This study aimed was done to analyze recent trends in nursing research published in the Journal of Korean Academy of Nursing by focusing on the content of nursing interventions and their level of evidence.

A total of 209 studies published between 2007 and 2008 were reviewed using analysis criteria developed by the researchers.

The number of quantitative studies was greater than that of qualitative studies. There was a slight increase in the number of qualitative studies and studies including elderly populations, which reflects the recent population trend in Korea. More randomized controlled trials with a low risk of bias were needed to support more evidence-based nursing practice. Concerning the low rate of ethical consideration, stricter application of research ethics needs to be encouraged.

The findings of this study suggest the recent trends in nursing research and the direction of nursing research and review in the Journal.

This study was to investigate the reference accuracy in major nursing journals in Korea.

The references in articles from eight nursing journals from 2006 were compared with PubMed for authors, year, title, journal, volume, and page accuracy. Four hundred sixty-six references were reviewed. Errors were classified as major or minor and categorized by bibliographic headings (author, title, journal, year, volume and page).

Of the 466 references, 223 (47.9%) had citation errors. The reference error rates ranged from 28.6% to 58.7%. Most errors occurred in the author element (37.9%), followed by title (20.9%), journal (19.0%), page (13.9%), volume (5.9%), and year (2.4%).

This study identified a considerable error rate in the references of nursing journals. Inaccuracy of references is a reflection on scholarly work of authors and journals. Authors and Editorial committees are responsible for the accuracy of references.