Analysis of the Number and Contents of Original Papers in “Journal of Home Economics of Japan”

Abstract

In order to understand the present state or condition of Home Economics, the author analyzed original papers from the Journal of Home Economics of Japan over a 40 year time span from Vol. 1, No. 1 (1951) to Vol. 40, No. 12 (1989).
The results are as follows :
(1) The yearly number of original papers increases gradually. On the other hand, the number of original papers in an issue decreases.
(2) The proportion of the number of original papers on the topic of food science and clothing and textiles-related science to all the number of original papers is 80.7%. Throughout about 40 years the number of papers in food science has consistently increased, but the number of papers in clothing and textiles-related science has decreased recently.
(3) The proportion of the number of original papers using experimental methods to all original papers is 78.3%.
(4) Many figures are used in natural science studies, and many tables are used in social science studies. In humanities studies, figures and tables are not used much.
(5) The number of figures and tables, space of results and discussion, and space of summary were made to indexes and were plotted on a three dimensional figure, which makes it clear more discrepancy both food science and clothing and textiles-related science existed than in other fields. If the quantity of the new knowledges is related to these dimensions, therefore both food science and clothing and textiles-related science contribute much to Home Economics.