Analysis of Trends in Construction Research: 1985–2002 Osama Abudayyeh, P.E., M.ASCE 1 ; Amber Dibert-DeYoung, S.M.ASCE 2 ; and Edward Jaselskis, A.M.ASCE 3 Abstract: This paper provides a historical perspective on construction research trends as reflected in the American Society of Civil Engineer’s Journal of Construction Engineering and Management JCEM. The paper reports the results of an 18-year analysis of JCEM between 1985 and 2002. The analysis focused on such data as author information affiliations and home countries, as well as the research topics of the technical papers. The paper summarizes the data extracted from the journal and use it to analyze construction research trends. Construction trends reveal that U.S. writers contributed the most papers by that there has been an increasing number of international submissions to the journal. The top research topical areas relate to scheduling, productivity, constructability, simulation, cost control, planning, safety, and computer systems as described in this paper show that research is increasing throughout the world and topics are changing as current needs change. However, there is a need to increase research collaboration between industry and academia, government and academia, and industry and government to advance the construction industry. DOI: 10.1061/ASCE0733-93642004130:3433 CE Database subject headings: Construction industry; Research; History. Introduction Construction is one of the largest industries in the United States, and one of the oldest. However it is one of the least researched. It has taken a long time for people to realize that construction is not just the laborers who are on the job site performing the actual construction, but that it also includes many professionals who focus on research and development to discover new technologies and materials that improve the methods and processes of con- struction. It all begins with educational programs that mold tal- ented new engineers who are capable of research. As Robert Har- ris states Harris 1992: ‘‘The industry needs research to increase its competitive potential in innovative projects, to participate in worldwide construction, and to provide top management personnel.’’ Also, in this regard Oglesby states Oglesby 1990: ‘‘Construction, seen as a discipline calling for higher edu- cation and research, is a relatively new phenomenon that has come into being largely since World War II. ... Until 40 years ago, the managers directing the actual on-site con- struction were predominantly ambitious, hard driving craftsmen who had come up through the trades. Their knowledge was gained by doing.’’ Education and research allow for the development of new and promising technologies, thus creating significant savings in time and money to firms who take advantage of these developments. Since it is a rather new phenomenon, construction research is constantly changing and the best actions to take are still being debated. The study described in this paper analyzes research trends in the global construction industry using the American Society of Civil Engineers’ Journal of Construction Engineering and Man- agement JCEM as the basis for this investigation. The JCEM has been one of the premier archival research publications in construction and has made significant contributions to the world of construction research. The journal was published quarterly starting in 1983 until 1998 when it became bi-monthly. Since 1983 the goal of the journal has been to ASCE 2002: ‘‘publish quality papers whose aims are to advance the sci- ence of construction engineering, to harmonize construc- tion practices with design theories, and to further educate and research in construction engineering and manage- ment.’’ This paper first describes the methodology used in the research trend study. Then, the paper discusses the data that was gathered from the Journal from 1985 to 2002. Next, the paper presents and discusses the construction research trends discovered by the in- vestigation. Finally, the conclusions are stated. Methodology This paper reports the findings of the investigation of construction research trends as depicted by the data collected from the techni- cal papers published in JCEM between 1985 and 2002. This pe- riod includes Volumes 111–128 of the journal. Each technical paper in each issue of the journal in the specified period was analyzed, and data were extracted and recorded. The study fo- cused on the following data, modeled after the study conducted by the Journal of Computing in Civil Engineering Lakmazaheri and Rasdorf 1998: 1 PhD, Associate Professor of Construction Engineering and Management, Dept. of Civil and Construction Engineering, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo, MI 49008. E-mail: abudayyeh@wmich.edu 2 NSF REU Research Assistant, Construction Engineering and Management, College of Engineering and Applied Sciences, Western Michigan Univ., Kalamazoo, MI 49008. 3 PhD, Associate Professor of Construction Engineering, Dept. of Civil and Construction Engineering, 450 Town Engineering, Iowa State Univ., Ames, IA 50011. E-mail: ejaselsk@iastate.edu Note. Discussion open until November 1, 2004. Separate discussions must be submitted for individual papers. To extend the closing date by one month, a written request must be filed with the ASCE Managing Editor. The manuscript for this paper was submitted for review and pos- sible publication on November 22, 2002; approved on February 21, 2003. This paper is part of the Journal of Construction Engineering and Man- agement, Vol. 130, No. 3, June 1, 2004. ©ASCE, ISSN 0733-9364/ 2004/3-433– 439/$18.00. JOURNAL OF CONSTRUCTION ENGINEERING AND MANAGEMENT © ASCE / MAY/JUNE 2004 / 433