FOCUS
Quarterly Author Guidelines

The Official publication of the Florida Occupational Therapy Association (FOTA)

Content: FOCUS Quarterly welcomes materials written to support and promote the practice of occupational therapy practice in the State of Florida. All submissions should be in keeping with the FOTA Mission and Vision statements FOTA Mission and Vision statements.  The purpose of the published materials will be to advocate, educate, inspire occupational therapy professionals, while celebrating their partnership with consumers in clinical, academic, organizational, and legislative activities.

Review:  Submitted articles are subject to review by the Editor and FOCUS Quarterly’s Editorial Board, comprised of the FOTA Executive Board, the FOTA leadership and the Practice Standing Committee or the 14 Special Interest Section (SIS) Chairs.  

Style: The FOCUS Quarterly is a grassroots source of professional information disseminated to provide evidence-based literature and living exemplars of best practice coming from a community of peer practitioners, students, and researchers.  While submissions should project a warm, positive, and accessible tone, they should strictly follow the writing and formatting guidelines described fully in the Publication Manual of the American Psychological Association (APA) (7^th edition).  Materials submitted should be accurate and informative with succinct scholarly opinions.   

References: Appropriate reference must use APA citations in text and list. Where appropriate references will be made available upon request by e-mail. 

Confidentiality: Any submissions containing images or personal information about consumers of occupational therapy services must be supplemented with documented legal release of the information signed by the individual before consideration for publication.

Article Word Count: The range word count of articles should be at least 500 words and no greater that 1000 words.  

Acceptable Submissions:

FOCUS Quarterly welcome submission of a variety of articles for publication such as:

1. Original narrative, descriptive, or other rigorous articles
2. Book reviews
3. Journal Article Reviews
4.  Editorial Comments
5.  Special Features such as:
1. Voice from the Membership
2. Comments from Students
3. From the Grassroots – Practice Tips
4. A Day in the Life – Case Studies
5. Outside Florida – Former or Transient Florida Practitioners
6. Thematic or Special Topic Edition

Other Materials:

1. Basic short announcements are welcome on a case-by-case basis, accepted at the discretion of the editor and FOTA.
2. Other materials may be accepted as paid advertisement if they solely promote a product or service for sale on a for profit basis without elaborating on any redeeming educational content to members.

Text Format: Please submit materials electronically to the newsletter editor. Material should be single spaced, Arial font, font size 9,

Images: Pictures and graphics are welcome! Please send them in file format JPEG, PNG, or as a PDF. Again, signed release of permission to use must be provided as it pertains to OT consumers. Embedded articles are unable to be used, please attach your images to your submission.

Submission Procedure:

1. All submissions must be received on/before the deadline for intended quarterly issue:  
1. Winter, December 15. 
2. Spring, March 15. 
3. Summer, June 15. 
4. Fall, September 15.  
2. Submit all materials as electronic attachments with a cover e-mail labeled: FOCUS Quarterly Submission.
3. Send all materials for publication to the FOCUS Quarterly Editor: [email protected].
4.  Please label your e-mail FOCUS submission

FOTA | additional questions?  Contact us at [email protected]