OR/MS publications: Extension of the analysis of US flagship journals to the United Kingdom

Reisman and Kirschnick have analysed United States Flagship OR/MS Journals over a thirty-year period using statistical content analysis. We have applied their method of analysis, which seeks to distinguish between the space devoted to theory on the one hand and that devoted to applications on the other, to journals based in the United Kingdom. Using their definitions we have classified articles published in the Journal of the Operational Research Society (previously OR Quarterly), OMEGA, and OR Insight over the period from 1962 to 1994 to parallel their study. As well as shedding some light on the direction that OR/MS is taking in the United Kingdom, comparison is made with trends in the United States. Further, the European Journal of Operational Research has also been included in the analysis, adding a European dimension. The country of affiliation of the authors has been analysed, providing data on the publishing habits of US, authors in the United Kingdom and European-based journals. This casts new light on the findings of Reisman and Kirschnick. Finally, the paper contributes to the debate about the current state and future direction of OR/MS.