Trends in the journal of nematology, 1969-2009: authors, States, nematodes, and subject matter.

Issues of the Journal of Nematology from 1969-2009 were examined to determine trends in authorship and subject matter. Data were collected on authors, affiliations, locations, funding, nematodes, and nematological subject matter, and then compared among the 4 decades involved. Some of the more prominent changes noted included: a decrease (P < 0.05) in the number of papers published in the Journal of Nematology in the 1990s and 2000s from a peak in the 1980s; an increase (P < 0.05) in number of authors per paper in each decade; an increased (P < 0.05) percentage of international authors in the 1990s and 2000s compared to 1970s; and changing roles of the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) and different states over a period of 4 decades. Plant-parasitic nematodes were the main organisms studied in 73.4% of all papers published the Journal of Nematology from 1969-2009. The greatest changes in subject matter were increases in papers on biological control and resistance in the 1990s and 2000s compared to the 1970s and 1980s. Additional trends and subjects are discussed, and data are provided comparing differences among the 4 decades for various aspects of nematology.