Information For Authors

Thank you for considering The Journal of Occupation, Inclusion and Neuroscience (JOIN) as a venue for your scholarly work.

The Journal of Occupation, Inclusion and Neuroscience (JOIN) welcomes original, rigorous, and ethically conducted scholarship that advances knowledge across occupation, occupational therapy, occupational science, neuroscience, rehabilitation, inclusion, participation, health, and related interdisciplinary fields.

JOIN encourages submissions from researchers, clinicians, educators, students, policymakers, and other scholars from diverse disciplinary and geographical backgrounds. The journal particularly welcomes research that bridges scientific evidence with clinical practice, education, technology, community development, and policy, and that contributes to meaningful participation, health, well-being, and inclusion across the lifespan.

Article Types

JOIN considers the following types of manuscripts:

  • Original Research Articles
  • Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses
  • Scoping Reviews
  • Methodological and Measurement Studies
  • Brief Reports
  • Case Reports and Case Series
  • Innovative Practice Papers
  • Perspectives and Commentaries

Additional manuscript categories may be considered when they are consistent with the journal's aims and scope.

Before Submission

Before submitting a manuscript, authors should carefully review the journal's:

  • Aims & Scope
  • Author Guidelines
  • Manuscript Template
  • Submission Checklist
  • Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement
  • Peer Review Process
  • Open Access Policy
  • Copyright and Licensing Policy
  • Privacy Statement
  • Artificial Intelligence Policy
  • Research Data and Data Availability Policy, where applicable

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their manuscript complies with the journal's scientific, ethical, methodological, and formatting requirements before submission.

Research and Publication Ethics

JOIN is committed to maintaining high standards of research integrity, editorial independence, transparency, and responsible scholarly publishing.

Submitted manuscripts must represent original work and must not be under consideration by another journal at the time of submission. Authors are expected to appropriately acknowledge all sources, disclose potential conflicts of interest, identify funding sources, and obtain relevant ethical approval and informed consent where required.

The journal's editorial and publication practices are guided by internationally recognized principles of publication ethics, including relevant recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Reporting Guidelines

Authors should follow internationally recognized reporting guidelines appropriate to their study design, where applicable, including:

CONSORT for randomized controlled trials; STROBE for observational studies; PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses; PRISMA-ScR for scoping reviews; CARE for case reports; COREQ or SRQR for qualitative research; STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies; and TIDieR for detailed reporting of interventions.

Relevant reporting checklists may be requested during submission or editorial review.

Peer Review

Manuscripts that meet the journal's initial editorial requirements and fall within the scope of JOIN proceed to independent peer review.

JOIN applies a double-blind peer-review process, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from one another during the review process. Editorial decisions are based on scientific quality, methodological rigor, originality, ethical compliance, relevance to the journal's scope, and the contribution of the manuscript to the field.

Acceptance for publication is not guaranteed by submission or completion of peer review.

Manuscript Preparation

Manuscripts should be written in clear and professional English and prepared according to the JOIN Author Guidelines and official manuscript template.

References should follow APA 7th Edition style unless otherwise specified by the journal. Authors are strongly encouraged to verify the accuracy and completeness of all references and include persistent identifiers, particularly DOI information, whenever available.

Tables, figures, supplementary materials, and other research outputs should be prepared according to the journal's technical requirements.

Authorship and Contributor Responsibilities

Authorship should reflect substantial intellectual contributions to the work.

Authors are encouraged to describe individual contributions using the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) where applicable. All listed authors should approve the submitted and final versions of the manuscript and accept responsibility for their contributions.

Individuals who contributed to the work but do not meet the criteria for authorship should be appropriately acknowledged.

Use of Artificial Intelligence

Authors must transparently disclose the use of generative artificial intelligence or AI-assisted technologies in manuscript preparation when required by the journal's AI policy.

AI tools must not be listed as authors. Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, integrity, appropriate attribution, and scientific validity of all submitted content.

Open Access and Copyright

JOIN is committed to open dissemination of scholarly knowledge. Published articles are made freely accessible online in accordance with the journal's Open Access and Copyright policies.

Authors should review the applicable copyright and licensing terms before submission.

Publication Information

Journal: The Journal of Occupation, Inclusion and Neuroscience (JOIN)
Publication Model: Open Access
Peer Review: Double-Blind Peer Review
Language: English
Publication Frequency: Two Issues per Year
Reference Style: APA 7th Edition
Publication Ethics: Guided by COPE principles
DOI: Assigned to published articles where DOI registration is provided by the journal
Online Submission: Through the JOIN manuscript submission system

Submission

Authors should submit manuscripts exclusively through the JOIN online submission system. Authors are expected to provide complete and accurate manuscript metadata, including author names, affiliations, contact information, title, abstract, keywords, and other information required during the submission process.

Incomplete submissions or manuscripts that do not comply with the journal's requirements may be returned to the authors for correction before editorial assessment.

We welcome your contribution to JOIN and look forward to supporting the dissemination of rigorous, ethical, interdisciplinary, and internationally relevant scholarship.

Advancing Participation, Inclusion, and Neuroscience for Better Lives.