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Australian Occupational Therapy Journal: 2020 in Review Professor Louise Gustafsson, Editor-in-Chief, Australian Occupational Therapy Journal
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s I enter my second year as editor-inchief of the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal (AOTJ), I would like to update the Australian occupational therapy community on recent activities of the editorial board. In 2020, the board focused on two specific areas—governance and reputation—outlined below with other activities and initiatives.
Governance
The board has been supported by OTA to further develop governance, including: • The introduction of an expression of interest process for board membership in 2019 • A new board structure, including associate editors and editorial members, to support all aspects of board activity and succession planning • Further development of the board’s terms of reference and position descriptions • Introduction of confidentiality statements, a code of conduct, and conflict register for all members
Reputation
I have worked closely with Wiley Publishing to further develop journal practices related to manuscript submission, management, and production. In the first journal editorial of 2020 (Gustafsson, 2020a), I spoke of the aim to reduce timelines, and highlighted that this could be impacted by many factors related to the editor-in-chief, associate editors, reviewers, authors, and publishers. I am very pleased to report that the current journal timelines, considered excellent from a publishing standard, are:
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• Average days from submission to first decision: 27 • Average days from submission to final decision: 39.9 • Average days from acceptance to early online publication: 31 In addition, the editorial board has been reviewing practices in alignment with publishing ethics, which it is formalising into policy documents. For example, the journal editorial in Issue 5 (Gustafsson, 2020b) overviewed the editorial policy for managing manuscripts written and submitted by members of the editorial board. It is important to note that these practices are not necessarily new. Formalising them into policies is designed to ensure continuing, clear, and transparent practice.
Other Activities and Initiatives
Did you know the AOTJ is on Twitter, where we share journal content, editorial board initiatives and activities, and other key information with our followers? Make sure you are following us to keep up to date @AusOTJournal. We introduced the Cochrane Corner in the journal in the second half of 2020. Developed in collaboration with the Cochrane Rehabilitation group, it presents easily accessible and understandable information about a Cochrane systematic review relevant to occupational therapy. We have published two Cochrane Corners, and more are being developed. Have you read them? We are interested to receive feedback on this new section.
A group of board members is working on a special project to explore consumer involvement with the journal. Research protocols and ethics are being finalised to support wide engagement with the community to understand if, and how, consumers would like to be involved. Thank you to the editorial board of 2020 for its continuing commitment to the AOTJ. I am supported by an exceptional group of occupational therapists who volunteer in this role. Special mention to Professors Sally Bennett and Reinie Cordier who completed their terms in 2020 after significant contributions. The members of the editorial board for 2021 are: Associate Editors: Professor Ted Brown Professor Angus Buchanan Dr Kate Laver Associate Professor Carol McKinstry Associate Professor Genevieve Pepin Editorial Board Members: Dr Tammy Aplin Dr Nerida Hyett Dr Stephen Isbel Dr Jacki Liddle Dr Carolyn Murray References Gustafsson, L. (2020a). The Business of a Journal: Stakeholders and Processes. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 67(1), 1-2. https://doi. org/10.1111/1440-1630.12636 Gustafsson, L. (2020b). Ethical and Transparent Practices of the Editorial Board. Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, 67(5), 397-398. https://doi.org/10.1111/14401630.12701
