British Journal of Occupational Therapy

 

Submission Guidelines: British Journal of Occupational Therapy (BJOT)

 

This Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
This Journal recommends that authors follow the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals formulated by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Please ensure that you read these full submission guidelines, including the requirements for the Article Type you are submitting, before proceeding with your submission. Then visit the journal’s submission site to upload your manuscript. Manuscripts not conforming to these guidelines may be returned.

There are no fees payable to submit or publish in this Journal. Open Access options are available - see section 4.3 below. Only manuscripts of sufficient quality that meet the aims and scope of BJOT will be reviewed.

The Sage Author Gateway has some general advice on how to get published, plus links to further resources. When writing up your paper, think about how you can make it discoverable. The title, keywords and abstract are key to ensuring readers find your article through search engines such as Google. For information and guidance on how best to title your article, write your abstract and select your keywords, have a look at this page on the Gateway: Help Readers Find Your Article.

CONTENTS (click to navigate)

1. General submission requirements
2. Specific requirements for article types
3. Editorial policies
4. Publishing policies
5. Preparing your manuscript
6. Submitting your manuscript
7. On acceptance and publication
8. BJOT Appeal policy
9. Further information

1. General Submission Requirements

Before submitting your manuscript to BJOT, ensure that you have read the Aims & Scope. For full information on current strategy and preferred topics, see the journal description and a recent editorial on the journal’s strategic direction. Submissions should offer something new in terms of research and should have international relevance. You are discouraged from submitting multiple-part articles or papers that primarily ‘repackage’ data already presented previously. When writing your article, bear in mind that it will need to be understandable, and relevant, for an international readership.

For all submissions upload a Title page (this is not seen by reviewers) and the main article in the format required. See Journal layout for important requirements. You may also submit an optional Cover letter outlining anything you wish to bring to the Editor-in-Chief’s attention (not seen by reviewers).

Ethics approval: For all research article and practice analysis submissions ensure that anonymized ethics approval information is in the article and that the full information (including year of approval) is in your Title page. See Preparing your manuscript for further requirements.

Informed Consent: Your submitted article must include a sentence (usually in the Method is best) confirming that written informed consent was obtained from all participants, or a sentence explaining why this was not required/obtained. You should be able to produce this consent if there are queries. See Research ethics and patient consent for further details.

Manuscripts should be written in concise, fluent and grammatically correct English and should have been carefully prepared prior to submission using the guidelines below.

Manuscripts submitted to the journal should not be simultaneously under consideration by any other publication and should not have been previously published. You will be asked to confirm this (on behalf of all authors on the submission) during submission and at submission of revised papers.

As part of the submission process you will be required to warrant on behalf of all authors that you are submitting your original work, that you have the rights in the work, that you are submitting the work for first publication in the Journal and that it is not being considered for publication elsewhere and has not already been published elsewhere, and that you have obtained and can supply all necessary permissions for the reproduction of any copyright works not owned by you.

Back to Contents

2. Specific Requirements for Article Types

We publish obituaries rarely, prioritising individuals who have had a significant international influence on research in the profession. Contact the journal for further information.

At present we are not accepting book reviews, practice analysis, opinion pieces or letters to the editor. We particularly encourage submissions of systematic reviews, and feasibility and pilot studies. We also welcome submissions of RCT Protocols, which are reviewed in house by members of the editorial board.
Please note that there is some flexibility in regard to word length and references length, should the submission warrant this, but please contact us first to discuss at BJOTeditorial@rcot.co.uk.

Please read the full requirements for the article type you wish to submit (click to navigate)

2.1 Research
2.2 Review
2.3 Registered Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Protocols
2.4 Editorials
2.5 Summary table of requirements

2.1 Research

Research articles should normally be between 2,000–5,000 words (main text, not including references) and should have not more than 35 references. Table text is not generally considered part of the word count unless the table is deemed unnecessary since the text would be more appropriate within the main text. Articles with more than this may be returned at submission.

Quantitative, qualitative and mixed method studies are all eligible for submission. A research article should be original and present an advance in knowledge that has international relevance.

Submissions reporting RCTs should be of registered trials, with the full registration details in your title page and the trial number in your abstract. Please see Clinical Trials

Feasibility or Pilot Studies/Trials can be submitted in this category. Your title and abstract should both indicate clearly the kind of study (feasibility or pilot). We encourage submissions that adhere to the CONSORT extension for feasibility and pilot trials.

