Submissions

Author Guidelines

The Human Occupation Journal is the principal scientific knowledge translation avenue of the Colombian College of Occupational Therapy. It is a biannual publication, aimed at disseminating knowledge in the field of human occupation. It is characterized by plurality and it provides a means for both Occupational Therapists as well as professionals from other disciplines to disseminate their research advancements and meaningful experiences, contributing to the
development of the profession, the advancement of science and the impact of their actions on society.

Types of contributions

Scientific and Technological Research Articles: Considered as an original article derived from completed investigations; should include introduction, objectives, methodology, results, discussion and conclusions.

Review article: Manuscript derived from a systematic literature review of
a scientific topic. It should include introduction, development, discussion and conclusions. At least 50 references used within the text required are required for acceptance.

Reflection article: Presents the results of an investigation from an analytical, interpretative or critical perspective of the author, on a specific topic, using original sources. It includes the problem statement or introduction, topic development, discussion, conclusions and references.

Short article: Collects information on an ongoing investigation or presents partial or preliminary results. Should include introduction, methodology, results, discussion and preliminary conclusions.

Case report: Presents a professional experience based on the study of particular cases of interest to the professional community. It represents a successful experience in a person, community or situation, discussing the issues and future approaches. It contains an introduction, case presentation, a brief review of the topic, discussion, conclusions and references.

Translation: Translations of classical or current texts or historical documents’ transcripts of particular interest to the field of knowledge of the journal.

Letters to the Editor: Reflections derived from previously published manuscripts, which enable the professional community to gain awareness of different positions and therefore encourage an open debate.

Bibliographic Review: Presents bibliographic novelty of interest to scientific community.

Thematic Review: Critical analysis of the literature on a specific topic.

Editorial: Considers an orientation to the topic of the journal or to a situation of particular interest to the scientific community. Editorials will be written by the Editor, members of the editorial committee or an invited guest who in the opinion of the committee members may be of interest.

Submission requirements

The submitted manuscripts will meet the following criteria:
Preparation in letter size, preferably in Microsoft Office Word or a compatible word processor; in 12 point Arial font; 1.15 line spacing; references in font size 10; and 2.5 cm margins. The maximum length is 15 numbered pages, including figures, photographs or other illustrations, and references.

The first page of the manuscript will include the title in Spanish and English and the author(s) information (full names, titles, current institutional affiliation, email). The second page will include the abstract and keywords. The abstract must have an extension between 150 and 200 words and present the core elements of the article: in the case of research papers include objective, methodology, key findings and conclusion. The abstract must be presented in Spanish and English. It is the responsibility of the authors to ensure that a good quality translation is provided.

Keywords (maximum five) should be included in the Unesco Thesaurus, the Health Sciences Descriptors - DeCS or Medical Subject Headings - MeSH.
Tables and figures must be referenced in the text, be numbered and contain a title. If these have already been published, the source must be acknowledged. For the publication of pictures or protected copyrighted figures, authors should submit authorization use from the copyright owner. Pictures and figures must be high quality and resolution. When pictures of patients or users are included, these must be accompanied by the appropriate written consent. Tables and figures will be submitted in a separate Word document and must be legible, presented in black and white or gray scale.

References will be placed on a separate page at the end of the document. They must be formatted according to the American Psychological Association (APA) last issued standards. All included references must be used in the text, and will be organized in alphabetical order in the reference section, by last name of the first author, with the structure shown below:

Trujillo, A. (2002). Occupational therapy: Knowledge and practice in Colombia. Bogota: Editorial Universidad Nacional de Colombia.

Other types of citations (articles, electronic documents, etc.) will be consulted by the authors in the APA standards.

Manuscript Submission

The Journal of Human Occupation only accepts original and unpublished works written in Spanish, English or Portuguese, according to the origin of the authors. All submissions must be accompanied by a letter signed by each of the authors including their identification information (name, address, email address and phone). The letter must certify the originality of the text, the responsibility of the author(s), the transfer of publishing rights to the Human Occupation Journal and the declaration of conflicts of interest, according to the template provided by the journal and available at the end of this guide. The manuscripts and documents must be submitted throughout the OJS platform of the Human Occupation Journal.

Review process and arbitration of articles

Upon receipt of the article through one of the mechanisms outlined above, and after verification of compliance with author guidelines, the Editor will present the article to the Editorial Committee and the Scientific Committee, who will review and approve the relevance of its publication in the journal. If pertinent, the Editorial Committee may request adjustments to the text before it is sent for peer review.

The manuscript will then be sent to two national or international academic peers, external to the journal, with expertise in the content area, who will assess its quality. Peer evaluators can make comments on the article and will issue a concept based on their academic expertise in the subject. In case of any controversies, the article will be sent to a third reviewer. If the manuscript is accepted with revisions, the latter will be sent to the authors to make the necessary revisions. Authors must forward the revised text within the set deadline, after which it will undergo another round of reviews.

The review process will be double blinded, preserving the identity of the authors from the reviewers’ and vice versa.

Selection for publication

The reception of an article does not require the Journal of Human Occupation to publish the article. The Editorial Committee reserves the right to accept, reject, request changes and make the necessary corrections to adjust the submission to the style of the Journal and with careful conisderation the observations outlined by the reviewers in their concepts.

Finally, only those manuscripts that are delivered within the time limits and meet the requirements as established by the Editor in the review process will be considered for final publication. The estimated time for the review and publication process of an article is approximately six months. This time estimate is subjected to the extent of the required revisions as per the concepts emitted by the reviewers throughout the process.

Responsibility author

By signing the submission letter, the author(s) acknowledge the transfer of rights to the Colombian Association of Occupational Therapy, and the total content thereof and approval of the final version, certifying that the work has not been previously submitted to another journal and agreeing not to submit the article to another journal until a response from the Editor is received.

In any case it is the responsibility of the author(s) to ensure proper citation of all bibliographical sources. The journal assumes no responsibility for misuse, missing or distorting the ideas of the sources. Any opinions of the author that are published, do not represent the thinking of the College or the journal, nor an official position and should only be attributed to the writer.

The journal is vigilant of the respect of copyright. Any possible violations that are detected in the submitted articles will be analyzed first by the Editor and the Editorial Committee, relying on the support of available technological resources. If necessary, a second analysis and any possible sanctions will be conducted by the National Board of Directors of the Colombian College of Occupational Therapy.

To withdraw an article before publication, the author must send a request in writing to the Editor. The withdrawal will then become effective after a response from the editor.

Conflict of Interest Statement

The submission letter will include a statement in which the authors express their independence from the financial institutions or support, as appropriate, and will certify that during the execution of the work or the writing there has been no undue influence of others interests aside from investigative ones. Only manuscripts in which the authors have no conflict of interest will be considered for publication.

Whenever necessary, the authors will specify any financial support received from persons or institutions for the realization of the research from which the article derives. The Editor and the Editorial Committee will be mindful of any potential conflicts of interest that may affect the ability of peer reviewers to conduct a through and impartial evaluation of the text. Reviewers are formally precluded from using the information contained in the articles, which they are delegated to review.