Thank You: Dr. Classen Completes her 6-Yr. Term as Editor-In-Chief of OTJR

Sherrilene Classen, PhD, MPH, OTR/L, FAOTA, FGSA, has just completed her 6 yr.-term as Editor-in-Chief of OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health, the official scientific publication of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation.

“The AOTF is incredibly grateful to Dr. Sherrilene Classen for her leadership and transformative efforts as Editor-in-Chief of OTJR for the last six years. The journal made great strides with Dr. Classen at the helm, with every key metric of success for the journal advancing during her time in charge. The Editorial Board she gathered and led also contributed greatly to the success of the journal. We wish all the best to Dr. Classen as Chair of the Department of Occupational Therapy at the University of Florida, and we know the journal is in good hands with our new Editor-in-Chief Dr. Tim Wolf,” says Scott Campbell, PhD, AOTF CEO.

The following summary contains excerpts from the Editorial 2020 In Review: Challenges, Growth, & Future Opportunities from OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health 2021, Vol. 41(1) 3–5 (Classen, Knott & Wolf, 2021).[1] 

"The journal has experienced significant success over the past six years, with this in mind, and in reflecting on her term as Editor-in-Chief Dr. Classen states:

'Opportunities and success do not just happen—we are all co-creators of high level success – and as such we must consciously tap into our passions, align that with our purpose, while unleashing talent in people to ensure high-level outcomes!'

She is particularly grateful to Dr. Charles Christiansen who has afforded her to become the OTJR’s Editor-in-Chief (2015- 2021), the amazing past and current editorial board members who were and are carrying out the day-to-day operations of the journal, the excellent contributions from OTJR’s authors and readers, the engaged partnership of SAGE Publications, and the support of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF).” 

"Based on the Journal's performance metrics since 2014, it is clear that OTJR continues on an upward trajectory in all areas of the metrics, supporting its continued success. The 5-year impact factor increased to 1.695, with a negligible change in the 1-year impact factor at 1.220." The Journal climbed 16 spots in its ranking in the Rehabilitation Social Science Citation Index (Journal Citation Reports, Clarivate Analytics, 2020). "Also, since 2014, OTJR’s impact factor has tripled and the 5-year impact factor has doubled." In 2020, OTJR "has received a record number of submissions and yet despite the unprecedented number of manuscript submissions, the time from submission to first decision" turnaround remained short, which is a "reflection of the efficiency, productivity, diligence, and teamwork of the editorial team members and reviewers." In addition, the turnaround time from manuscript acceptance to the online publication is less than one month.

"Under Dr. Classen’s vision, leadership, and strategic intent, OTJR developed processes, policies and systems to optimize submissions and reviews of manuscripts. Specifically OTJR, appointed assistant editors, increased the number of editorial board members, initiated and developed the review board, and started editorial fellowship opportunities. The editorial board currently includes six members who are inducted into the Academy of Research, and eleven members who are Fellows of the American Occupational Therapy," distinctions that support the journal’s capacity to promote rigorous science and high-quality research. 

Over the last few years, the Core Editorial Team has submitted presentations for AOTA's Annual Conference to enhance knowledge, skill, and confidence in preparing manuscripts and reviews to inform occupational therapy and occupational science scholarship. The team's latest submission, Short Course on Technology to Enhance Manuscript Writing and Publishing, was on demand through June 30, 2021, at AOTA Inspire 2021.

OTJR; Occupation, Participation and Health is the flagship scientific publication of the American Occupational Therapy Foundation. Established in 1980 and published quarterly, the research journal reflects the Foundation's commitment to advancing the profession through scientific inquiry. OTJR fosters interdisciplinary dialogue with contributions from disciplines such as psychology, neuroscience, economics, anthropology, sociology, geography, rehabilitation science, nursing, and social work. OTJR: Occupation, Participation and Health is indexed in MEDLINE/PubMed.

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Reference:
1. Classen S, Knott M, Wolf T. 2020 In Review: Challenges, Growth, & Future Opportunities. OTJR (Thorofare N J). 2021 Jan;41(1):3-5. doi: 10.1177/1539449220980585.