Title Page: Ensure full ethics approval information (including year) and any acknowledgements required are in your separately uploaded Title page. See Journal layout for requirements. This does not go to reviewers.

Abstract: A structured abstract of around 200 words should be supplied under the headings Introduction, Method, Results (or Findings) and Conclusion. Do not include references in your abstract. Avoid abbreviations or acronyms in the abstract unless absolutely necessary. If you have to use an abbreviation you must state it in full the first time, and also restate the full name with abbreviation on the first mention in the main text.

Article structure: 

Most research article submissions will be structured with the following sections:

Introduction: A brief rationale for the study and an outline of the primary aims, hypotheses or research questions.
Literature review: A critical appraisal of current relevant literature, identifying limitations in knowledge and a rationale for the study.
Method: Justification of method(s) of data collection and analysis, described to allow replication of the study, with coherence between methodology, data collection and analysis. Issues concerning validity, reliability, trustworthiness, credibility and ethics must be addressed. Please note singular is the norm (Method).
Results/Findings: The results must be presented in a way that is accessible to readers and clearly linked to the aim(s) of the research and methods employed.
Discussion and implications: The implications of the study for occupational therapy must be outlined and the contribution of the study to the current state of knowledge stated. Limitations must be addressed and further areas of work outlined.
Conclusion: A clear summary of the main points of the paper. Please note singular is the norm (Conclusion).

Include ANONYMIZED information on ethics approval in your article and a sentence confirming written informed consent, or why it was not required.

Include these before your Reference list (if published they will appear in text boxes in the article):

Key findings – a summary statement of two or three bullet point key findings. These should not exceed 30 words in total (10–15 words each).
What the study has added – a succinct statement of how the study has contributed to the relevant field. This should be a single sentence, of around 30 words in total.

Tables and figures. We normally request a maximum of four in total unless there are special circumstances, which must be explained in your cover letter (or by emailing us to discuss). Large tables or other additional supplementary data can be hosted online only by Sage.

See Journal layout for requirements on preparation of Tables and Figures.

Appendices. Please keep these to a minimum and only include where the information is vital and not available elsewhere.

Back to Contents

2.2 Review

Review articles should not normally exceed 5,000 words (main text) and should have not more than 20 references, in addition to all the articles included in the review (please include all these within the Reference list). Table text is not generally considered part of the word count unless the table is deemed unnecessary since the text would be more appropriate within the main text.

Your title and abstract should both indicate clearly which kind of review you are submitting. Please be rigorous in your chosen methodology, citing relevant guidelines. Your review should have relevance for the profession, internationally, and should not duplicate or be very similar in scope to other recently published reviews.

See this recent BJOT Editorial on Reviews by Professor Carolyn Unsworth.

Example review types:

• A systematic review should answer a defined, focused question (for example, questions about intervention effectiveness) using systematic and explicit methods to obtain an unbiased and analytic review of as much of the relevant research as possible.
• A scoping review provides an overview of a broad field, to map a body of knowledge, summarize existing literature and identify gaps or deficiencies in existing evidence.

For all reviews, you are required to use PRISMA reporting guidelines (see Reporting guidelines) and must include a PRISMA flow diagram for your search process. Authors are also encouraged to consult The Joanna Briggs Institute Reviewers' Manual (available at http://joannabriggs.org/ ) on the relevant methodology.

Your review submission should normally follow the structure below, noting the word length and reference limits.

Title Page: Ensure any acknowledgements required are in your separately uploaded Title page. See Journal layout for requirements. This does not go to reviewers.

Abstract: A structured abstract of around 200 words under the headings Introduction, Method, Results (or Findings) and Conclusion. Do not include references in the abstract. Avoid abbreviations or acronyms. If used, you must state it in full the first time, and also restate on the first mention in the main text.

