Publication trends in occupational therapy

Articles appearing in the American Journal of Occupational Therapy over the past decade were reviewed and categorized according to the nature of the article. Seven categories were identified: descriptive, survey, case and field study, correlational, quasi-experimental, true experimental and practical. Data analysis revealed that there has been a significant change in the type of articles published before and after 1978. This change appears to be confined to certain categories. Specifically, there has been an increase in articles of a quasi-experimental nature and a decrease in articles of a purely descriptive type. The implications of increased research publications in the occupational therapy literature are discussed.