Occupational Therapy

So, what are "core journals?"

Core journals refer to the journals within a given specialty that are the most important ones for that specialty. They are frequently among the most well-known journals: the most often read, consulted, or cited by other researchers, educators, and practitioners within that specialty.

HINT: Core journals are also good journals for students to consult who are looking for research articles in a given speciality!

These are the core 9 journals for the field of occupational therapy as identified in a 2010 JMLA article (Journal of the Medical Library Association), entitled: "Mapping the Literature of Occupational Therapy: An Update" by author Jonathan Potter, MLS, MA. An additional 120 journals were identified as "moderately important." Potter concluded: "Occupational therapy is a multidisciplinary field with a strong core identity and an increasingly diverse literature."

Core journals are listed alphabetically below. Links lead to journal access through FGCU Library, if available. Any information in quotes is direct from the journal's official website.

1. American Journal of Occupational Therapy (official publication of the American Occupational Therapy Association)
2. American Journal of Recreation Therapy (this journal in a seamless flow from theory to proven application, strives with each issue to help recreational therapists make better quality of life a reality for their patients of all ages and stages of disability.)
3. Archives of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation (official journal of the American Congress of Rehabilitation Medicine and the American Academy of Physical Medicine and Rehabilitation)
4. OTJR: Occupation, Participation, and Health (published quarterly by the American Occupational Therapy Foundation, Inc.; peer-reviewed international journal)
5. Occupational Therapy International (international peer-reviewed journal)
6. Occupational Therapy in Mental Health
7. Occupational Therapy in HealthCare
8. Occupational Therapy Now
9. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Pediatrics ("designed for PT and OT pediatric professionals in hospitals, rehabilitation centers, schools, and health and human services agencies, the journal provides the latest clinical research and practical applications...")
10. Physical and Occupational Therapy in Geriatrics
11. Journal of Mental Health Research in Intellectual Disabilities
12. Journal of Occupational Therapy Education
13. Journal of Occupational Therapy, Schools, & Early Intervention
14. The Open Journal of Occupational Therapy
15. The Occupational Therapy Journal of Research