Article structure:
Most submissions will be broadly structured as follows:

Introduction and Literature Review: An explanation of the area or topic. This section should argue why the particular review is necessary, identifying limitations in knowledge and presenting a strong rationale for the study with reference to a review of available and relevant literature.
Method: The approach taken to search the literature, the databases searched, the search parameters and key terms used, the inclusion and exclusion criteria used to identify key articles, and the criteria used to critically appraise the articles and how key information was extracted.
Results/findings: Presentation of the main evidence and a summary of its quality. 
Discussion and implications: An outline of the implications of the review for occupational therapy; highlight the methodological limitations of the review, identify any gaps in the literature and make recommendations.
Conclusion: A clear summary of the main points of the paper and conclusions drawn.

If it is necessary (less likely for a review) include anonymized information on ethics approval in your article and a sentence confirming written informed consent, or why it was not required.

Include these before your Reference list (if published they will appear in text boxes in the article):
Key findings – a summary statement of two or three bullet point key findings. These should not exceed 30 words in total (10–15 words each).
What the study has added – a succinct statement of how the study has contributed to the relevant field. This should be a single sentence, of around 30 words in total.

Tables and figures. We normally request a maximum of four in total unless there are special circumstances, which must be explained in your cover letter (or by emailing us to discuss). Large tables or other additional supplementary data can be hosted online only by Sage.

See Journal layout for requirements on preparation of Tables and Figures.

Appendices. Please keep these to a minimum and only include where the information is vital and not available elsewhere.

Back to Contents

2.3 Registered Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Protocols

RCT Protocols should be a maximum of 5,000 words and contain at most 35 references. Tables and figures should not exceed four in total unless by prior arrangement with the journal and should not duplicate material already presented in the main text.

Trials should be registered. Registration should normally meet the requirements of the WHO and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) as well as meeting the policies of your country of organization. For more information consult WHO recommendations on trial registration.

Authors are requested to ensure they have followed the CONSORT checklist for RCT protocols as relevant.

Your submission should normally follow the structure of a Research Article (see 2.1 Research article), noting the word length and reference limits.

Title Page: Ensure full ethics approval information (including year), full trial registration details and any acknowledgements required are in your separately uploaded Title page. See Journal layout for requirements. This does not go to reviewers.

Abstract: A structured abstract of around 200 words under the headings Background, Method/Design, Discussion and Trial Registration. Do not include references in your abstract. Avoid abbreviations or acronyms. If used, you must state it in full the first time, and also restate on the first mention in the main text.

The protocol can be for proposed or current research.

• The journal may consider publishing protocols without peer review where the study protocol has already received ethics approval and a grant from a major funder.
• Please provide details of trial registration in the abstract.

Tables and figures. We normally request a maximum of four in total unless there are special circumstances, which must be explained in your cover letter (or by emailing us to discuss). Large tables or other supplementary data can be hosted online only by Sage.

See Journal layout for requirements on preparation of Tables and Figures.

Appendices. Please keep these to a minimum and only include where the information is vital and not available elsewhere.

Back to Contents

2.4 Editorials

We welcome Editorials that raise issues of importance to the profession. They should normally be within around 700–1000 words, and with 5-7 references unless additional materials have been discussed and approved. Generally, we prefer you contact us first prior to considering a submission. Please note that views expressed in Editorials are not necessarily shared by the BJOT Editorial Board or the RCOT.

2.5 Summary table of requirements

Before submitting please read the other submission guide requirements in detail.

Table text is not generally considered part of the word count unless the table is deemed unnecessary since the text would be more appropriate within the main text. There is some flexibility in regard to word length and references length, should the submission warrant this, but please contact us first to discuss at BJOTeditorial@rcot.co.uk.

Category (click for detailed requirements)	Abstract	Main article word count	References
Research	200 words, structured abstract	5,000 maximum + References	35 maximum
Review	200 words, structured abstract	5,000 maximum + References	20 maximum in addition to those included in the review (list all in the References)
Registered Randomised Controlled Trial (RCT) Protocols	200 words, structured abstract, include registration number at end.	5,000 maximum + References	35 maximum
Editorials	None	Around 700-1000 words + References, or more by discussion with editor-in-chief. May be edited for publication	5–7 preferred, or more by agreement with editor
Obituaries	None	Please contact BJOTeditorial@rcot.co.uk before submitting as we only publish occasional obituaries

3. Editorial policies

Please read all policies carefully before submitting (click to navigate)

3.1 Peer review policy
3.2 Authorship
3.3 Acknowledgements (including writing assistance)
3.4 Funding
3.5 Declaration of conflicting interests
3.6 Research ethics and patient consent
3.7 Clinical trials
3.8 Reporting guidelines
3.9 Data

