Research articles published in the Journal of Adolescent Health: a two-decade comparison.
OBJECTIVE
To examine changes in subject contents and study designs of research articles published in the Journal of Adolescent Health since its inception.


METHODS
A retrospective review of all research articles was conducted from selected years, ranging from 1980 through 1998. The study sample was composed of the following: original articles, case reports, brief scientific reports, international articles, fellowship forum, and health briefs.


RESULTS
A total of 582 articles were evaluated. The total percentage of medical topics in research articles published in the Journal decreased from 61% in 1980-1981 to 38% in 1997-1998 (p <.01). This finding was in contrast to topics related to psychosocial issues, which increased from 23% to 50% (p <.01) over the same period. This change was largely accounted for by studies focusing on high-risk behavior. Retrospective designs, including case reports/series and chart reviews, decreased from 25% of all research articles in 1980-1981 to 9% in 1997-1998 (p <.01). The percentage of observational studies, i.e., those using cross-sectional and longitudinal designs, increased from 62% to 79% over the same period (p <.01). No changes were observed in the percentage of experimental designs, never exceeding >5% of total study designs. Finally, over the 20 years, professional background and academic departments of first authors of research broadened, with increasing contributions from nonphysicians and from non-pediatric disciplines such as psychology, public health, and nutrition.


CONCLUSIONS
A shift in subject content of research articles from medical to psychosocial topics was observed over the past 2 decades. A shift in research designs from retrospective to cross-sectional and longitudinal was observed over the same period. The pool of authors has diversified.
Cromer
B A
BA
Department of Pediatrics, Case Western Reserve University School of Medicine, MetroHealth Medical Center, Cleveland, Ohio 44109-1998, USA. bcromer@metrohealth.org
Stager
M M
MM
D000293:Adolescent; D016497:Adolescent Health Services; D000295:Adolescent Medicine; D015706:Bibliometrics; D006801:Humans; D010506:Periodicals as Topic / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012106:Research / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D012107:Research Design; D014481:United States