Survey research in finance: views from journal editors

Purpose - The purpose of this research is to analyze both survey and non‐survey data to draw conclusions about the status of survey‐based research in finance. Design/methodology/approach - The paper surveys editors from 15 core and 35 non‐core finance journals to learn their views about specific issues involving survey research and reviews 49 finance journals over the period 1985‐2005 to identify and classify published survey research. Findings - Editors indicate that survey‐based manuscripts typically go through the same review process as other manuscripts. They view the chief strengths of surveys as producing data unavailable from other sources and suggesting new avenues for future research. The major weaknesses of surveys are the difficulty of generalizing the results and non‐response bias. A review of 49 finance journals shows that 63.3 percent published at least one survey article during this period. The most common topic area for published surveys was financial management. Research limitations/implications - The paper contains the normal limitations associated with the survey method including potential non‐response bias. Practical implications - Survey‐based research has a definite place in financial research if such research is done to the same standards as other types of research. Originality/value - This is the first study to examine the use of survey research in finance by asking journal editors their opinions and by inspecting finance journals' record of publication.