We have made further improvements to the Research Portal. In version 3.0, journal articles and infographics are categorised into a breadth of 'Themes', streamlining your route to relevant papers. The type of research continues to be highlighted.

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"You can contribute to the Portal, by suggesting topics, papers, research and authors that are relevant to evidence-based practice in occupational therapy. Month by month, we can together build a solid collection of references to improve our practice and critical thinking as occupational therapy practitioners.

Our profession has been supporting the world for over a hundred years. In all these years, occupational therapy had different paradigms - built under the umbrella of knowledge, culture, clinical experience, values and ethical behaviours. Despite being an extensive topic, subject to corrections, some authors call those sum characteristics 'professionalism'. Speaking about professionalism seems unnecessary in the Research Portal; common sense dictates that if you are a professional, you are going to act with professionalism. But sometimes we may not understand how intrinsic its importance is for advancing the profession, since professionalism is 'an essential component of a value-based practice, which is a complement to an evidence-based practice' (Lecours, 2021). So, despite the cultural, social and geographical differences, professionalism in occupational therapy crosses the frontiers and gives us a collective and unique professional identity.

Morrison (1998) highlights that 'Occupational therapy holds together as it develops a praxis that strengthens its development.' Following his line, the author says: 'the exercise of the profession, in any of its spheres, becomes as diverse as the subjects of care, or the issues to be addressed allow it, as well as the development of its scientific knowledge.' In short, two principle factors that make our profession solid and develop a positive identity are: paradigms and evidence. So, let us keep walking hand-in-hand with value-based practice and evidence-based practice."

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Erica Juliboni - Occupational Therapist in São Paulo, Brazil; Research Lead 2021-23

Editorial References >​