Occupational Therapy Now - CAOT's Practice Magazine
Guidelines for Authors
Occupational Therapy Now is published by the Canadian Association of Occupational Therapists (CAOT) and provides occupational therapists with information to meet the challenges of their day-to-day practices. Articles in both print and on-line versions encourage discussion and debate of occupational therapy practice issues. Topics include clinical applications of recent research and theory, evidence-based practice, socio-cultural, political and economic influences on occupational therapy, as well as other information relevant to the profession at large. Articles also appeal to anyone with an interest in occupation and its impact on health – health care practitioners, consumers, policy and decision makers and members of the general public.
Where do I start?
CAOT Publications ACE welcomes submissions that contain practical information and/or encourage discussion of professional issues. For every type of article we look for clear, easily understood and interesting writing. There are currently regular columns. Your articles may fit under one of these columns or be featured separately. Some styles of writing include: "how to" articles, interviews or personality profiles, informational, inspirational, "it happened to me", opinion and humour articles.
Before writing your article, it is a good idea to send an outline to the managing editor for some initial feedback and ideas regarding style.
How long should my article be?
Our readers tell us that they are short on time so make every word count – be precise and be concise. Articles should be no longer than 1500 words. Brief notices can be as short as 50 words but still of interest to readers.
What happens after I submit my article?
Occupational Therapy Now is published bimonthly beginning with the January/February issue. Every effort is made to publish your article as soon as possible. Articles which are time sensitive take precedent. Obviously articles which do not require too many revisions are processed faster. You may wish to refer to the CAOT Style Guide when preparing your article.
To submit an article you will need an author's package which contains the author's guidelines, a submission form and two copyright release forms. All the forms must be submitted along with your article. You may submit an electronic copy of your article in Word, preferably in a .doc or .rtf format. The accompanying forms should also be submitted either electronically, by fax or by mail. We ask that you take special note of the section on the submission form which asks if you have had your article reviewed by a colleague. A colleague, knowledgeable about your subject matter, can offer you invaluable feedback and may prevent unnecessary revisions once your article is in process. A cover sheet should accompany your article which includes: proposed title of your article, each author's name, credentials, address, phone numbers and a brief biography.
Once the managing editor receives your article, it will be reviewed by the applicable column editor and occupational therapists with expertise in the subject area. Articles which do not fall under a particular column's mandate will be reviewed by two occupational therapists with expertise in the subject area. Suggestions for major revisions will be sent to the authors and a second draft will be requested. Minor, copy-editing revisions will be made and sent to you, for review, prior to publishing.
An important note about copyright
Articles are submitted to Occupational Therapy Now on the understanding that they are not simultaneously under consideration by any other publication and have not been previously published. Articles published in Occupational Therapy Now are copyrighted by CAOT and may not be published elsewhere, in whole or part, without written permission from CAOT. By submitting an article to Occupational Therapy Now you are giving us permission to publish all or part of it. Before publication, all authors must sign a copyright release form.
If you use or refer to someone else's ideas, you must acknowledge this by citing the original source in the reference list. Please refer to the the American Psychological Association Style Guide for information on correct referencing.
Authors are responsible for obtaining releases for all copyrighted materials they wish to use in their article and any associated fees.
Does publishing in Occupational Therapy Now prevent me from later publishing in the Canadian Journal of Occupational Therapy (CJOT)?
No, it doesn't necessarily mean that. Writing for Occupational Therapy Now is more informal, often anecdotal and the articles are shorter. You may consider publishing preliminary ideas, programme descriptions, or perhaps an opinion in OT Now, that you later develop for consideration in CJOT.
For information regarding CJOT submissions, please contact the editor, Marcia Finlayson through CAOT's National Office.
Are photographs or illustrations considered?
Yes!! Photographs help tell the story and attract the reader's attention. When submitting photographs, remember the following:
- Colour photos are preferred. If taking the photos yourself try to shoot subjects with a contrasting background.
- Try to get people doing things described in the article.
- A release is necessary – use sample in the Author's Package.
- Place photos or slides between two pieces of cardboard to keep them protected in the mail. Always keep the negative or copies of the photos in case the originals are lost.
- Print your name and the subject of your article on the envelope containing the photo(s).
- Do not write on the front or back of the photo, do not use paper clips, do not cut individual negatives.
- Write captions and photo credits on separate paper.
- Photos will be returned if a self-addressed return envelope is provided.
- Digital photos must be taken at no less than 300 DPI.
Please send submissions to:
Brenda Lammi, Managing Editor
Questions should be directed above or to:
CAOT National Office
CTTC Building, Suite 3400
1125 Colonel By Drive
Ottawa, ON K1S 5R1
(800) 434-2268, ext. 232
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