3.1 Peer review policy

BJOT is owned by the Royal College of Occupational Therapists (RCOT). The journal is editorially independent of the RCOT, which does not participate in the selection of manuscripts or in the wording of any individual pieces. All submissions to the journal are subject to peer review by at least two reviewers. BJOT operates a double-anonymized reviewing policy in which the reviewers and authors are unaware of each other's identities. The Editor-in-Chief has final ruling on manuscript decisions. The Editor-in-Chief is not an employee of the RCOT, and the Editorial Board members are drawn from the international occupational therapy research community and other relevant fields of research. On occasions where a manuscript is authored/co-authored by a member of the journal’s Editorial Board or editorial team, the article is dealt with away from the Editor or Editorial Board member and follows the same double-anonymized reviewing policy as all manuscripts submitted into the journal. The peer review process is confidential to the Editor-in-Chief and editorial team; the RCOT does not participate in or monitor peer review. Content-related decisions are based on quality, importance and relevance to occupational therapy internationally.

3.2 Authorship

All authors on a paper should have agreed to its submission, and the submitting author submits on all author’s behalf. When submitting, it is important to check that all those whose work contributed to the paper are acknowledged as contributing authors.

The list of authors should include all those who can legitimately claim authorship. This is all those who meet ALL FOUR of the following criteria, in line with ICJME recommendations:

• Made a substantial contribution to the concept or design of the work; or acquisition, analysis or interpretation of data,
• Drafted the article or revised it critically for important intellectual content,
• Approved the version to be published,
• Each author should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content.

All who meet the four criteria should be identified as authors. When a large, multicentre group has conducted the work, the group should identify the individuals within it who accept direct responsibility for the manuscript. These individuals should fully meet the criteria for authorship. All contributors who do not meet the criteria for authorship should instead be listed in an Acknowledgements section.

Acquisition of funding, collection of data, or general supervision of the research group or individual researcher does not constitute authorship.

Please note that AI chatbots, for example ChatGPT, should not be listed as authors. For more information see the policy on Use of ChatGPT and generative AI tools.

3.3 Acknowledgements

Please supply any personal acknowledgements in your separately uploaded Title page, in order to facilitate anonymous peer review.

Examples of those who might be acknowledged include a person who provided purely technical help, an academic supervisor who was not directly involved in the research, or a department chair who provided only general support.

Third party submissions

Where an individual who is not listed as an author submits a manuscript on behalf of the author(s), a statement must be included in the Acknowledgements section of the manuscript and in the accompanying cover letter. The statements must:

•    Disclose this type of editorial assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input 
•    Identify any entities that paid for this assistance 
•    Confirm that the listed authors have authorized the submission of their manuscript via third party and approved any statements or declarations, e.g. conflicting interests, funding, etc.

Where appropriate, Sage reserves the right to deny consideration to manuscripts submitted by a third party rather than by the authors themselves.

Writing assistance

Individuals who provided writing assistance, e.g. from a specialist communications company, do not qualify as authors and so should be included in the Acknowledgements section. Authors must disclose any writing assistance – including the individual’s name, company and level of input – and identify the entity that paid for this assistance.

It is not necessary to disclose use of language polishing services.

3.4 Funding

BJOT requires all authors to acknowledge their funding in a consistent fashion under a separate heading.  Please list funding or state that: This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors. For more information on Funding Acknowledgement see the Sage Author Gateway.

3.5 Declaration of conflicting interests

BJOT’s policy is to require a declaration of conflicting interests from all authors, enabling a statement to be carried within the paginated pages of all published articles. The submitting author should ensure that this statement is accurate on behalf of all authors.

Please ensure that a ‘Declaration of Conflicting Interests’ statement is included at the end of your manuscript, after any acknowledgements and prior to the references. If no conflict exists, please state that ‘The Author(s) confirm(s) that there is no conflict of interest’. If your declaration would identify authors, anonymize it or include in your Title page instead. For guidance on conflict of interest statements, please see the ICMJE recommendations on Reporting Conflicts of Interest.

3.6 Research ethics and patient consent

Medical research involving human subjects must be conducted according to the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki

Submitted manuscripts should conform to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals, and all papers reporting animal and/or human studies must state in the Method section that the relevant Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board provided (or waived) approval.

