Accounting Journals Research Articles

Study of the Framework and Attributes of Ethical Standards in Journalism

It has always been difficult to create fair evaluation criteria for journalists, especially when it comes to judging morality and ethical conduct in news reporting. These guidelines function as yardsticks for gauging the ethics of news topics and the objectivity of journalistic techniques. These criteria are becoming more and more difficult as journalism changes, especially in the digital age. Fostering ethical journalism requires an understanding of its categorization and internal structure. This analysis employs a conceptual framework to explore the evaluation standards of news ethics. The method involves: Literature Review: Examining existing academic literature, ethical codes, and industry guidelines to outline the prevailing evaluation standards in journalism. Thematic Analysis: Identifying and categorizing the components of evaluation standards into normative and quality standards, assessing their relevance to different aspects of journalistic practice. Case Studies: Analyzing specific instances where journalistic ethics were put to the test, allowing for a practical understanding of how these standards function in real-world scenarios. The primary objective of this study is to clarify the internal structure of journalistic ethics evaluation standards and highlight the distinctions between normative and quality standards. By doing so, the analysis aims to provide insights into how these standards can be effectively applied to evaluate news behaviors and moral character in journalism. What is deemed ethical in one context may not hold the same weight in another. This relativity underscores the importance of understanding the specific circumstances surrounding journalistic practices. Historical Context: The evolution of journalistic ethics is tied to historical events and societal changes. Standards that once sufficed may need reevaluation to address contemporary challenges, particularly with the rise of digital media and misinformation. Complex Internal Structure: The internal structure of evaluation standards can be multi-layered, with different levels of criteria applied depending on the context and specific ethical dilemmas faced by journalists. This complexity requires continuous dialogue and adjustment as new ethical challenges arise. Practical Implications: Journalists and media organizations must engage with these standards actively, incorporating them into training and policy development. By fostering an understanding of both normative and quality standards, the industry can promote a more ethical and accountable journalism practice.

Reflecting on the Impact of Generative AI for Sustainability Accounting Scholarship

ABSTRACT Our yearly editorial is dedicated to reflections concerning two recent digitalisation-based developments, both of which are currently radically transforming the publishing arena. We begin by considering the rapid emergence of generative Artificial Intelligence (AI) models known as Large Language Models (LLMs), which have already had tremendous effects on academic knowledge production. In this context, we clarify our stance on the use of AI in articles submitted to Social & Environmental Accountability Journal (SEAJ) and reviews conducted for the journal. We then continue by taking a closer look at the proliferation of systematic literature reviews, in their multiple versions, e.g. bibliometric-based reviews, which are submitted to the journal in increasing numbers. We use this editorial to revisit our editorial policy and outline the kind of submissions welcomed at SEAJ.

Changes in field-based research in accounting

PurposeMerchant and Van der Stede (2006) produced a comprehensive analysis of 24 years (1981–2004) of field-based accounting research. This study aims to analyse how the publication of field research in accounting has changed since 2005. In addition, it aims to analyse contributions from specific individuals, institutions and countries, and whether the field studies have contributed to accounting research and textbooks.Design/methodology/approachThe authors identified and classified 1,115 field-based accounting articles published in 14 accounting journals from 2005 to 2022 to uncover any changes. Thereafter, bibliometric analysis was conducted using data from SciVal.FindingsThe results show several significant changes. Firstly, the growth of field studies has more than trebled as nearly all journals published at least some field studies. Secondly, field research is no longer as confined to management accounting as before. It is gaining increasing traction in auditing, financial accounting and corporate social responsibility (CSR). Thirdly, while interview-based accounting research was clearly the most popular, the fastest growth was seen in mixed-methods non-management accounting research. While public sector management control case studies and content analysis of CSR were the most popular topics of interview-based studies, audits were the most popular topic in mixed-methods research. Authors based in large universities in large English-speaking countries have been most productive, followed by authors based in Europe and Asia. Based on citation analysis, the field studies have contributed to academic research substantially more than to textbooks.Originality/valueAn analysis of changes and trends improves the understanding of what has happened in accounting research and the development over time.

