 21 days of receiving the confirmation of acceptance and the invoice. The publisher does not cover bank transfer costs; all transaction fees must be borne by the payer.

The corresponding author is responsible for providing all documentation necessary to process the bank transfer correctly. The payer must indicate whether they require an institutional invoice and provide the accurate billing data. For this purpose, authors must complete the attached APC Form. If no specific invoicing information is provided, a standard payment receipt will be issued. The official invoice will be generated after the payment has been credited to our account.

Payment must be made via bank transfer to the following corporate account:

• Account Holder: RBJ Scientific Press LLC 

• Beneficiary Address: 12 Strahil Voyvoda St, Fl. 7, Ap. 19, Varna 9000, Bulgaria

• Beneficiary Bank: DSK Bank EAD

• Beneficiary Bank Address: 19 Moskovska St, Sofia 1036, Bulgaria

• Beneficiary Bank SWIFT/BIC: STSABGSF

• IBAN / Account No.: BG47STSA93000032680581

• Account Currency: EUR

• Payment Reference: Manuscript ID (e.g., MS-00012-2026) and Corresponding Author’s First and Last Name

17. Pre-Submission Preparation Checklist 

Manuscripts must be submitted exclusively via the journal’s online submission system following the registration/login of the corresponding author. All submissions must fulfill the following requirements prior to upload:

• The submission meticulously meets all requirements outlined in the Author Guidelines.

• The submission has not been previously published, nor is it before another journal for consideration.

• All references have been verified for absolute accuracy and completeness.

• All tables and figures have been appropriately numbered and embedded directly in the text.

• Explicit permission has been obtained to publish all photos, datasets, and other supplementary material provided with the submission.