In your separately uploaded Title page please ensure that you have provided the full name and institution of the review committee, in addition to the approval number and the year of approval. In your article file submission please include but anonymize any ethics approval information that identifies affiliation.

Written informed consent: For research articles, authors are also required to state, preferably in the Method section, whether participants in a study provided written informed consent. If written informed consent is not obtained, provide a sentence in the paper clearly explaining why not and what kind of consent was obtained.

Patient consent: Separately, as relevant, a statement is required regarding whether written informed consent for patient information and images to be published was provided by the patient(s) or a legally authorized representative. Information on informed consent to report individual cases or case series should be included in the manuscript text. You can access the BJOT consent form during online submission – click on the Instructions and Forms link on the top right on the ScholarOne webpage.

Please also refer to the ICMJE Recommendations for the Protection of Research Participants.

3.7 Clinical trials

BJOT conforms to the ICMJE requirement that clinical trials are registered in a WHO-approved public trials registry at or before the time of first patient enrolment as a condition of consideration for publication. The trial registry name and URL, and registration number must be included at the end of the abstract. See also a recent editorial on clinical trial registration, reprinted in BJOT.

3.8 Reporting guidelines

The relevant EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines should be followed depending on the type of study. For example, all randomised controlled trials submitted for publication should include a completed CONSORT flow chart as a cited figure and the completed CONSORT checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include the completed PRISMA flow diagram as a cited figure and the completed PRISMA checklist should be uploaded with your submission as a supplementary file. The EQUATOR wizard can help you identify the appropriate guideline.

Other resources can be found at NLM’s Research Reporting Guidelines and Initiatives.

3.9 Data

Sage acknowledges the importance of research data availability as an integral part of the research and verification process for academic journal articles.

British Journal of Occupational Therapy requests all authors submitting any primary data used in their research articles allow this to be published in the online version of the journal, or provide detailed information in their articles on how the data can be obtained. Information provided should include links to third-party data repositories or detailed contact information for third-party data sources. Data available only on an author-maintained website will need to be loaded onto either the journal’s platform (to be hosted by Sage) or a third-party platform to ensure continuing accessibility. Examples of data types include but are not limited to statistical data files, replication code, text files, audio files, images, videos, appendices, and additional charts and graphs necessary to understand the original research. The editor may consider limited embargoes on proprietary data. The editor may also grant exceptions for data that cannot legally or ethically be released. All data submitted should comply with Institutional or Ethical Review Board requirements and applicable government regulations.

Statistical Analysis: Where statistical analyses have been carried out, please ensure that the methodology has been accurately described. In comparative studies power calculations are usually required. In research papers requiring complex statistics the advice of an expert statistician should be sought at the design/implementation stage of the study. Please state in your paper which version of any statistical analysis software was used.

Back to Contents

4. Publishing Policies

Please read all policies carefully before submitting (click to navigate)

4.1 Publication ethics
4.2 Contributor’s publishing agreement
4.3 Open access and author archiving

4.1 Publication ethics

Sage is committed to upholding the integrity of the academic record. We encourage you to refer to the Committee on Publication Ethics’ International Standards for Authors and view the Publication Ethics page on the Sage Author Gateway.

- Plagiarism

BJOT and Sage take issues of copyright infringement, plagiarism or other breaches of best practice in publication very seriously. We seek to protect the rights of our authors and we always investigate claims of plagiarism or misuse of published articles. Equally, we seek to protect the reputation of the journal against malpractice. Submitted articles may be checked with duplication-checking software. Where an article, for example, is found to have plagiarised other work or included third-party copyright material without permission or with insufficient acknowledgement, or where the authorship of the article is contested, we reserve the right to take action including, but not limited to: publishing an erratum or corrigendum (correction); retracting the article; taking up the matter with the head of department or dean of the author's institution and/or relevant academic bodies or societies; or taking appropriate legal action.

