Prolific Authors In The Journal Of Agricultural Education: A Reivew Of The Eighties

Abstract

A total of 309 articles published in 10 volumes of the Journal of Agricultural Education (JAE) were examined to determine prolific authors in the JAE for the decade of the eighties. Prolific authors for this study were defined as those authors who had published five or more articles in the ten volumes of the JAE. Based on this definition, 21 authors were identified as most prolific. These 21 prolific authors were interviewed via telephone to obtain background information, and also determine what factors influenced them to become prolific. In addition, how authors respond to replication requests was also examined. These 21 authors published 151 articles accounting for 49% of the total number of articles published in the JAE. Most authors have Ph.D. degrees and were employed in universities as full professors. Authors identified teacher education, adult education, vocational education, program planing and evaluation, curriculum development, communications and international agriculture as their main areas of expertise. Prolific authors were most likely to be first or second authors. Personal drive, colleagues, graduate school training and advisors during graduate training were factors which influenced them to become prolific. Almost all prolific authors responded positively to share details of their studies for replication.