The business of a journal: Stakeholders and processes.

Abstract

Your Bulletin comes to you in a slightly different form this issue, we trust that you will approve the change, and will write expressing your opinions … Some difficulty has been experienced in the past forming an Editorial Board but we are now managing to carry on … we do ask all members to develope [sic] a more positive attitude towards the Bulletin, it is your official journal and can only be kept alive and interesting by your full co-operation. (p. 3) When I read this, I am firstly curious to learn about the background to the Editorial, but I am mostly reminded that the business, and success, of the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal is firstly and foremostly driven for, and by, you—the membership and readership. You are our most important stakeholders. During the steady leadership of Professor Anne Cusick, the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal has sought to develop regular communication with the members of Occupational Therapy Australia and the professional community. This has been achieved through attendance and provision of workshops at national and state level conferences, articles within the Connections magazine and Editorials written by members of the Editorial Board. We would like to expand this connection with the professional community and are investigating the addition of technology-based interactions. There are decisions and further announcements to be made here, but the aim is to enhance the way that you can interact with the journal, the authors and the Editorial Board. The Editorial Board remain grateful for the ongoing support from Occupational Therapy Australia, who continue to allow the editorial independence that is crucial for a well-functioning journal (Froude, 2014), and from the publishing team at Wiley who provide guidance regarding best practices in publishing and assist in the curation of each article. There is a planned expansion to the Editorial Board and the process for expressions of interest is underway as I write. A growing global community of occupational therapists’ places increasing demands on publications such as the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal, with increasing submissions and thus greater demands on reviewers. The people who review for the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal are one of the journal's most valuable resources and we could not achieve the quality of publication that we do without them. Timelines to publication are an important indicator for professional journals and the Australian Occupational Therapy Journal has introduced the Early View feature and online publication of each issue to minimise these timelines. However, human factors also influence timelines including; delays in finding reviewers, delays in the review process, delays in the author re-submission process and delays in the editorial process. A first priority as Editor-in-Chief is to understand how we are currently performing in this process, with an aim that the journal is recognised for applying best practice to achieve optimal timelines to Early View publication. However, I recognise that this relies on all of us—myself as Editor-in-Chief, the Associate Editors, Reviewers, Authors and the Publishers—and I look forward to working with you all towards achieving this aim. As I commence my appointment as Editor-In Chief, I would like to acknowledge and thank Professor Anne Cusick for her dedication to the profession of occupational therapy and to this journal. Her passion and commitment are resolute and as a leader she has worked to strategically enhance the performance of the journal including development of editorial processes and supporting the Associate Editors to take a more active role in manuscript management. Her interest in history has also ensured that the journal is one that is representative of the past, present and future of the profession. On a personal level, the opportunity to undertake a 6-month handover process has been invaluable in assisting transition into the role and I would like to thank you Anne for your time and sharing of knowledge. I know that I work with a vibrant, passionate and active editorial board. Each member brings a unique knowledge-base and perspective to our discussions and I look forward to continuing to work with, and learn from, you all.