IDEAS home Printed from https://ideas.repec.org/a/eee/bracre/v39y2007i2p125-151.html
   My bibliography  Save this article

Still flickering at the margins of existence? Publishing patterns and themes in accounting and finance research over the last two decades

Author

Listed:
  • Brown, Rhoda
  • Jones, Michael
  • Steele, Tony

Abstract

This paper reviews the last 24 years of academic accounting in the UK, using survey data collected every 2 years by the British Accounting Association (BAA). Over this period, the number of academic accountants more than doubled, the number of full professors rose from 42 to 247, the proportion of staff with a Ph.D. rose from 9% to 39%, the proportion with a professional qualification fell from 73% to 50%, the proportion of academics with no publications fell and the proportion publishing in refereed journals rose. The analysis of the BAA data produces several other findings. First, the overall level of publications reached a peak in 2000 and declined thereafter. Since 1982–1983 there has been a distinct downward trend in the number of journal articles published each period per head, although from year to year the changes are more uneven. Second, very few UK academics publish in the journals, which are identified (by published ranking surveys) as being top international journals, with the exception of Accounting, Organizations and Society. Third, very few UK academics publish in the set of journals which they themselves rate the most highly in terms of quality and which are published primarily in the US. Fourth, the contribution made by UK academics to the international literature also increased, in terms of volume, up to the year 2000 and declined thereafter. Fifth, there has been a move away from publishing in mainstream accounting journals and professional journals. The paper considers some of the implications of these trends for the future of research, for teaching, for the individual progress of UK accounting academics, for the development of the discipline and for the international competitiveness of UK accounting research.

Suggested Citation

  • Brown, Rhoda & Jones, Michael & Steele, Tony, 2007. "Still flickering at the margins of existence? Publishing patterns and themes in accounting and finance research over the last two decades," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 39(2), pages 125-151.
    • Handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:39:y:2007:i:2:p:125-151
    DOI: 10.1016/j.bar.2007.03.004
    as

    Download full text from publisher

    File URL: http://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S089083890700025X
    Download Restriction: Full text for ScienceDirect subscribers only
    File URL: https://libkey.io/10.1016/j.bar.2007.03.004?utm_source=ideas
    LibKey link: if access is restricted and if your library uses this service, LibKey will redirect you to where you can use your library subscription to access this item
    ---><---

    As the access to this document is restricted, you may want to search for a different version of it.

    References listed on IDEAS

    as
    1. Apostolos Ballas & Vasilis Theoharakis, 2003. "Exploring Diversity in Accounting through Faculty Journal Perceptions," Contemporary Accounting Research, John Wiley & Sons, vol. 20(4), pages 619-644, December.
    2. Parker, R.H., 1997. "Flickering at the margin of existence: The Association of University Teachers of Accounting, 1960–1971," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 29(1), pages 41-61.
    3. Kam Chan & Carl Chen & Louis Cheng, 2006. "A ranking of accounting research output in the European region," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(1), pages 3-17.
    4. Lowe, Alan & Locke, Joanne, 2005. "Perceptions of journal quality and research paradigm: results of a web-based survey of British accounting academics," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 30(1), pages 81-98, January.
    5. Michael John Jones & Roydon Roberts, 2005. "International Publishing Patterns: An Investigation of Leading UK and US Accounting and Finance Journals," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(5-6), pages 1107-1140.
    6. Alexander, John C & Mabry, Rodney H, 1994. "Relative Significance of Journals, Authors, and Articles Cited in Financial Research," Journal of Finance, American Finance Association, vol. 49(2), pages 697-712, June.
    7. Kam Chan & Carl Chen & Louis Cheng, 2006. "A ranking of accounting research output in the European region: a correction," Accounting and Business Research, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 36(4), pages 345-348.
    8. Anthony Hopwood, 1992. "Accounting calculation and the shifting sphere of the economic," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(1), pages 125-143.
    9. Michael John Jones & Roydon Roberts, 2005. "International Publishing Patterns: An Investigation of Leading UK and US Accounting and Finance Journals," Journal of Business Finance & Accounting, Wiley Blackwell, vol. 32(5‐6), pages 1107-1140, June.
    10. Arjo Klamer & Donald McCloskey, 1992. "Accounting as the master metaphor of economics," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 1(1), pages 145-160.
    11. Brown, Lawrence D., 1996. "Influential accounting articles, individuals, Ph.D. granting institutions and faculties: A citational analysis," Accounting, Organizations and Society, Elsevier, vol. 21(7-8), pages 723-754.
    Full references (including those not matched with items on IDEAS)

