Scientific Research Proposal Template
This document is a sample template to guide preparation of your research proposal and is not
intended for proposal submission. You must complete the online submission process in order for your
proposal to enter the review process and be considered for presentation at the AOTA Annual
Conference.
Policies Governing Accepted Proposals
I agree to the following statements:
 Once a proposal is accepted, changes to the proposal cannot be made.
 AOTA reserves the right to assign the day and time that accepted proposals will be scheduled. In
addition, AOTA reserves the right to publish any submission, in whole or in part, in any form by any
printed, visual, auditory, or electronic means.
 All OT, OTA, and student speakers whose proposals are accepted for presentation must register for at
least one day of the conference.
 Notification will be sent by e-mail by mid-October 2014 regarding acceptance of proposals.
Notifications not acknowledged by the due date, will result in a session being dropped from the final
program.
 The exclusive promotion or sale of goods, services, or products during educational sessions at
conference is prohibited. Speakers who are found to be engaging in such practices will have their
sessions halted.
 Copyrights, Royalties, and Trademarks. Speaker warrants that no literary or artistic work or other
property protected by copyright will be performed, reproduced or used, nor will the name of any entity
protected by trademark be reproduced or used by Speaker during your speech and presentation
(including but not limited to any exhibits, movie clips, videos, graphics) unless Speaker has obtained
written permission from the copyright or trademark holder. Speaker covenants to comply strictly with
all laws respecting copyright, royalties and trademarks. Speaker shall indemnify and hold AOTA, its
officers, agents and employees harmless from all claims, losses and damages (including court costs and
attorney fees) with respect to any such copyright, royalty or trademark rights.
 Standard audiovisual equipment will be available as follows for each session except Posters:
 1 laptop computer w/DVD/CD player and Microsoft Office®
 1 podium and 1 head table
 1 podium microphone and 1 tabletop microphone
 1 projection screen
 1 LCD projector
 Sound system
 Wired Internet Connection
 The same e-mail address must be used when submitting multiple submissions.
 I understand and accept the policies and deadlines for proposal submission.
*Indicates required information
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Scientific Research proposals will support the AOTA’s Centennial Vision of occupational therapy as a
science-driven and evidence-based profession. Proposals must focus on scientific research projects that
will contribute to occupational therapy’s body of knowledge and demonstrate rigor in design, conduct
and interpretation.
NOTE: You have selected the SCIENTIFIC RESEARCH PROPOSAL submission type, which requires analysis
and reporting of data. If you meant to submit a General Proposal, please click the back button and select
General Proposal.
Proposal Title
Be concise and descriptive. (Max character limit 120 including spaces).
* Title of Proposed Session: Title of Proposed Session is a Required Field
Session Formats
Note: Proposals without data/analysis should be submitted using the General Submission format.
• Scientific Paper: AOTA will create Research Platforms that will be either 60 minutes or 1.5 hours in
length. Each presentation will be 15 minutes with facilitated discussion.
• Poster: Scientific Research (completed or in progress). Displayed on a 4-ft x 8-ft cork bulletin board.
Posters will be on display during a designated 2-hour time period. Presenters are required to be with
their poster for the entire 2-hour session. For research work in progress, preliminary data analysis must
be included.
* Please choose the session format for your proposal:
☐ Scientific Research Paper
☐ Scientific Research Poster
Primary Category
Please select a primary category that best describes your proposal. AOTA reserves the right to change
selected category.
* Please select a primary category:
☐ Assessment/Measurement
☐ Prevention and Intervention (e.g. Efficacy)
☐ Translational Research (e.g. Effectiveness)
☐ Basic Research
☐ Health Services Research & Education
Secondary Category and Research Category
Please choose the secondary category that best describes your proposal. AOTA reserves the right to
change the selected category.
* Please select a primary focus:
☐ Academic & Fieldwork Education
☐ Children & Youth
☐ General & Professional Issues
☐ Health & Wellness
*Indicates required information
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☐ Mental Health
☐ Productive Aging
☐ Rehabilitation, Disability, & Participation
☐ Work & Industry
Speaker Bio
Provide a brief bio of the speakers that may appear in the mobile app.
* Maximum character limit: 400 (including spaces):
Click here to enter text.
LEARNING OBJECTIVES
Should be specific and answer the question: "At the conclusion of this session, participants will be able
to" Please identify 1-2 objectives.
* Objective 1: Click here to enter text.
Objective 2: Click here to enter text.
Presentation Summary
Maximum character limit is 3500 for this section (includes spaces)
Scoring
The criteria for evaluating your proposal are:
• Significance (10 points maximum)
• Innovation (10 points maximum)
• Approach (25 points maximum)
Note: Maximum score is 45 points.
 SIGNIFICANCE (WORTH 10 POINTS)
Submit a brief summary that describes how your research addresses an important problem or issue in
occupational therapy and how the aims of the project changes concepts, methods, technologies,
treatments, services, or preventative interventions that drive this field.
 INNOVATION (WORTH 10 POINTS)
Submit a brief summary that describes how the project challenges or shifts current research or clinical
practice paradigms by using novel theoretical concepts, approaches or methodologies, instrumentation,
or interventions for one field of research or in a broad sense.
 APPROACH AND RESULTS (WORTH 25 POINTS)
Submit a structured abstract following the outline below (Research Question to Conclusion). This section
may be published and should be included in your overall character count for the Abstract (see above).