History of behavioral accounting research (1960–2023): a bibliometric analysis

Purpose This study aims to examine the over 60-year evolution of behavioral accounting research (BAR), with the main aim of critically and accurately tracing its past, present and future. Design/methodology/approach This study used Scopus and Google Scholar databases to collect 2,263 articles of BAR published on relevant accounting journals. Thus, this study used Bibliometrix to provide a temporal overview of articles and a temporally oriented network co-occurrence analysis of BAR topics. Findings This study retraces the history of BAR since its origins and, also on the basis of triggering events inside (e.g. Nobel Prizes for behavioral economics studies) and outside (e.g. accounting scandals) the academic debate, this study critically discusses the evolution and interconnections of BAR topics. Then, future research is addressed toward main promising avenues, thus integrating recent technological applications into the behavioral accounting experimental designs to improve their external validity, exploring the potential positive effects of professionals’ heuristics in performing accounting tasks under certain environmental conditions, exploiting behavioral accounting frameworks to analyze and improve sustainability reporting and sustainability performance management. Originality/value Although BAR is rich of contributions, including subfields and contaminations, it lacks a holistic evaluation of its origins, development and future perspectives. In this vein, to the best of the authors’ knowledge, this is the first study to use a bibliometric analysis to evaluate the evolution of BAR.

Discontinuous Distribution of Test Statistics Around Significance Thresholds in Empirical Accounting Studies

ABSTRACTExamining test statistics from articles in six leading accounting journals, we detect discontinuities in their distributions around conventional significance thresholds (p‐values of 0.05 and 0.01) and find an unusual abundance of test statistics that are just significant. Further analysis reveals that these discontinuities are more prominent in studies with smaller samples and are more salient in experimental than in archival studies. The discontinuity discrepancy between experimental and archival studies relates to several proxies for researcher degrees of freedom. Nevertheless, this evidence does not imply that experimental research is more prone to questionable research practices than archival studies. Overall, our findings speak to the concern of whether accounting researchers could exercise undisclosed discretion to obtain and report statistically significant results. Based on our results, a healthy skepticism of some just‐significant test statistics is warranted.

Topic modeling of financial accounting research over 70 years

AbstractI utilize latent Dirichlet allocation and dynamic topic model that are machine learning algorithms across a data set encompassing 25,990 financial accounting articles issued from 1956 to 2023 in 16 accounting journals, and impartially ascertain 20 research topics. The topics of mergers and acquisitions, disclosure and internal control, and political connection exhibited the most rapid expansion, whereas management control systems, earnings management, and valuation experienced the greatest contraction from 2014 to 2023. I also catalog the most referenced papers for each topic and highlight the most swiftly expanding and contracting topics within the realm of 21,620 SSRN working papers. Additionally, my analysis reveals a declining trend in the concentration of research interests within published articles over the preceding seven decades. This research on topic classification itself will aid accounting investigators in bypassing superfluous efforts and fostering increased interdisciplinary research.

Global Financial Dynamics: Crisis, Ethics, and Market Impacts: Insights from the June 2023 Issue

With the collaborative support of the editorial board members, authors, reviewers, section editors, technical editors, and production editor, we successfully launched the June 2023 issue of the International Journal of Accounting, Business, and Finance (IJABF). Volume 2, Issue 2 of IJABF features five articles addressing contemporary issues. The authors explore these research questions through empirical results, providing insights and directions for future studies. We extend our gratitude to all contributors to this issue.

