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The award aims to foster scholarship and first research efforts within the occupational therapy community of students, young practitioners, and early researchers. It supports Pi Theta Epsilon’s mission of promoting research and scholarly activities within the field of occupational therapy. The Mary J. Bridle Award provides an opportunity for Pi Theta Epsilon members to have a research manuscript reviewed by experts in the field and considered for publication in OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. The PTE Executive Committee and National Coordinator will organize a review of all submitted research manuscripts. The review will be conducted by three anonymous reviewers offering expertise in the area of the manuscript subject. The publication is conditional on and will proceed in accordance with the policies of OTJR with the final approval of its editor-in-chief. 

Additionally, the recipient will receive a cash award of $2,500. The Mary J. Bridle Award will be available annually but will be awarded only when manuscripts of sufficient caliber are submitted. 

Mary J. Bridle Award Timeline: 

LOIs Proposals due Sept. 27, 2024

Award Recipient(s) Informed: October 25, 2024

Any occupational therapy student, practitioner, or researcher who is a member in good standing of Pi Theta Epsilon may submit a manuscript provided the following criteria are met:

1. The applicant is one of the following:
   • currently enrolled as a student in an entry-level or post-professional clinical OT program.
   • currently enrolled as a PhD, ScD, EdD, or post-doctoral student in a rehabilitation-related program.
   • within three years post-graduation from one of the academic programs listed above.
2. The applicant is an author on the study.
   • Applicants may submit as a team if multiple Pi Theta Epsilon members are co-authors on a manuscript. The monetary award would be provided to the chapter to be distributed at the chapter advisor’s discretion.

Research MUST:

1. Not have been published before nor in the process of publication elsewhere at the time of submission for the Mary J. Bridle Award.
2. Add to the body of knowledge of occupational therapy.
3. Clearly demonstrate significance to the field of occupational therapy.
4. Present logical development of rationale for the study and for the specific research question.
5. Demonstrate methodologically correct form for the research question(s) asked by the study (not applicable to scholarly studies).
6. Follow submission guidelines for feature articles in OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research. See the OTJR website for current information for authors.

Letter of Intent

A brief outline of your project (1-2 sentences) which details the OT topic. The title of your manuscript is acceptable.

Mary J. Bridle Application

Cover letter including:

• Contact information: name, school, email and snail mail addresses.
• When the study was initiated, and how it was related to the author's educational program at the time (e.g. "the manuscript was a required clinical research project during fieldwork," "the manuscript was a term paper required for a course in research. " etc).
• Identify any faculty member in your program who assisted you in any way with the study to ensure no conflict of interest in the review process.
• Verify (as appropriate) approval granted by an Institutional Review Board (IRB) if relevant to the study. Please note that some studies, such as retrospective studies or systematic reviews, may be acceptable for submission but do not generally require IRB approval. See OTJR's website for current submission guidelines.
• Indicate whether or not the manuscript has been accepted for publication elsewhere. (Note: manuscripts previously published or in the process of publication are NOT eligible for this award.
• A short paragraph of no more than 100 words to appear in professional publications citing the applicant's contributions and a brief overview of the subject.

De-identified manuscript.

For blinded review, the manuscript must not identify either the student or the educational program with which s/he is associated. It is the applicant's responsibility to see that all identifying materials have been removed; failure to do so will disqualify the manuscript.

Curriculum vitae

One for each author

The award will be announced at the next AOTA Annual Conference and the recipients recognized at the awards ceremony.

Contact PTE National Office, pte@aotf.org.