DO NOT include names or affiliations of speakers or authors.
Indicate Not Applicable (N/A) where appropriate. (This is especially relevant for Poster Submissions that
are Research Work in Progress.)

Research question(s) or hypothesis - Clearly indicate the questions or hypotheses that are
guiding your research.
*Indicates required information
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
Rationale/Background - Describe why your research is needed; link this back to your research
questions and hypotheses

Methods –
o Design - Describe the study design (e.g., cross sectional, survey, etc.), how your data
were gathered, analyzed, and interpreted in order to answer your research questions(s).
o Setting - Describe the location(s) and/or environment where your research was
undertaken.
o Participants - Describe the criteria and method(s) used to recruit and select participants
or data sources for study (e.g. diagnosis, age, severity level, studies).
o Measure(s)/target outcomes - Describe the instruments or methods used to collect data
or outcomes, as well as analytic methods. If study is qualitative, describe data sources
and type, analysis, and integration.
o Analytical methods- Describe analysis approach and rationale
o Results - Clearly present your results, linking findings to your proposed analyses and
outcome measures
o Conclusions - Explain the conclusions you have drawn from your findings, clearly linking
them to results and background literature. Account for limitations
* Please enter Significance, Innovation, Approach and Results (Maximum character limit is 3500,
including spaces):
Click here to enter text.
IMPACT STATEMENT (scored separately from overall score)
 How is proposal important to practice, policy, and/or science?
 How likely is it going to exert a powerful influence on occupational therapy?
* Maximum character limit is 300 (including spaces)
Click here to enter text.
Abstract Synopsis Character maximum limit is 300 including spaces.
Summarize the major points of your abstract and describe how this topic will advance either the
practice/professional development of the participant or the field of occupational therapy. If your
proposal is accepted, this information will be printed in the onsite Conference Program Guide and is
subject to copy editing.
* Maximum character limit: 300 (including spaces):
Click here to enter text.
Contributing Author(s)
Contributing authors are persons who have contributed to the development and content of the proposal
but will NOT be presenting. Contributing authors will be listed in the onsite Conference Program Guide.
Include only: First Last, Credentials. NOTE: Ensure that spelling, capitalization and credentials sequence
are correct (e.g. PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA). Please do not use periods in credentials. AOTA does not recognize
credentials such as “OTS” or “PhD(C),” which identifies students in pursuit of a degree not yet earned.
Example Listing: William Smith, PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA; Nancy Rogers, PhD.
*Indicates required information
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Please list contributing authors to this proposal:
Click here to enter text.
Consider Scientific Research Paper for Poster
In the event that my submission meets the scoring criteria and there is not enough space for my
Scientific Research Paper to be scheduled, I would like for it to be considered as a Poster presentation.
☐Yes ☐ No
Representative Assembly
* Are you a member of the Representative Assembly?
☐Yes ☐ No
Name of AOTA/AOTF Liaison:
Click here to enter text.
AOTA Board Certification or Specialty Certification
Do you currently have AOTA Board Certification or Specialty Certification?:
☐Yes ☐ No
Federal Funding
I have received funding from (check all that apply):
☐ Federal grants
☐ Foundation grants
☐ AOTF grant
☐ Internal funding
Doctoral Student
If you are a doctoral student, please indicate degree type:
☐ Research Doctorate Clinical
☐ Doctorate (entry-level)
☐ Clinical Doctorate (post-professional)
Underrepresented Population
Note: Underrepresented means those racial and ethnic populations that are underrepresented in
occupational therapy relative to their numbers in the general population.
Are you from an under-represented population?
☐Yes ☐ No
RELIGIOUS CONFLICTS
* This session can be presented on a Saturday (No religious conflicts):
☐Yes ☐ No
*Indicates required information
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Primary Speaker Information
Please note: The primary speaker is the only person who will receive notifications from AOTA regarding
acceptance of the proposal.
ENTERING CREDENTIALS: Ensure capitalization and sequence are correct (e.g. PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA).
Please do not use periods in credentials. AOTA does not recognize credentials such as “OTS” or
“PhD(C),” which identifies students in pursuit of a degree not yet earned. List only the highest degree
earned.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
Additional Author(s)
ADD/EDIT ADDITIONAL SPEAKER (Limit 10)
This section is ONLY for information about additional speakers that will be on site presenting with you.
List any contributing authors in the Session information step in the left sidebar. Contributing authors are
individuals who have contributed to the proposal, but are NOT presenting with you.
ENTERING CREDENTIALS: Ensure capitalization and sequence are correct (e.g. PhD, OTR/L, FAOTA).
Please do not use periods in credentials. AOTA does not recognize credentials such as “OTS” or
“PhD(C),” which identifies students in pursuit of a degree not yet earned. List only the highest degree
earned.
1.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
2.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
*Indicates required information
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3.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
4.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
5.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
6.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
7.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
8.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*Indicates required information
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*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
9.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
10.
*First Name: Click here to enter text. *Last Name: Click here to enter text.
Degrees/Credentials: Click here to enter text.
AOTA member number: Click here to enter text.
*Employer: Click here to enter text.
*City: Click here to enter text. *State: Click here to enter text. Country (if outside USA): Click here
to enter text.
*Phone: Click here to enter text.
*Email Address (all correspondence will be sent to this email.): Click here to enter text.
*Indicates required information
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