ATOB is celebrating its 20th Anniversary!   

ATOB Volume 18  Call for Manuscripts: Closed on August 15, 2023*

 

Projected Publication Date: Spring 2024

Volume 18 Theme: Looking Back and Moving Forward: 20 Years of Assistive Technology Outcomes and Benefits

The Assistive technology Outcomes & Benefits (ATOB) journal was launched by the Assistive Technology Industry Association in 2004 in effort to advance the AT field and highlight new information on the outcomes and benefits of assistive technology for persons with disabilities. ATOB is a leading, open access, peer-reviewed journal in the field of AT. The journal’s purpose is to (a) foster communication among stakeholders interested in the field of AT, including manufacturers, vendors, practitioners, policy makers, researchers, individuals with disabilities, and family members; (b) facilitate evidence-based demonstrations and case-based dialogue regarding effective AT devices and services; and (c) help stakeholders advocate for effective AT devices and services. The unique feature of ATOB is providing a dissemination platform to different AT stakeholders. In addition to traditional scholarly contributions, ATOB publishes the experiences of AT practitioners and AT users. Thus, manuscripts may be submitted under three categories: Voices from the Field, Voices from the Industry, and Voices from Academia.

In almost 20 years since its inception, ATOB has published voices from the field, industry, and academia across many different topics. Articles focused on specific types of AT (e.g., for Autism Spectrum Disorders, for literacy, for communication) as well as on overarching processes (e.g., technology transfer, research and development, personnel preparation; see ATOB Archives.   Two issues were published in 2021 that focused on providing AT services during the pandemic (see ATOB Volume 16.1)  and creating accessible public health materials during a pandemic (see ATOB Volume 16.2)

To support and commemorate ATOB’s 20th anniversary, Volume 18 invites authors to submit manuscripts that describe broad assistive technology outcomes and benefits across all forms of assistive technology for any age group. Manuscripts may focus on original research focused on the impact of specific AT devices as well as focus on overall importance of providing high-quality AT services. Families and AT users as well as other stakeholders are encouraged to share how AT has impacted their lives. International manuscripts are encouraged. New and returning authors are invited to submit original manuscripts as well as updates to published ATOB articles.

Articles for Volume 18 should include a robust and detailed section titled Outcomes and Benefits containing a discussion related to the impact of the AT devices/services. How have our experiences in the last 20 years might have shaped the design of the AT devices and the decisions around AT services moving forward? What might the future of the AT field for us in the next 20 years?

Manuscript Guidelines & Editorial Policy

Manuscripts should be up to 25 pages (double spaced) including title page, abstract, references, but excluding  tables/figures, and prepared in accordance with the ATOB Manuscript Guidelines. Please download and review the following documents for more details:  Editorial Policy and Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Authors.

*Extension Requests

To request an extension to submit a manuscript for Volume 18, please contact ATOB Editor-in-Chief at: atobeditor@atia.org

Questions?

For any questions about Volume 18 or ATOB, please contact ATOB Editor-in-Chief at: atobeditor@atia.org

