The Journal of Acute Care for Occupational Therapy accepts several manuscript types. Use the author’s guidelines and instructions to support your manuscript content and format process.

Click the link to download the journal’s submission guidelines and instructions:

Author Guidelines and Instruction

For more details and education regarding the JACOT author submission process, watch the brief educational video regarding the author submission process.

Manuscript Types

Category of Manuscript	Page Limit	Abstract Word Count	Tables and Figures	References
Original Research	20-25	200	1-5	20-30
Quality Improvement OR Practice Guideline	20-25	200	1-5	20-30
Case Studies	10-15	200	1-5	20-25
Education Topic	10-15	200	1-5	20-25
Scoping Review	10-15	200	1-3	20-25

Manuscript Guidelines 

Manuscript Type	Guidelines
Original Research (e.g.,observational studies, case-control,cross sectional)	●      Refer to STROBE checklist for more information (Quantitative) ●      Refer to COREQ checklist (Qualitative)
Randomized Control Trial	●      CONsolidated Standards Of Reporting Trials (CONSORT 2025)
Systematic Review	●      Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic Review and Meta Analyses (PRISMA Checklist)
Case Study	●      Demographics of the population/case clearly described ●      Participant’s current clinical condition and history described ●      How were the participants assessed initially (i.e., objective measures should be measured) ●      What interventions or treatments were utilized within a given timeframe and practice context. ●      Are implications of the findings or patient outcomes stated and related to occupational therapy? ●      Refer to STROBE checklist for more information ●      (Gagnier et al.,2013)
Scoping Review	●      Refer to PRISMA for Scoping Reviews PRISMA-ScR checklist ●      Is a scoping review framework or methodology stated and used? ●      What are the implications for the profession of Occupational Therapy
Quality Improvements	●      Refer to SQUIRE guidelines (Ogrinc et al.,2008)
Educational Topic	●      Is learning theory or framework(s) stated and used to guide the methodology or process? ●      Is the topic relevant and current to occupational therapy education?

1. Original Research: Quantitative, Qualitative, Mixed Methods

Applied research manuscripts provide research findings that address clinical problems that are meaningful for acute care practice in occupational therapy. The research question should provide quantitative and/or qualitative information regarding effectiveness, efficiency, demographics, or safety with evaluative or intervention domains of occupational therapy.

Required Format for Manuscript:

Introduction & Background: The introduction should provide the rationale for the study with a connection to prior and current literature. This generally takes the form of identifying the status quo, identifying a conflict, and generating a hypothesis. There should be a clearly articulated aim, purpose, or goal of the study. The background should support the need for your topic to be studied.

Methodology: Institution Review Board (IRB) needs to be completed and acknowledged in this section. Methods section should include research design, number of subjects, the rationale for the sample size (power analysis), how subjects are assigned to groups, and justification for statistical analysis. Statements regarding the protection of subjects should be placed in this section (i.e. IRB Approval, informed consent). From a qualitative study standpoint, provide the details on the validity or coding aspect.

Results: Appropriate summary of data and statistical analysis. Occupational therapy practice standards are statistical significance at an alpha level of p<.05. For qualitative studies, clearly state the themes with quotes to support a given theme.

Discussion: In this section include: a discussion of the results in the context of the problem described in the introduction. Thoroughly describe the implications of your findings for occupational therapy in acute care and the constructs explored in the study. Describe any limitations of the study and goals for future research exploration.   Implications for occupational therapy role, considerations, and clinical relevance.

Conclusion: Synthesized summary of the study.

2. Practice Guidelines OR Quality Improvement Projects

Practice guideline manuscripts in this category should be original or a modified script from the guideline that addresses a specific clinical problem or area of expertise within occupational therapy in acute care. The guide should provide answers to a clinical problem, optimize patient care, facilitate collaborative measure between disciplines, and be reflective of ethical decision-making.

Quality improvement project manuscripts should provide a detailed background that identifies a practice problem within the acute care setting. The manuscript should provide an aim and/or objective(s) that are measurable and applicable to improving occupational therapy practice or client care in an acute care setting. The quality improvement project should provide examples of improvement and emphasize the impact on patient care in the acute setting.

3. Case Studies

Case studies are welcomed if the content is original, novice,  and adds depth to current knowledge. A case study should include some sort of outcome measurement (quantitative or qualitative) and provide implications for practice or research. The case study should offer sufficient description/detail to the facts of the case and be well connected to theory or research. A clearly articulated timeline of the client(s) process, experience, or progress through rehabilitation is encouraged.  Case studies are required to have patient consent documentation as well as IRB documentation expectations/standards for case studies included in the methods section of your manuscript.

4. Scholarly Education Topic

Manuscripts in this category include knowledge that addresses topics regarding  occupational therapy role in education in the acute care setting.  Education topics specific to staff training in a specific assessment or intervention, student curriculum, or client-centered education approaches.  Topics of interest for readers may include insight on curriculum development (i.e models of practice) focused in acute care for students,  fieldwork preparation for patient acuity, and employee skill-building through a variety of mediums (i.e. simulation center, role play use,  and online learning).

5. Scoping Review

A scoping review is identifying and providing insight on a range of existing evidence for a given topic. This type of review is designed to comprehensively review a large body of literature. The outcomes of scoping reviews may help organize a given topic (i.e., location, evidence type) as well as provide clarity surrounding definitions or concepts for a specific topic (i.e., population, assessment, intervention). When submitting a scoping review to the Journal of Acute Care for Occupational Therapy consider a topic that is relevant to acute care and occupational therapy. Include the following elements in your manuscript:

• Scoping Review Question
• The expertise of your reviewers and timing of review (length of completion)
• Sources and Search Process:  (PRISMA flow diagram; inclusion/exclusion criteria)
• Appraisal Process (clear description of the initial and critical appraisal process)
• Synthesis of Knowledge (commonalities found among multiple sources in the appraisal process)

 

Human Subject Protection

Any manuscripts that include data or information from human subjects are required to have institutional review board (IRB) approval or evidence to support exemption. Please indicate in your manuscript, within the methods section, the IRB number and date of approval. It is recommended that authors who are completing research with human subjects complete the Collaborative Institutional Training Initiative (CITI) through their institution or organization of employment.

 

Format Requirement

 

All manuscripts are to be formatted and written using APA 7th Edition.

Please ensure your manuscript submission format is:

• Ariel font
• 12-point font size
• Double-Space
• 1-inch margins
• References should include doi when available and should have active links present
• Title Page Contents: Title Name, Authors, Primary Author Contact Information
• Level 1 Headers: Introduction and Background, Methodology, Results, Discussion, and Conclusion
• American English punctuation, spelling, and grammar