Journal Scope

Scope, Aim & Objectives

Aim

The Journal of Physical Therapy and Rehabilitation Association (JPTRA) aims to advance excellence in rehabilitation sciences, physical therapy, and allied health disciplines by disseminating high-quality, ethically sound, and scientifically rigorous research that informs clinical practice, education, policy, and innovation. The journal is committed to strengthening evidence-based rehabilitation practice and promoting professional development at national and international levels.

JPTRA seeks to serve as a credible scholarly platform that bridges the gap between research, clinical application, and health policy, ensuring that published work contributes meaningfully to improved patient outcomes, functional recovery, disability prevention, and quality-of-life enhancement across diverse populations.

Objectives

The primary objectives of JPTRA are to:

  1. Promote Evidence-Based Practice
    To encourage the generation, synthesis, and application of high-quality research evidence that supports clinical decision-making and best practices in physical therapy and rehabilitation.

  2. Advance Rehabilitation Science
    To publish original and innovative research that contributes to the scientific understanding of rehabilitation mechanisms, interventions, outcomes, and service delivery models.

  3. Ensure Methodological and Ethical Rigor
    To uphold internationally accepted standards of research design, reporting transparency, ethical compliance, plagiarism prevention, authorship responsibility, and conflict-of-interest disclosure.

  4. Support Clinical Relevance and Translation
    To prioritize research with clear clinical applicability that informs patient care, rehabilitation planning, functional assessment, and outcome optimization.

  5. Foster Interdisciplinary Collaboration
    To encourage collaboration among physiotherapists, rehabilitation physicians, occupational therapists, speech and language therapists, nurses, biomedical scientists, engineers, and public health professionals.

  6. Strengthen Rehabilitation Education and Training
    To support scholarly work related to rehabilitation education, curriculum development, competency-based training, professional standards, and continuing professional development (CPD).

  7. Address Global and Regional Rehabilitation Needs
    To highlight rehabilitation challenges, service gaps, and innovative solutions relevant to low- and middle-income countries, resource-limited settings, and diverse healthcare systems.

  8. Contribute to Policy and Public Health Rehabilitation
    To publish research that informs rehabilitation policy, health systems planning, disability management strategies, and population-level rehabilitation initiatives.

Scope

The scope of JPTRA encompasses a broad and inclusive range of topics within physical therapy, rehabilitation sciences, and allied health, including but not limited to:

Clinical Rehabilitation Domains

  • Musculoskeletal rehabilitation

  • Neurological rehabilitation (stroke, spinal cord injury, traumatic brain injury, neurodegenerative disorders)

  • Cardiopulmonary and cardiovascular physiotherapy

  • Pediatric and developmental rehabilitation

  • Geriatric rehabilitation

  • Sports and exercise rehabilitation

  • Orthopedic, postoperative, trauma, and pain management rehabilitation

Specialized and Emerging Areas

  • Neurorehabilitation technologies and innovations

  • Assistive devices, prosthetics, orthotics, and mobility aids

  • Digital health, tele-rehabilitation, and remote monitoring

  • Artificial intelligence and technology-assisted rehabilitation

  • Ergonomics, occupational health, and workplace rehabilitation

Community and Public Health Rehabilitation

  • Community-based rehabilitation (CBR)

  • Disability prevention and management

  • Preventive physiotherapy and health promotion

  • Rehabilitation in chronic disease and long-term care

  • Inclusive rehabilitation for vulnerable and underserved populations

Education, Research, and Systems

  • Rehabilitation education and curriculum design

  • Teaching methodologies and assessment strategies

  • Outcome measures, functional assessment tools, and validation studies

  • Health systems research and rehabilitation service delivery models

  • Rehabilitation policy, ethics, and professional regulation

Article Types Covered

JPTRA publishes a diverse range of scholarly contributions, including:

  • Original research articles

  • Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

  • Narrative and scoping reviews

  • Clinical trials and observational studies

  • Case reports and case series (with strong ethical and educational justification)

  • Methodological and instrument-validation studies

  • Professional perspectives, clinical commentaries, and evidence-informed viewpoints

Audience

The journal welcomes submissions from clinicians, academicians, researchers, postgraduate students, policymakers, and interdisciplinary healthcare professionals worldwide. JPTRA particularly encourages submissions that address context-specific rehabilitation challenges while maintaining universal scientific and ethical standards.