    Citations

    Citations are extracted by the CitEc Project, subscribe to its RSS feed for this item.
    as


    Cited by:

    1. Hussain, Simon, 2010. "Accounting journals and the ABS quality ratings," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 1-16.
    2. Dixon, Keith, 2013. "Growth and dispersion of accounting research about New Zealand before and during a National Research Assessment Exercise: Five decades of academic journals bibliometrics," MPRA Paper 51100, University Library of Munich, Germany.
    3. Smith, Sarah Jane & Urquhart, Vivien, 2018. "Accounting and finance in UK universities: Academic labour, shortages and strategies," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 588-601.
    4. Duff, Angus & Marriott, Neil, 2017. "The teaching-research gestalt in accounting: A cluster analytic approach," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 49(4), pages 413-428.
    5. Andrikopoulos, Andreas & Kostaris, Konstantinos, 2017. "Collaboration networks in accounting research," Journal of International Accounting, Auditing and Taxation, Elsevier, vol. 28(C), pages 1-9.
    6. Maria-Victoria Uribe-Bohorquez & Juan-Camilo Rivera-Ordóñez & Isabel-María García-Sánchez, 2023. "Gender disparities in accounting academia: analysis from the lens of publications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(7), pages 3827-3865, July.
    7. Brinn, Tony & Jones, Michael John, 2008. "The determinants of a successful accounting manuscript: Views of the informed," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 89-113.
    8. Brown, Rhoda & Jones, Michael, 2015. "Mapping and exploring the topography of contemporary financial accounting research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 237-261.
    9. Christoph Endenich & Rouven Trapp, 2016. "Cooperation for Publication? An Analysis of Co-authorship Patterns in Leading Accounting Journals," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 613-633, September.
    10. Tony Brinn & Michael John Jones, 2008. "The composition of editorial boards in accounting: a UK perspective," Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 21(1), pages 5-35, January.
    11. Jayne Bisman & Weini Liao, 2009. "Making the mainstream," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(3), pages 180-197, September.
    12. Brooks, Chris & Schopohl, Lisa, 2018. "Topics and trends in finance research: What is published, who publishes it and what gets cited?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 615-637.
    13. Rosenstreich, Daniela & Wooliscroft, Ben, 2009. "Measuring the impact of accounting journals using Google Scholar and the g-index," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 41(4), pages 227-239.
    14. Andrew Higson & Rasha Kassem, 2016. "Accounting Research: Relevance Lost," FINANCIAL REPORTING, FrancoAngeli Editore, vol. 2016(1), pages 59-76.

