A Review Of Salient Trends In Proceedings' Characteristics: A Fifteen Year Profile Of ABSEL

Abstract

This principally descriptive paper reviews the past 15 years of ABSEL Proceedings and traces the following trends: multiple authorship; reference usage; institutional representation; author turnover; and various article characteristics. One particularly important trend, according to the authors, is author turnover. This trend averages 522 for the 15 year period. Based on this finding, the authors suggest an interesting typology for categorizing ABSEL contributors: (1) the "one- timers" (2) the "regulars" and (3) the "inspired". The authors provide some interesting and provocative speculations as to why this and other trends are both important to study in general and for ABSEL in particular. One of the conclusions the authors make is to suggest that ABSEL compare these trends to those found in other academic disciplines.