The 2019-20 review cycle for nominations to the Academy of Research was the first cycle with the new criteria and new review process. Over the years, we learned some lessons that could strengthen the nominations and inform the review process. We recommend that nominators prepare the materials with the following considerations:

1. Nominator letters should provide evidence of engagement in original research and impact, as well as the value of the nominee’s contributions in light of the specific scientific domain. Nomination letters should not restate or summarize the nominee’s curriculum vitae but rather illustrate how the nominee’s contributions to their scientific domain match with Academy selection criteria.

We recognized that these elements may be defined differently among the scientific traditions throughout occupational therapy science, and we hoped that adding this to the instructions may ensure a more well-rounded review.

2. To ensure a fair review, nominees’ curricula vitae should directly address each stated criterion in the instruction materials.

• Specified roles on funded projects (e.g., principal investigator, co-investigator, consultant).
• Metrics of impact for published products (impact factor of journals, citations, and research impact indices such as h-index, citation score, field-weighted citation impact, etc.) including the source (Academic Analytics, Google Scholar, Research Gate, SciVal, Scopus, etc.).
• Notation to indicate seminal and/or field-changing contributions when appropriate.
• Notation to indicate senior authorship or mentored products when appropriate.
• A notation to indicate trainee publications, presentations, and awards.
• A brief personal statement within the curriculum vita that spells out the impact of research contributions on occupational therapy practice or education.

Membership in the Academy is limited to those individuals who have made distinguished, exemplary, and sustained contributions through research to the advancement of knowledge in occupational therapy. An applicant’s contributions through research will be evaluated based on rigor, originality, and impact.

Engagement in original research is evaluated in the following areas (presented in order of greatest consideration or weight):

• Sustained research program (i.e., over several years) demonstrating consistent participation in research. (Applicant will explicitly identify research focus and originality of research and show how funding has supported research trajectory.
• Sustained record of peer-reviewed publications in a focused and original area (most highly weighted)
• Funded research (intra or extramural is desirable) Engagement in original research is evaluated in the following areas (presented order of greatest consideration or weight):
• Mentoring PhD doctoral students, post-doctoral students, and/or junior faculty (in institutions where doctoral or post-doctoral students are not accessible, focus on evidence of mentoring junior faculty or researchers.)

Impact: 

Research that advances the knowledge and understanding of individuals, communities, or populations as it relates to occupation, function, and participation in everyday life. Consider the impact on stakeholders (profession, clinicians, populations, patients, families, and children), originality, research quality, and productivity (output). The application must explicitly describe how their body of work meets this criterion.

Nominations must include: 

1. A cover letter, written by the individual who is nominating the candidate, indicating the nominee’s major research contribution(s);
2. No more than two additional letters of support from people who can attest to and outline the nominee's contributions as a scholar;
3. a current curriculum vitae of the nominee that details research grants, complete citations (including PMCID) for publications, and information on people mentored in research;
4. Three to five representative research publications from peer-reviewed journals of the nominee in pdf form; 
5. A paragraph (in lay language of 150 words or less) describing the nominee’s research to be used by AOTF and/or in AOTF publications; and
6. A hi-resolution photograph of the candidate (300 dpi or greater jpg). 

To nominate:

1. Please send the nomination package, including any necessary attachments, to research@aotf.org by Oct. 30, 2024,
2. Use "Academy of Research Nomination" in the subject line.

Re-nomination: Individuals who are being re-nominated, within 2 years of the first nomination, are not required to submit a full application. Instead, they are only required to submit a 1-page update for their previously submitted application packet. If needed, nominees may send updated CV’s or other documents if necessary to reflect their qualifications. Beyond 2 years, a full application is required for renomination.

Questions? Contact aotf@aotf.org