Speak Out October 2018

the contact information and affiliations for all your co-authors as you’ll be required to insert these when submitting. The order of authors is also an important consideration – be sure that you have had this discussion with your team (the earlier the better so everyone’s role is clear). • Be aware of the level of ethical approval that you went through and/or the committee that provided approval (some journals will even ask for the reference number). • Some journals, including IJSLP, ask that you state whether the study uses any published reporting guidelines (e.g. PRISMA, CONSORT, SCRIBE: https:// www.equator-network.org/). The cover letter is a good place to declare this. • Acknowledging whether your research involves Indigenous groups is frequently asked for, along with whether you have consulted published guidelines on how to conduct work with particular groups. It is important to tick the box (if there is one) or declare it in your cover letter. See the latest NHMRC guidelines at: https://www.nhmrc.gov.au/_files_nhmrc/file/ publications/indigenous-ethical-guidelines.pdf • If your research was funded, be sure to have the details of this within easy reach (e.g., grant name and number). You will be asked for it – even though you’re also likely to have included this in your Acknowledgements. • If you have an ORCID identifier (this will mainly refer to University researchers), do also have this at the ready. If you don’t have an ORCID identifier, do consider getting one (https://orcid.org/register) as it will greatly enhance the discoverability of your work and link all your research activities and outputs. AS A SENIOR ADVISOR for Speech Pathology Australia I receive calls and emails from members who are tackling ethical and professional issues in their practice and are seeking support for proactive ethical decision making. I support members who are responding to early stage ethical unease or working through frank ethical dilemmas, I talk with members of the public who have queries regarding a speech pathologist’s actions and I manage formal complaints about a speech pathologist’s professional conduct. I thought it would be helpful to share common themes within those contacts, to provide support for professional and ethical learning and decision making. Between 1 January – 1 July 2018: 226 contacts from speech Accurate and timely information, including appropriate advertising of speech pathology services, provision of clinical reports and requests for information to use in child custody cases – what’s within scope of practice? • Employer/employee relationship breakdown, particularly relating to obligations and communication when an employee leaves a practice. • Speech pathologist’s role when clients are exercising choice and control, for example, not following recommendations, which is not always supported by organisational policies. pathologists and 29 from the public. The top 3 themes so far this year are: •

Now it’s time to start the submission process. • If you have prepared using the points above, this should be smooth. Submission is done through the journal’s submission portal (for IJSLP: https://mc.manuscriptcentral.com/tasl). It is very rare nowadays to have to submit your manuscript by mail or email and if you are asked to do this, you may want to check the rigour or legitimacy of the journal. • Check if there are specific check box options for these points above, e.g., ethics, indigenous related research, reporting guidelines, and special issues. • Do put aside some time to complete this process. It does take both time and focus. With all these tips for preparing for submission, the process should be a smooth one. If submitting to IJSLP in the coming months, we ask you to be prepared for changes in the submission process, asking you to flag some of the details mentioned above. Press submit …and the best of luck! Kirrie J Ballard Editor, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ijslp.editor@sydney.edu.au Anne Whitworth Editor, International Journal of Speech-Language Pathology ijslp.editor@curtin.edu.au Natalie Davall Publisher, Taylor & Francis Australasia Natalie.davall@tandf.com.au Emerging themes worth keeping an eye on: • Service planning and provision within complex scenarios, commonly relating to NDIS participants. • Safety and welfare of speech pathologists and/or clients as the number of mobile practitioners increases. Regular articles on these topics are included in every edition of Speak Out and are now included on the ethics resources page on the website. Other resources available on the SPA website can support your proactive ethical decision making, including: ethics worksheets, ethics online learning modules, clinical guidelines, position statements, professional practice resources, FAQs, EBP resources, or members can also contact National Office to talk though queries. Clinical notes – non-negotiable A reminder to all speech pathologists that it is an ethical and legal requirement that a file note is recorded for every occasion of service provided. The Code of Ethics obliges members to keep current and accurate documentation, and the generally accepted standard is for progress notes to be written on the day, or at least within 24- 48 hours of a service being provided. This gives confidence in the accuracy of the information recorded and supports the primary purpose of clinical records, which is to ensure the safety and continuity of client care. Trish Johnson Senior Advisor Ethics and Professional Issues

What do members ask about Ethics?

37

October 2018 www.speechpathologyaustralia.org.au

Speak Out