- Prior publication

If material has been previously published it is not generally acceptable for publication in a Sage journal. However, there are certain circumstances where previously published material can be considered for publication. If in doubt, contact the Managing Editor at  BJOTeditorial@rcot.co.uk

4.2 Contributor's publishing agreement

Before publication, Sage requires the corresponding author, on behalf of all authors, as the rights holder to sign a Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement. When you sign this you are doing so on behalf of all authors so it is important to ensure agreement. Sage’s Journal Contributor’s Publishing Agreement is an exclusive licence agreement, which means that the author or authors retain copyright in the work but grant Sage the sole and exclusive right and licence to publish for the full legal term of copyright. Exceptions may exist where an assignment of copyright is required or preferred by a proprietor other than Sage. In this case copyright in the work will be assigned from the author to the society. For more information please visit the contributor agreement information at the Sage Author Gateway.

4.3 Open access and author archiving

BJOT offers optional open access publishing via the Sage Choice programme and Open Access agreements, where authors can publish open access either discounted or free of charge depending on the agreement with Sage. Find out if your institution is participating by visiting Open Access Agreements at Sage. For more information on Open Access publishing options at Sage please visit Sage Open Access. For information on funding body compliance, and depositing your article in repositories, please visit Sage’s Author Archiving and Re-Use Guidelines and Publishing Policies.

Back to Contents

5. Preparing your manuscript for submission

Please read all topics carefully before submitting (click to navigate)

5.1 Formatting
5.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics
5.3 Supplementary material
5.4 Reference style
5.5 English language editing services
5.6 Journal Layout

5.1 Formatting

The preferred format for your manuscript is Word.

5.2 Artwork, figures and other graphics

For guidance on the preparation of illustrations, pictures and graphs in electronic format, please visit Sage’s Manuscript Submission Guidelines.  

Figures supplied in colour will appear in colour online and in the print issue. There is no charge for reproducing figures in colour in the printed version.

5.3 Supplementary material

This journal is able to host additional materials online (e.g. datasets, podcasts, videos, images etc.) alongside the full-text of the article. For more information please refer to our guidelines on submitting supplementary files

5.4 Reference style

BJOT adheres to the Sage Harvard reference style. View the Sage Harvard guidelines to ensure your manuscript conforms to this reference style. Please check your references carefully and ensure, in particular, that both volume and issue number are present for articles in journals, when both exist.

5.5 English language editing services

Authors seeking assistance with English language editing, translation, or figure and manuscript formatting to fit the journal’s specifications should consider using Sage Language Services. Visit Sage Language Services on our Journal Author Gateway for further information. There are also other similar services.

5.6 Journal layout

Accepted articles will be copy-edited using the Sage house style, which is based on Harvard. You do not need to prepare a camera-ready copy of your article but, for information, can consult the house style here.

Title page
Please prepare and upload a separate Title page, in Word, that is not part of your main article file. This page does not go to reviewers. Do not upload a pdf. The title page should contain:

• • Full title of the manuscript and short title
  • Authors’ names, listed in order for publication, with current position (job title) and affiliations
  • Name, postal address and email address of the corresponding author
  • Research ethics
    All papers reporting studies involving human participants or data must state which Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board approved the study, or waived the requirement for approval, providing the full name and institution of the review committee in addition to the approval number. If applicable, please also include this information in the Methods section of your manuscript. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section.
  • Consent statement
    Please state whether informed consent to participate was obtained from participants and whether the consent was written or verbal. If the requirement for informed consent to participate has been waived by the Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board, please state this. If this is not applicable to your manuscript, please state ‘Not applicable’ in this section. Submissions containing any data from an individual person (including individual details, images or videos) must include a statement confirming that informed consent for publication was provided by the participant(s) or a legally authorized representative. Non-essential identifying details should be omitted.
  • Declaration of conflicting interests
    ‘The Author(s) confirm that there is no conflict of interest’ OR list any conflicts of interest.

  • Statement of contributorship
    For multi-authored papers this statement should outline what each party contributed to the authorship of the paper. Authors should be identified by their initials. An example is shown below.

    • LM and HG researched literature and conceived the study. EF was involved in protocol development, gaining ethical approval, patient recruitment and data analysis. AB wrote the first draft of the manuscript. All authors reviewed and edited the manuscript and approved the final version of the manuscript.

