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EDITORIAL 

 

1 
Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 1 – Issue 1 – June 2018 
 

Welcome to Clinical Practice in Athletic Training: Letter from the Editor-
in-Chief 
Cameron J. Powden, PhD, LAT, ATC 
Indiana State University, Terre Haute, IN 
 

 
Key Phrases 
Practice-based research, athletic training, sports medicine, 
evidence-based practice 
 
Correspondence 
Dr. Cameron Powden, Indiana State University, 567 N. 5th 
Street, Terre Haute, IN 47809. 
E-mail: Cameron.powden@indstate.edu  
Twitter: @CamPowden 
 
Full Citation 
Powden CJ. Welcome to Clinical Practice in Athletic 
Training: Letter from the Editor-in-Chief. Clin Pract Athl 
Train. 2018;1(1):1-2. 
https://doi.org/10.31622/2018/0001.1 
 
Submitted: May 19, 2018 Accepted: May 23, 2018 
 
EDITORIAL 

Evidence-based practice is an essential 

component of health care in which emphasis is 
placed on gathering the best available evidence 
in order to make informed clinical decisions. As 
such, this places a heavy demand on the literature 
to be timely and clinically applicable. Producers 
of healthcare research are primarily associated 
with academic research centers conducting 
research with non-patients in controlled settings.1 
Much of this literature cannot be readily 
translated into clinical practice to inform decision-
making and thus creates a chasm for healthcare 
providers between the best-available evidence 
and clinically feasible applications.2 The 
profession of athletic training is not shielded from 
these burdens. 

Currently, there is a need within the field of 
athletic training to produce and disseminate 
research findings that are “real-world” in their 
designs, applications, and conclusions. This type of 
research is often referred to as transitional, 
practice-based, or action research. Research of 
this variety takes place at the point-of-care in 
real patient populations to answer relevant 

clinical questions. It is completed by clinicians 
working together to answer community- based 
healthcare questions and translating research 
findings into clinical practice.2 Such practice-
based research is patient and clinician focused in 
its needs, outcomes, and dissemination. Overall, 
there is a need within the athletic training 
community to develop high quality outlets for 
practice-based research. 

Our goal at Clinical Practice in Athletic Training: A 
Journal of Practice-Based, Outcomes, and Action 
Research (Clin AT) is to provide a clinician-friendly 
journal that excels in the dissemination of peer 
reviewed, clinically relevant research through an 
online, open-access platform for the dissemination 
of practice-based research in the field of athletic 
training. The journal will allow for clinical 
outcomes and process research that evaluates the 
products of athletic training practice from a 
patient and clinician perspective. To accomplish 
these goals, Clin AT will provide an outlet for 
individuals involved in the enhancement of the 
many forms of athletic training clinical practice, 
including those that do not hold the athletic 
training credential. 

Clin AT’s senior and section editors include 
individuals from diverse athletic training 
background ranging from nationally recognized 
athletic training researchers to practicing athletic 
trainers in a varied selection of clinical settings. 
Due to the diversity of the editors and the unique 
goals of the journal, our manuscript types are 
equally unique. We offer eight manuscript types 
that include: 

• Disablement model case studies and 
reports 

• Validation case reports 
• Point-of-care research 
• Clinical outcomes research 

https://doi.org/10.31622/2018/0001.1


Welcome to Clinical Practice in Athletic Training: Letter from the Editor-in-Chief 
 

 

2 
Copyright © by Indiana State University                                                                                Clinical Practice in Athletic Training  
All rights reserved. ISSN Online 2577-8188                                                                              Volume 1 – Issue 1 – June 2018  

• Quality improvement (PDSA cycle) 
reports 

• Preceptor case studies 
• Clinical expertise commentary 
• Patient-centered care commentary 

These manuscript types have been crafted to 
enhance the clinical applicability and application 
of findings within the clinical decision making 
process. Additionally, Clin AT has an international 
standard serial number (ISSN) from the Library of 
Congress and will be issuing a digital object 
identifier (DOI) for each published article. We 
feel that the diversity of our editorial board in 
combination with our unique manuscript types will 
allow for the cultivation of clinically applicable 
research. 

We are formally inviting all athletic trainers 
and those involved in the athletic training 
profession (medical directors, physicians, 
physical therapists, mental health counselors, 
etc.) to engage with the journal as both a 
contributor, reader, and reviewer. We hope to 
provide the practicing athletic trainer the 
opportunity to highlight their clinical expertise 
in an accessible format. Finally, Clin AT invites 
comments about how we can meet the needs of 
our readers and the field of athletic training via 
e-mail.   

REFERENCES 

1. Sauers EL, McLeod TC, Bay RC. Practice-
based research networks, part I: clinical 
laboratories to generate and translate 
research findings into effective patient 
care. J Ath Train. 2012; 47(5): 549-556. 
https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-
47.5.11 

2. Bowen SJ, Graham ID. From knowledge 
translation to engaged scholarship: 
promoting research relevance and 
utilization. Arch Phys Med Rehabil. 
2013;94(1):S3-8. 
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2012.04.
037 
 
 

 

 

https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-47.5.11
https://doi.org/10.4085/1062-6050-47.5.11
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2012.04.037
https://doi.org/10.1016/j.apmr.2012.04.037

	EDITORIAL