The Ties That Bind: A Systematic Review of Behavioral Research on Social Bonds and Social Ties in Accounting

ABSTRACT We provide a comprehensive review and synthesis of behavioral accounting research on social bonds and social ties. Social bonds represent a person’s subjective sense of interpersonal closeness or connectedness with another, whereas social ties are the relationship networks that connect individuals with one another. We identify 75 articles published in leading accounting journals relevant to our review. The primary contexts examined by prior research that give rise to these social connections include auditors’ identification with their clients, team member identification, and social network ties between client executives, board members, and their various external stakeholders. We structure our synthesis around the antecedents, moderators, and outcomes of these social connections. Cumulatively, our synthesis findings reveal a rich, complex setting where social bonds can sometimes benefit financial reporting and audit quality by promoting proactive knowledge sharing and sometimes harm the financial reporting process by prompting undue favoritism and increased acquiescence. Data Availability: All data used in this project are available through the Google Scholar database. JEL Classifications: M40; M41; M42.

A decade of international diversity in collaborative research published in highly ranked accounting journals

PurposeThis study examines the patterns of international diversity in collaborative research published in highly ranked accounting journals.Design/methodology/approachWe examine four types of collaborations: regional, inter-regional, European national and European international. The empirical study is based on 4,033 articles published in 13 journals between 2010 and 2019. Social network analyses were carried out for the inter-regional and the European international collaborations.FindingsThe broad analysis of the regional and inter-regional collaborations reveals not only significant differences between the non-North American journals and the North American but also important dissimilarities among the non-North American journals. The analysis of the European collaborations reveals significant differences between the journals where the UK institutions play a significant role in leading a network of European researchers and the journals where the Dutch and/or German institutions also play a significant role in another network as European leaders in terms of research.Research limitations/implicationsAlthough it reveals the patterns of internationalization of the highly ranked accounting journals, and offers some insights regarding why such patterns exist, it does not assess co-authorship networks with regard to the authors' orientation in terms of methods and research topics. We acknowledge that the networks amongst authors should also be influenced by the specific PhD-granting institutions. However, we let the data speak to these points, showing how journals differ in publication patterns. Not all highly ranked journals in accounting have the same networks and patterns of co-authorship. Another limitation pertains to the limited aspect of diversity it focuses on, that of geographical diversity. Furthermore, our analyses do not speak directly to the nationalities of the authors, but to the country in which the publication was granted at the time of the paper's publication.Practical implicationsOur findings show that the patterns of international diversity in all the types of collaborations under examination in the highly ranked accounting journals vary across different groups of journals. The “North-American or North-American inspired journals” (Guthrie et al., 2019, p. 12) have the highest level of geographical concentration and the North American universities/institutions contribute with the majority of the papers. The “non-North American journals” – the leading journals for critical, interpretive and interdisciplinary approaches (Hussain et al., 2020) and those which are more acceptive of these latter approaches – have a lower level of geographic concentration of the papers and there is a broader set of regions and countries involved, including North American countries, the UK and two Continental European countries (Germany and the Netherlands).Originality/valueOur study shows empirically that the patterns of international diversity in all the types of collaborations under examination in the highly ranked accounting journals vary across different groups of journals, revealing not only significant differences between the North American and non-North American journals in accounting, but also showcasing how the non-North American journals present a lot more heterogeneity. We also believe the analysis of the European case is a noteworthy contribution of this study given existing accounting literature fails in acknowledging European diversity.

Climate-Related Financial Risk: Insights from a Semisystematic Review of the Literature and Implications for Financial Reporting

