title: Elevating the quality of disability and rehabilitation research: mandatory use of the reporting guidelines.
abstract: Note from the AJOT Editor-in-Chief: Since 2010, the American Journal of Occupational Therapy (AJOT) has adopted reporting standards based on the Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials (CONSORT) Statement and American Psychological Association (APA) guidelines in an effort to publish transparent clinical research that can be easily evaluated for methodological and analytical rigor (APA Publications and Communications Board Working Group on Journal Article Reporting Standards, 2008; Moher, Schulz, & Altman, 2001). AJOT has now joined 28 other major rehabilitation and disability journals in a collaborative initiative to enhance clinical research reporting standards through adoption of the EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines, described below. Authors will now be required to use these guidelines in the preparation of manuscripts that will be submitted to AJOT. Reviewers will also use these guidelines to evaluate the quality and rigor of all AJOT submissions. By adopting these standards we hope to further enhance the quality and clinical applicability of articles to our readers.
authors.affiliation: Leighton Chan, MD, MPH, and Allen W. Heinemann, PhD, are Co-Editors-in-Chief, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
authors.forename: Leighton
authors.initials: L
authors.lastname: Chan
authors.affiliation: Leighton Chan, MD, MPH, and Allen W. Heinemann, PhD, are Co-Editors-in-Chief, Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation.
authors.forename: Allen W
authors.initials: AW
authors.lastname: Heinemann
authors.affiliation: Jason Roberts, PhD, is origin editorial.
authors.forename: Jason
authors.initials: J
authors.lastname: Roberts
mesh_terms: D035843:Biomedical Research / Q000592:standards*; D006233:Persons with Disabilities / Q000534:rehabilitation*; D035081:Editorial Policies; D017408:Guidelines as Topic; D006801:Humans; D009788:Occupational Therapy / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D010506:Periodicals as Topic; D012107:Research Design