    Most related items

    These are the items that most often cite the same works as this one and are cited by the same works as this one.
    1. Bernard Raffournier & Alain Schatt, 2010. "Is European Accounting Research Fairly Reflected in Academic Journals? An Investigation of Possible Non-mainstream and Language Barrier Biases," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 19(1), pages 161-190.
    2. Christoph Endenich & Rouven Trapp, 2016. "Cooperation for Publication? An Analysis of Co-authorship Patterns in Leading Accounting Journals," European Accounting Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 25(3), pages 613-633, September.
    3. Hussain, Simon, 2010. "Accounting journals and the ABS quality ratings," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 42(1), pages 1-16.
    4. Maria-Victoria Uribe-Bohorquez & Juan-Camilo Rivera-Ordóñez & Isabel-María García-Sánchez, 2023. "Gender disparities in accounting academia: analysis from the lens of publications," Scientometrics, Springer;Akadémiai Kiadó, vol. 128(7), pages 3827-3865, July.
    5. José M. Merigó & Jian-Bo Yang, 2017. "Accounting Research: A Bibliometric Analysis," Australian Accounting Review, CPA Australia, vol. 27(1), pages 71-100, March.
    6. Casanueva, Cristóbal & Larrinaga, Carlos, 2013. "The (uncertain) invisible college of Spanish accounting scholars," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 24(1), pages 19-31.
    7. Meyer, Matthias & Waldkirch, Rüdiger W. & Duscher, Irina & Just, Alexander, 2018. "Drivers of citations: An analysis of publications in “top” accounting journals," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 51(C), pages 24-46.
    8. Jesse Y. Chan & Kam C. Chan & Jamie Y. Tong & Feida (Frank) Zhang, 2016. "Using Google Scholar citations to rank accounting programs: a global perspective," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 47(1), pages 29-55, July.
    9. Brown, Rhoda & Jones, Michael, 2015. "Mapping and exploring the topography of contemporary financial accounting research," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 47(3), pages 237-261.
    10. Brinn, Tony & Jones, Michael John, 2008. "The determinants of a successful accounting manuscript: Views of the informed," Accounting forum, Elsevier, vol. 32(2), pages 89-113.
    11. Lowe, D. Jordan & Van Fleet, David D., 2009. "Scholarly achievement and accounting journal editorial board membership," Journal of Accounting Education, Elsevier, vol. 27(4), pages 197-209.
    12. Christian Lohmann & Marc Eulerich, 2017. "Publication trends and the network of publishing institutions in accounting: data on , 1926–2014," Accounting History Review, Taylor & Francis Journals, vol. 27(1), pages 1-25, January.
    13. Hsieh, Pao-Nuan & Chang, Pao-Long, 2009. "An assessment of world-wide research productivity in production and operations management," International Journal of Production Economics, Elsevier, vol. 120(2), pages 540-551, August.
    14. Alan Goodacre & Clive Gaunt & Darren Henry, 2021. "Publication records of Australian accounting and finance faculty promoted to full professor, set within an international context," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 61(2), pages 3089-3133, June.
    15. Dellaportas, Steven & Xu, Lina & Yang, Zhiqiang, 2022. "The level of cross-disciplinarity in cross-disciplinary accounting research: analysis and suggestions for improvement," CRITICAL PERSPECTIVES ON ACCOUNTING, Elsevier, vol. 85(C).
    16. Kam C. Chan & Kartono Liano, 2009. "Threshold citation analysis of influential articles, journals, institutions and researchers in accounting," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 49(1), pages 59-74, March.
    17. Lina Xu & Steven Dellaportas & Jin Wang, 2022. "A study of interdisciplinary accounting research: analysing the diversity of cited references," Accounting and Finance, Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand, vol. 62(2), pages 2131-2162, June.
    18. Kam Chan & Jamie Tong & Frank Zhang, 2013. "Accounting research in the Asia–Pacific region: an update," Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, Springer, vol. 41(4), pages 675-694, November.
    19. Jayne Bisman & Weini Liao, 2009. "Making the mainstream," Asian Review of Accounting, Emerald Group Publishing Limited, vol. 17(3), pages 180-197, September.
    20. Brooks, Chris & Schopohl, Lisa, 2018. "Topics and trends in finance research: What is published, who publishes it and what gets cited?," The British Accounting Review, Elsevier, vol. 50(6), pages 615-637.

    Corrections

    All material on this site has been provided by the respective publishers and authors. You can help correct errors and omissions. When requesting a correction, please mention this item's handle: RePEc:eee:bracre:v:39:y:2007:i:2:p:125-151. See general information about how to correct material in RePEc.

    If you have authored this item and are not yet registered with RePEc, we encourage you to do it here. This allows to link your profile to this item. It also allows you to accept potential citations to this item that we are uncertain about.

    If CitEc recognized a bibliographic reference but did not link an item in RePEc to it, you can help with this form .

    If you know of missing items citing this one, you can help us creating those links by adding the relevant references in the same way as above, for each refering item. If you are a registered author of this item, you may also want to check the "citations" tab in your RePEc Author Service profile, as there may be some citations waiting for confirmation.

    For technical questions regarding this item, or to correct its authors, title, abstract, bibliographic or download information, contact: Catherine Liu (email available below). General contact details of provider: https://www.journals.elsevier.com/the-british-accounting-review .

    Please note that corrections may take a couple of weeks to filter through the various RePEc services.

    IDEAS is a RePEc service. RePEc uses bibliographic data supplied by the respective publishers.