Synopsis The research problem This paper provides a semisystematic review of the literature on climate-related financial risk, with particular emphasis on whether that risk is adequately priced by financial markets and the implications of that risk assessment for financial reporting. Motivation This paper was motivated by a strong perception that financial markets have become increasingly exposed to the perils of climate change, and a concern for whether the rapid expansion of the literature on this topic sufficiently addresses financial markets’ correct pricing of the uncertainties inherent in these perils. Our particular goals were to understand the expansion of this literature, identify the originating and influential works that may have spurred this expansion, and provide new directions for research. The research question Our paper reviews the research on whether climate-related financial risk is adequately priced by the financial markets. Target population We examined a comprehensive sample of articles on climate-related financial risk published in the Financial Times’ Top 50 (FT50) accounting, finance, management, and business ethics journals over three decades, ending in 2022. Our analysis of the evolution of knowledge on climate-related financial risk also includes studies in non-FT50 journals (prior works) that may have spurred subsequent work in FT50 journals; non-FT50 journals (derivative works) that are inspired by the studies in FT50 journals; and set of studies that are similar to those in FT50 journals in terms of the topic (similar works) published in an array of non-FT50 journals. Adopted methodology We conducted a semisystematic review of knowledge flow based on bibliographic coupling, cocitation, and direct citation. Analyses We reviewed FT50 articles to examine the topics, methods, samples, and results. We compared FT50 articles with non-FT50 articles to explore their respective number of publications and average citations over time. We also examined the extent to which the FT50 and non-FT50 journals included accounting papers and the extent to which the top 20 papers, based on their impact (defined as the number of times a paper was considered an influential work by the FT50 journal papers), included accounting papers. Findings Compared to non-FT50 journals, we find that FT50 journals largely ignored climate-related financial risk until about 2010, and that the average citation of an FT50 publication was lower than a non-FT50 publication until around 2017. The fraction of FT50 and non-FT50 accounting journals publishing on climate-related financial risk remained low across all years. Moreover, the top 20 studies, based on their impact, included very few accounting papers. Our review of the content of the FT50 studies identifies traits of the literature that limit its generalizability, namely, a heavy emphasis on samples of U.S. corporations and the extensive use of association tests to develop the findings. Our review of the literature on the pricing effects of climate-related financial risk suggests that financial markets only partially price this risk and that fundamental questions relevant to policy remain unanswered.

Evolution of Research Streams and Future Research Directions in Accounting Education: Quantitative Systematic Literature Review

ABSTRACT This study comprehensively analyzes the landscape of accounting education research and constructs the agenda for future studies. We are specifically interested in investigating the current state of accounting education research and identifying areas that require further attention for its development. We employ a quantitative systematic literature review focusing on 673 academic articles from top-tier accounting journals. The study applies various bibliometric analyses, including co-citation, bibliographic coupling, keyword co-occurrence, topic burstiness, and thematic mapping, using HistCite, VOSviewer, CiteSpace, and R Bibliometrix software. Through rigorous examination, we identify three prominent research streams: (1) accounting pedagogy, (2) competencies, and (3) ethics. Furthermore, each stream discusses specific distinctive themes. This study suggests future investigations on leveraging the accounting education role in pursuing environmental sustainability and embracing technology to improve student engagement in post-pandemic learning. Data Availability: Data are available from the public sources cited in the text. JEL Classifications: M49; I20; I23.

Discussion of “Climate-Related Financial Risk: Insights from a Semisystematic Review of the Literature and Implications for Financial Reporting”

In this discussion of Griffith and Sun [( 2024 ), Climate-related Financial Risk: Insights from a Semisystematic Review of the Literature and Implications for Financial Reporting” the International Journal of Accounting, this issue], I examine both the incremental contribution of their work and its limitations. Furthermore, I delve into the limitations inherent in the chosen research design strategy and discuss how these limitations may affect some of the documented findings, particularly those related to accounting research.

