American Journal of Occupational Therapy

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE^®) Standards and Interpretive Guide provides the required elements for educational programs and establishes critical competencies necessary to prepare students to become entry-level occupational therapists (OTs) or occupational therapy assistants (OTAs). The Standards review process is completed every 5 years to ensure that the entry-level educational standards reflect current occupational therapy practice. ACOTE uses a comprehensive review process to ensure participation by all stakeholders and communities of interest. For more information, please visit the ACOTE website at www.acoteonline.org.

The Accreditation Council for Occupational Therapy Education (ACOTE®) has adopted new accreditation standards for doctoral-degree-level occupational therapy programs, master’s-degree-level occupational therapy programs, baccalaureate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant programs, and associate-degree-level occupational therapy assistant programs. Programs will be required to comply with the new 2023 Standards by July 31, 2025.

The American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT) is the official journal of the American Occupational Therapy Association (AOTA). The primary mission of AJOT is to publish peer-reviewed research examining the effectiveness and efficacy of occupational therapy practice so that occupational therapy professionals can make informed, evidence-based decisions about best practice. In addition, the journal aims to publish (1) research documenting the reliability and validity of occupational therapy instruments; (2) studies demonstrating a relationship between occupational engagement and the facilitation of community participation and health; and (3) articles that provide a forum for scholars to debate professional issues that affect education, practice, and research. This Guidelines for Contributors to AJOT is also available at the American Journal of Occupational Therapy manuscript submission website, ScholarOne (go to https://mc04.manuscriptcentral.com/ajot and click “Instructions & Forms” in the upper right). These guidelines are published annually in a supplement to the journal; any changes implemented in the interim are published to the Author Guidelines page on the AJOT website (go to https://research.aota.org/ajot/pages/authorguidelines).