Pulsar timing. I - Observations from 1970 to 1978

The results of a series of pulsar timing programs spanning eight years were presented. The data have yielded accurate periods, period derivatives, and positions for three-dozen sources. Proper motions for three pulsars have been determined, useful upper limits have been derived for most of the remaining objects, and limits have been placed on possible dispersion measure changes. The timing noise phenomenon, first seen in the Crab pulsar, has been established as a general characteristic of pulsar rotation rates.