  • Funding
    List any funding sources that funded this research or, if no funding, ‘This research received no specific grant from any funding agency in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.’
  • Acknowledgements
    The acknowledgements should also be included here — these should state clearly who is being acknowledged and why. Include any contributors who do not qualify for authorship (for example an academic supervisor who is not directly involve in the research study).
  • Patient and public involvement data

Patient and public involvement in research is defined as an active partnership between patients/members of the public and researchers. BJOT collects data on patient and public involvement in the research published within the journal. As part of the submissions questions, we ask that authors submitting research articles include the following statement in their manuscript on the title page:

‘During the development, progress, and reporting of the submitted research, Patient and Public Involvement in the research was:
 a.Included at all stages of the research
 b.Included in planning and progress of the research
 c.Included in the conduct of the research
 d.Included in the reporting of the research
 e.Not included at any stage of the research’ (delete as applicable)

It is important that the information in the title page is complete and accurate, as it will be used in your article if accepted for publication.

Main article
Please use Word for your main article file; do not upload a pdf. Figures and tables can be pasted into this file and/or uploaded separately. If you paste in images, please ensure you keep high quality versions (300dpi) on file as these may be needed later for typesetting.

Do not include unanonymized details of ethics approval in your main article. (Do include anonymized information and year.) Do not include full details on funding or other identifying information. Do not include acknowledgements. All these should go in your title page for now.

For reference list items by the authors (where redacting author names is more revealing than leaving them in) it is better not anonymize.

Do not forget to include the key findings and ‘what the study has added’ information, depending on article type.

Abstract
Please follow the requirements of the article type concerned.

Keywords
A maximum of six keywords should be provided to help with article database retrieval. 

Tables and Figures
The main text should clearly identify where each table and/or figure should be placed. Ensure that you refer to the table or figure in your main text, doing so in this format: Figure 1, Table 2 (not abbreviated). We request that you submit a maximum of 4 figures and tables in total, unless you have previously obtained approval for more from the BJOT editorial office.

Tables
Submitted tables should be primarily cell based and fully editable. Do not embed tables or provide them as graphics. Please use the Table option in Word (preferred) or similar. Do not use coloured text and avoid cell shading unless absolutely necessary.

Table captions should be in this format, and be placed above the table (in addition they can be inserted during the online upload process).
Table 1. This is the title of the table.
Please number tables consecutively and do not use parts (Table 2, Table 3 and not Table 2a, Table 2b)

Figures
Figures can be line drawings, graphs, images and photographs (colour or grayscale). Please include a caption that is not embedded in the figure itself, typed above the figure concerned (in addition they can be inserted during the online upload process).

Figure captions should be in this form, and placed above the figure (not embedded in it):
Figure 1. This is the title of the figure.

All images and photographs must be supplied at the highest print quality possible (300 dpi or higher). 

Photographs of people (whether participants or researchers) should have faces completely obscured – e.g. an oval

Table or figure notes: these should be positioned below the table or figure concerned.

Table and figure permissions: any tables or figures reproduced from another publication need permission. It is the author’s responsibility to obtain written (email) confirmation from the copyright holder, who may not necessarily be the author of the publication concerned.
 In cases where those publishers listed on the STM permission Guidelines page, permission is not required and only the reference number need by present in the caption. Some publishers ask for certain text, e.g. Elsevier.
In cases where permission is required and has been obtained, this should appear below the table in the following form: Source: reproduced with permission from publisher, author, date, and the full source should be listed in the references.

Further information on the Sage house style can be found by visiting this link Sage UK House Style.

Back to Contents

6. Submitting your manuscript

Please read carefully before submitting (click to navigate)

6.1 ORCID
6.2 Information required for completing your submission
6.3 Permissions

Submit your article at https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/bjot

You will be invited to make an account if you do not have one.

IMPORTANT: If you have reviewed or authored for the journal before it is likely that you will already have an account – possibly under an old email address. If so, please log in to this account where you can then edit and update your details.

For general guidance on submitting your manuscript online please visit ScholarOne Online Help.

6.1 ORCID

We encourage all authors to add their unique ORCID id to their Sage Track accounts and include their ORCID id as part of the submission process. If you don’t already have one you can create one here. As part of our commitment to ensuring an ethical, transparent and fair peer review process Sage is a supporting member of ORCID, the Open Researcher and Contributor ID. ORCID provides a persistent digital identifier that distinguishes researchers from every other researcher and, through integration in key research workflows such as manuscript and grant submission, supports automated linkages between researchers and their professional activities ensuring that their work is recognised.

