Recently, I was honored to have the opportunity to speak with the third-year DPT class at Radford University (Radford, Virginia) about the journal manuscript submission process. These students are completing their faculty-led research studies, with the worthy objective of submitting their manuscripts to peer-reviewed journals. I shared the primary content criteria that the Journal of Geriatric Physical Therapy (JGPT) editors use when making disposition decisions regarding submitted manuscripts: suitability, scientific rigor, clinical relevance, and originality. Please see the Information for Authors for further details on each. As I was preparing the short presentation, and even more so when actually delivering it, I recalled how I had felt as a new clinically oriented researcher preparing to submit a manuscript for the first time.
Research-at least doing good, clinically relevant rehabilitation research-is really hard! There are numerous rules and steps to follow in the design and conduct of a study to ensure that the findings are valid. It's necessary to navigate a maze of statistical analyses, learning first to see what the data are saying and then to think differently to avoid biased interpretation. Elation at being done is tempered by simultaneous regret, as the inevitable limitations are described. Coming to accept that it is appropriate to draw only those conclusions the data will support can humble an over-eager author. The entire enterprise was daunting to a novice. A love of music may help you become a good dancer, but you still have to learn and practice the correct steps. Likewise, enjoying problem-solving will help you become a good researcher, but you still have to learn the rigorous conventional process.
Writing well for journal publication is also a challenging skill to acquire. Adherence to well-established formats is mandatory, and standardized reporting guidelines must be followed. Judicious use of prior publications to provide context for your current work is critical. The ability to communicate concisely and sequentially to lead the reader from the research question(s) through to the conclusions has to be developed. Figures and tables must be constructed to convey a great deal of information in a small amount of space. Reviewer feedback must be incorporated in subsequent revisions. There is a steep initial learning curve followed by the sobering realization that writing about science is an art that will take time, effort, and many repetitions to master. For many authors, including myself, barriers to writing often arise, and these can include lack of time and time management, procrastination, perfectionism, fear of failure, etc.1 Overcoming these underlying human obstacles often requires personal change, no easy feat.
Rehabilitation research has its own particular set of problems because rehabilitation practice is complicated and multifaceted. To be applicable and relevant, rehabilitation research must "mirror the complexities" of clinical rehabilitation practice.2(p2) These include a multitude of complex intervention approaches, which must necessarily vary depending on the diagnosis and prognosis, stage of recovery or disease progression, delivery setting, resource availability, etc. Geriatric rehabilitation is provided to nonhomogenous age groups of older adults who have differing combinations of acute and chronic conditions, multicomorbidity, and polypharmacy. Hence geriatric rehabilitation research ought to include longitudinal, multivariate studies that capture the spectrum of, and relationships between, health conditions, impairments, function, participation, and quality of life. I hope that the DPT students realize that even experienced investigators with enormous expertise constantly grapple with how best to produce rehabilitation research that truly informs rehabilitation practice.
Through their initial research experience, the DPT students will already have come to understand that researching, writing, and rehabilitation are each individually both difficult and necessary. Whether or not the manuscripts they eventually submit are published, this understanding will inform how they read and apply research in their future clinical practice. For those whose future practice includes caring for older adults (and surely that will be most of them), we strive to fulfill the JGPT's mission to be "the leading source of clinically applicable evidence for achieving optimal health, wellness, mobility, and physical function across the continuum of health status for the aging adult." I hope they will always appreciate the genuinely hard work done by investigators, authors, and reviewers to create and disseminate the clinically applicable rehabilitation research that makes evidence-based rehabilitation practice possible. I know I do.
EDITOR'S NOTE
I have one good-bye and one welcome to share. The JGPT Editorial Team is genuinely sorry to see Associate Editor Mindy Oxman Renfro, PT, DPT, PhD, depart; she has been a valuable addition to the team and we wish her all the best as she directs her attention and energy to higher priorities. Stepping up to the plate as our most recently appointed Associate Editor is Stephen J. Carp, PT, PhD. Dr Carp is well known to the Editorial Team due to his committed and enduring service as a peer reviewer, and the level of trust he has earned from us through the submission of consistently excellent reviews. I sincerely thank Associate Editor Bill Andrews, PT, EdD, for helping to "on board" Dr Carp and bring him up to speed on the manuscript management process from this side of the table. We are so very pleased to welcome him to the team.
Stephen Carp PT, PhD, is an Associate Professor in the Doctor of Physical Therapy Program at DeSales University, Center Valley, Pennsylvania. He received his both his MSPT degree and PhD in Motor Control from Temple University, and he is a Board-Certified Specialist in Geriatric Physical Therapy. His areas of research interest include: effectiveness of nongovernment support of the poor, doctoral program admissions, immigration medicine, and exercise and its relationship to cognition and fall risk. He has published 2 textbooks, and authored 5 book chapters and 7 peer-reviewed research articles.
Dr Carp has been a prolific reviewer for the JGPT for many years, providing exceptionally high-quality reviews that support improved manuscript revisions and editorial decisions. In addition, he has been a journal reviewer for 5 other journals including the Journal of the American Physical Therapy Association. He serves as a grant reviewer for the US Army and the Army Medical Research and Material Command and the Occupational, Safety and Health Administration.
Dr Carp has a broad community service agenda and maintains a clinical practice at Chestnut Hill Hospital, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He is extremely excited to be appointed an Associate Editor of the Journal.
-Leslie K. Allison, PT, PhD, Editor-in-Chief
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