ATOB Manuscript Submission Form & Author Agreement

ATOB Manuscript Submission Form & Author Agreement

  • 1) Please provide the details of the lead author for this manuscript submission. A full list of authors should be included in the manuscript itself and the Author Agreements. Email communications about the manuscript will be with the lead author.
  • Articles may be submitted under three categories—
    • Voices from the Field - Articles submitted under this category should come from professionals who are involved in some aspect of AT service delivery with persons having disabilities (e.g., educators, related service, and care providers) or from family members and/or AT consumers with disabilities. Submissions may include case studies, project or program descriptions, approaches to service delivery, or consumer perspective pieces. All submissions should have a clear message about lessons learned from the experience and be written with enough detail to allow generalization of results to other situations. Voices from the Field manuscripts are peer-reviewed, but do not require the same level of scientific rigor as submissions in other categories. A more informal writing style with an emphasis on rich, detailed descriptions of experiences, procedures and implications is expected. Authors of Voices from the Field manuscripts are not required to support their personal perspectives with objective data or peer-reviewed literature. However, any personal viewpoints presented as generalized statements of fact should appropriately cite supporting research. Plagiarism and unsupported extension of such personal viewpoints to make general claims are not permitted. Reviews of literature that highlight the specific personal experiences are appropriate. Authors submitting to the Voices from the Field category may request ATOB to find a Sponsor among the Editorial Board members and ATOB reviewers who would provide an opportunity to discuss and improve a manuscript draft before submission. If you are interested in finding a sponsor, please contact: atobeditor@atia.org.
    • Voices from the Industry - Articles submitted under this category should come from professionals involved in developing and marketing specific AT devices and services. Case studies, design, marketing research, or project/ program descriptions are appropriate for this category. Voices from the Industry manuscripts may present the results of the research (and thus, follow the same outline as Voices from Academia) or present project/program descriptions (and thus, follow the same outline as Voices from the Field).
    • Voices from Academia - Articles submitted under this category should come from professionals conducting research or development in an academic setting. The style of writing should adhere to guidelines generally used in scientific journals. Submissions are likely to include applied/ clinical research, case studies, and project/ program descriptions. Sample outline for the Voices from Academia article is available in the Manuscript Preparation Guidelines for Authors.
  • ASSISTIVE TECHNOLOGY OUTCOMES AND BENEFITS - AUTHOR AGREEMENT
    Author Confirmation
    Please read each bullet below thoroughly, and complete the required questions regarding HIPAA compliance, IRB compliance (or equivalent), and disclosure of financial and non-financial relationships. By completing and submitting this form you are agreeing to the terms listed for ATOB authors.
    • I grant permission to ATIA to publish and to place on the Web my manuscript and related publication materials. I authorize ATIA to publish and distribute the above-described manuscript as highlights or in total on the ATIA Web site and in its publications. By giving my authorization, it is understood that other Web sites are and will be permitted to have links to the ATIA Web site, and that ATIA may cause the materials on the Web site to be accessed freely by the public at large. It is agreed that ATIA will not be held responsible for royalties or for infringement either (i) for use by ATIA and distribution of the manuscript as described above, or (ii) for any use or misuse of any of the manuscript by any person who obtains the materials (directly or indirectly) as a result of ATIA’s permitted use or distribution of the materials.
    • I attest that I am the author/owner and I am authorized to use the content included in the manuscript, and that ATIA is not liable for any content presented or misused on my part.
  • Drop files here or
    Accepted file types: doc, jpeg, png, docx, Max. file size: 50 MB.
      Please upload your draft manuscript and cover letter here. You may upload more than one file. It is important to upload your file in WORD and not as a PDF for accessibility review. Please note that the upload protocol only accepts WORD documents with .doc extension. Please save your .docx files with .doc compatibility. For greater accessibility during the review and production phases, please upload any tables or charts as separate files and describe the data represented in the tables. (Maximum File Size is 128 MB. )
    • To comply with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act (HIPAA), we ask that all authors ensure the privacy of their patients/clients by refraining from using names, photographs, or other patient/client identifiers in manuscripts without the patient’s/client’s knowledge and written authorization. I am in compliance with these policies:
    • To ensure that appropriate protections are afforded to participants in research studies, ATOB requires a copy of Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval (or equivalent) for all manuscripts describing studies that are subjected to such requirements. Please indicate if IRB approval (or equivalent) was needed for the work described in the manuscript.
    • Conflicts of interest, whether real or perceived, have the potential to undermine the credibility of communications between stakeholders in all fields of study. In order to ensure that potential conflicts of interest are transparent to ATOB’s readership, all corresponding authors must respond to the following questions on behalf of all authors named on the relevant manuscript. Information will be included in the ATOB journal, such that it is available to all readers.
    • Do you or your co-authors have relevant financial relationships to disclose?
    • Financial Disclosure Form Information. NOTE: Corresponding author should complete the disclosure below for each co-author to whom it may apply.

    • Author Information (1)

    • Author Information (2)

    • Author Information (3)

    • Author Information (4)

    • Relevant Non-Financial Relationship

    • Author Information (1)

    • Author Information (2)

    • Author Information (3)

    • Author Information (4)

    • SIGNATURE SECTION

    • MM slash DD slash YYYY