The purpose of this study was to examine selected characteristics of the editorial committee of the Journal of Research in Music Education (JRME) during the publication's first 40 years (1953-1992). Findings include:

1. The appointment of women to the committee increased significantly by decade but lagged behind female researcher productively in music education.
2. Committee members received their doctorates from and were affiliated with a relatively large number of colleges and universities.
3. Generally, geographical distribution of the doctoral-degree-granting and affiliated institutions was proportionate to regional populations.
4. Committee members' rate of publication in the JRME before appointment increased significantly by decade.
5. Female members published significantly more JRME article than did male members during one decade, but there was no significant publication difference between male and female members for the four decades combined.

The authors noted a possible trend toward dominance among doctoral-degree-granting institutions, but applauded the demographic representativeness of the committee over the four decades and continuing improvements toward the same.