Purpose: The aims of this study were to examine the trend of quantitative study in Korean Journal of Adult Nursing published between 1989-2011 and to provide future directions for nursing research in adult health nursing. Methods: A total of 883 published articles were reviewed, and main subject and the methodology were analyzed using descriptive statistics. Results: The most frequently cited keywords were elderly, quality of life, depression, knowledge, stress and anxiety. The survey study was the most popular research design (67.6%) followed by experimental (26.5%), and methodological study (5.5%) design. Over 80% of studies with translated or developed instruments reported reliability for psychometric analysis, while only 18% of the studies reported validity of the instruments they used. In the periods of 2006~2011, significantly more studies utilized experimental design, obtained IRB approval and written consent, and included power analysis for sample size calculation. In recent experimental study, educational program and complimentary therapy were the two most frequently used interventions. Conclusion: Through the analysis of nursing studies published in Korean Journal of Adult Nursing, we found the number of experimental studies has increased and methodological rigor has improved in recent years.