The collection of ORCID iDs from corresponding authors is now part of the submission process of this journal. If you already have an ORCID iD you will be asked to associate that to your submission during the online submission process. We also strongly encourage all co-authors to link their ORCID ID to their accounts in our online peer review platforms. It takes seconds to do: click the link when prompted, sign into your ORCID account and our systems are automatically updated. Your ORCID iD will become part of your accepted publication’s metadata, making your work attributable to you and only you. Your ORCID iD is published with your article so that fellow researchers reading your work can link to your ORCID profile and from there link to your other publications.

6.2 Information required for completing your submission

You will be asked to provide contact details and academic affiliations for all co-authors via the submission system and identify who is to be the corresponding author. These details must match what appears on your manuscript. At this stage please ensure you have included all the required statements and declarations and uploaded any additional supplementary files (including reporting guidelines where relevant). If you are submitting a paper for a special issue, please choose this option from the manuscript type menu upon submission.

6.3 Permissions

Please also ensure that you have obtained any necessary permission from copyright holders for reproducing any illustrations, tables, figures or lengthy quotations previously published elsewhere. For further information including guidance on fair dealing for criticism and review, please see the Copyright and Permissions page on the Sage Author Gateway.

Back to Contents

7. On acceptance and publication

Please read carefully before submitting (click to navigate)

7.1 Sage Production
7.2 Online First publication
7.3 Access to your published article
7.4 Promoting your article

7.1 Sage Production

Your Sage Production Editor will keep you informed as to your article’s progress throughout the production process. Proofs will be sent by PDF to the corresponding author and should be returned promptly. Corrections and answers to queries from production should be marked clearly on the pdf.

Authors are reminded to check their proofs carefully to confirm that all author information, including names, job position, affiliations, sequence and contact details are correct, and that Ethics, Funding and Conflict of Interest statements are accurate. 

7.2 Online First publication

Online First allows final articles (completed and approved articles awaiting assignment to a future issue) to be published online prior to their inclusion in a journal issue. This significantly reduces the lead time between submission and publication. Visit the Sage Journals help page for more details, including how to cite Online First articles.

7.3 Access to your published article

Sage provides authors with online access to their final article.

7.4 Promoting your article

Publication is not the end of the process! You can help disseminate your paper and ensure it is as widely read and cited as possible. The Sage Author Gateway has numerous resources to help you promote your work. Visit the Promote Your Article page on the Gateway for tips and advice.  

Back to Contents

8. BJOT Appeal Policy

Submissions to BJOT can be rejected prior to review (‘desk reject’) or after review.

Authors have the right to appeal against an editorial reject decision. A reject decision is normally only overturned if an author makes a strong case for one of the following:

1. An error or significant misunderstanding by one or more of the reviewers or the Editor-in-Chief
2. Specific evidence of bias in a negative reviewer report

Please bear in mind that previous publication of papers on the same topic as yours in the journal is not a guarantee that your paper is of interest to us at this time.

How to make an appeal

To make an appeal, please email the Managing Editor in the first instance, clearly stating in detail the reasons for your appeal.  If your appeal concerns specific reviewer comments, please include a rebuttal to each of the relevant review points, outlining exactly why you disagree with the recommendation or views (a Word file is preferred).

Your letter will be acknowledged and passed to the Editor-in-Chief for consideration.  Appeal letters are not sent to reviewers and remain confidential to the editorial team, which may include the relevant Subject Editors. All appeals receive a response.

The Editor-in-Chief may decide one of the following:

1. Not to allow the appeal, since there are insufficient grounds to do so.
2. To allow the appeal and reverse or amend the decision.
3. To allow the appeal and send the paper to re-review, to the same or new reviewers, as appropriate
4. To invite the authors to submit a significantly revised version of the manuscript as a new submission at a later date

Appeals do not take priority over new and ongoing submissions and you may need to wait a few weeks
for a final response, especially if the Editor-in-Chief is consulting with Associate Editors or decides to send to re-review.

Please contact the Managing Editor (BJOTeditorial@rcot.co.uk) regarding appeals.

Back to Contents

9. Further information

Any correspondence, queries or additional requests for information on the manuscript submission process should be sent to the British Journal of Occupational Therapy editorial office.

Back to Contents