Research Guides: Doctor of Occupational Therapy (OTD): Home

Aloha OTD students,

This resource is tailored to support your academic journey by providing access to an array of tools designed to enhance your research. Here, you’ll find carefully curated databases, essential books, practical search tips, and much more to streamline your studies.

Should you encounter any questions or need assistance with navigating literature or data, please don’t hesitate to reach out. You can contact me using the information provided on the left-hand side of this page. I am committed to aiding your research endeavors and am available for one-on-one research consultations. Simply click on the “Schedule Consultation” link to book a time that suits your schedule.

~Elizabeth T.

Top OTD Databases

AccessPhysiotherapy This link opens in a new window
AccessPhysiotherapy offers resources on physical therapy, including textbooks, procedure and exercise videos, image galleries, and more.
EBSCOhost Databases (EBSCO) This link opens in a new window
You can select all the databases from EBSCO to do a search, for health literature the following databases are a must: CINAHL & MEDLINE
PubMed @ HPU This link opens in a new window
PubMed comprises more than 24 million citations for biomedical literature from MEDLINE, life science journals, and online books. Access the database via PubMed @ HPU to see linked full text.
MEDLINE (Ovid) This link opens in a new window
Ovid MEDLINE covers the international literature on biomedicine, including the allied health fields and the biological and physical sciences, humanities, and information science as they relate to medicine and health care. Information is indexed from approximately 5,600 journals published world-wide. NOTE: Limited to 20 simultaneous users.
OT Seeker This link opens in a new window
OTseeker is a database that contains abstracts of systematic reviews, randomised controlled trials and other resources relevant to occupational therapy interventions.
Google Scholar @ HPU This link opens in a new window
Google Scholar provides a simple way to broadly search for scholarly literature. From one place, you can search across many disciplines and sources: articles, theses, books, abstracts and court opinions, from academic publishers, professional societies, online repositories, universities and other web sites. Accessing Google Scholar via this link authenticates your off-campus computer, enabling off-campus access to the Libraries' resources.

Professional Organizations

Joining a professional organization as an OT student offers invaluable benefits for your career. It provides opportunities for networking, finding mentors, and accessing educational resources that deepen your industry knowledge. Membership demonstrates your commitment to the profession and active participation in its advancement, qualities highly valued by clients and employers. By volunteering and taking on leadership roles, you can build long-lasting relationships and open doors to potential opportunities. Engaging with other passionate professionals keeps you motivated and allows you to contribute to important causes. For any OT student dedicated to excelling, joining a professional organization is essential.

American Occupational Therapy Association
AOTA represents more than 230,000 occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and occupational therapy students in the United States and beyond, to advance occupational therapy practice, education, and research.
American Occupational Therapy Foundation
The American Occupational Therapy Foundation (AOTF) is a 501(c)(3) charitable, scientific and educational organization founded in 1965. It serves the public interest by supporting occupational therapy research and increasing public understanding of the important relationship between everyday activities (occupations) and health. It accomplishes its aims primarily through grants and scholarships, through programs, and through publications such as the quarterly journal, OTJR: Occupational Therapy Journal of Research.
American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT)
Founded in 1977, the American Society of Hand Therapists (ASHT) is an organization of hand therapy professionals dedicated to advancing the field of hand and upper extremity therapy by promoting education, advocacy, research and clinical standards. ASHT members include occupational and physical therapists, physician extenders, surgeons, researchers and administrators.
Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii
The vision of the Occupational Therapy Association of Hawaii is to be a well respected organization committed to providing educational opportunities, legislative and advocacy networks to its members.
Nevada Occupational Therapy Association
The Nevada Occupational Therapy Association (NOTA) is the premier professional organization representing occupational therapists, occupational therapy assistants, and students within the state of Nevada. Dedicated to advancing the field of occupational therapy, NOTA provides its members with a robust platform for advocacy, education, and collaboration.
POTAC – The Psychiatric Occupational Therapy Action Coalition
The Mission of POTAC is to support the practice of psychiatric occupational therapy through education, information, and advocacy for consumers, health care providers and the community.
Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity
The Coalition of Occupational Therapy Advocates for Diversity (COTAD) formed in 2014 through a collaboration that occurred between members of the AOTA Emerging Leaders Development Program. COTAD has grown tremendously since its early days and has added individuals to its Executive Board and general membership. Now established as a non-profit organization, COTAD operates as group of individuals from across the United States all working towards a common goal of promoting promoting JEDI, anti-racism and anti-oppression within the occupational therapy workforce and increase the ability of occupational therapy practitioners to effectively serve an increasingly diverse population.

NBCOT Prep

The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy (NBCOT) exam is a crucial step for aspiring occupational therapists seeking certification. This comprehensive exam assesses your knowledge and skills to ensure you are prepared for professional practice. To help you succeed, we have compiled a list of valuable resources for exam preparation, including study guides, practice tests, and review courses. These tools are designed to enhance your understanding and boost your confidence as you approach the NBCOT exam.

National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy
Official website of The National Board for Certification in Occupational Therapy, Inc. Access Self Assessment Tools under the Competency Resources tab.
NBCOT 2024 Handbook
This handbook has been developed to provide US educated exam candidates with the information to complete and successfully submit a certification examination application.
NBCOT Self-assessment
The OTR® or COTA® Entry-Level Self-Assessment is an excellent resource to help you identify a self-perceived indication of your knowledge, skills, and experience in relation to the validated domains and tasks of OT practice.
AOTA’s NBCOT® Exam Prep
AOTA's NBCOT® Exam Prep includes retired NBCOT® certification exam questions. Requires subscription.

Access Library Resources Off-Campus

When accessing our subscribed online resources off-campus, you will be prompt to our EZproxy login screen (seen below). Use your MyHPU credentials (username and password) to get authenticated. In case your account is not working please contact the IT department at help@hpu.edu.

HPU Digital: Institutional Repository

Some thesis and dissertation from HPU are available in the library’s open access institutional repository. This online repository includes student works supporting candidature or for degree completion from various academic departments at HPU. The capstone papers or thesis and dissertation are uploaded by faculty mentors or assigned departmental staff with the adequate clearance of copyright provided by the authored students. All student scholarship in the HPU Digital Collection is available in full text. You can browse the Theses and Dissertations collection or conduct a keyword search.

HPU Help

Get Counseling Help

Hawai'i Pacific University now offers eligible graduate students free 24/7 access to urgent medical care and on-demand counseling through our partnership with AcademicLiveCare (ALC). Sign up using the Service Key from the email sent to eligible students, and for technical support, call (866) 882-0343.

Meet with a Counselor

Get Librarian Help

Librarians help primarily with the research involved in crafting your assignment. This includes choosing and narrowing a topic, finding resources, and using resources ethically.

Get Tutoring Help

Tutors at the Center for Academic Success (CAS) help primarily with completing your assignment. This includes help with writing or otherwise crafting your work, and providing suggestions on how to improve your work.

Meet with a Tutor