The application of machine learning to study fraud in the accounting literature

PurposeThis study aims to objectively synthesize the volume of accounting literature on financial statement fraud (FSF) using a systematic literature review research method (SLRRM). This paper analyzes the vast FSF literature based on inclusion and exclusion criteria. These criteria filter articles that are present in the accounting fraud domain and are published in peer-reviewed quality journals based on Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) journal ranking. Lastly, a reverse search, analyzing the articles' abstracts, further narrows the search to 88 peer-reviewed articles. After examining these 88 articles, the results imply that the current literature is shifting from traditional statistical approaches towards computational methods, specifically machine learning (ML), for predicting and detecting FSF. This evolution of the literature is influenced by the impact of micro and macro variables on FSF and the inadequacy of audit procedures to detect red flags of fraud. The findings also concluded that A* peer-reviewed journals accepted articles that showed a complete picture of performance measures of computational techniques in their results. Therefore, this paper contributes to the literature by providing insights to researchers about why ML articles on fraud do not make it to top accounting journals and which computational techniques are the best algorithms for predicting and detecting FSF.Design/methodology/approachThis paper chronicles the cluster of narratives surrounding the inadequacy of current accounting and auditing practices in preventing and detecting Financial Statement Fraud. The primary objective of this study is to objectively synthesize the volume of accounting literature on financial statement fraud. More specifically, this study will conduct a systematic literature review (SLR) to examine the evolution of financial statement fraud research and the emergence of new computational techniques to detect fraud in the accounting and finance literature.FindingsThe storyline of this study illustrates how the literature has evolved from conventional fraud detection mechanisms to computational techniques such as artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning (ML). The findings also concluded that A* peer-reviewed journals accepted articles that showed a complete picture of performance measures of computational techniques in their results. Therefore, this paper contributes to the literature by providing insights to researchers about why ML articles on fraud do not make it to top accounting journals and which computational techniques are the best algorithms for predicting and detecting FSF.Originality/valueThis paper contributes to the literature by providing insights to researchers about why the evolution of accounting fraud literature from traditional statistical methods to machine learning algorithms in fraud detection and prediction.

Letters to the editor, institutional experimentation, and the public accounting professional

This study examines the ‘letters to the editor’ section of the practitioner accounting journal and its role in the process of accounting professionalization. Data for the study are derived from the AICPA periodical Journal of Accountancy. The theoretical framing for the study draws on the linguistic theory of Mikhail Bakhtin. The study’s analysis relies on latent Dirichlet allocation (LDA) topic modeling. The study finds that the letters forum helps to construct a believable and useful image of the professional accountant. The forum also provides a means for practicing accountants to intervene in, impact, and, at times, challenge the activities of the field’s authorities. Besides contributing to our understanding of accounting professionalization and the field’s competing institutional logics—professional, commercial, and bureaucratic—the study offers a methodological contribution, building on a first wave of topic-modeling research and demonstrating the usefulness of a theoretically-informed, but not theoretically-determined, approach to the study of textual accounting materials.

Does Financial Expertise within the Audit Committee Mitigate Stock Price Crash Risk? Unraveling the Impact of Accounting Proficiency on Market Vulnerability.

Stock price crashes can have severe consequences for investors and the overall financial market. This study investigates whether financial expertise within the audit committee can effectively mitigate stock price crash risk, with a specific focus on the impact of accounting proficiency on market vulnerability. By incorporating a comprehensive empirical analysis and recent scientific references, we aim to shed light on the crucial question of how audit committees' composition influences market stability. Drawing upon recent scientific references, including Smith and Johnson (2023) in the Journal of Accounting and Finance Research, Chen, Wang, and Li (2022) in the Journal of Financial Economics, and Zhang and Lee (2021) in the International Journal of Accounting and Auditing Research, we explore the relationship between financial expertise within audit committees and their ability to act as a safeguard against stock price crashes. Our research methodology involves analyzing data from various financial markets to ascertain the potential effectiveness of audit committees with members possessing higher levels of financial expertise in preventing or mitigating stock price crashes. By integrating insights from these recent scientific articles, we present a comprehensive examination of the influence of accounting proficiency on market vulnerability. The findings of this study will contribute significantly to the existing literature on corporate governance and market stability. Policymakers, investors, and corporate boards will gain valuable insights into the role of financial expertise within the audit committee in managing stock price crash risk and promoting market resilience. Ultimately, these insights can inform decision-making processes and enhance corporate governance practices to foster more stable and sustainable financial markets.

A BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS OF ARTICLES PUBLISHED IN THE JOURNAL OF ACCOUNTING AND AUDITING DURİNG 2017 - 2023

Muhasebe ve Denetime Bakış Dergisi’nde 2017 – 2023 yılları arasında yayımlanan makalelerin 
 bibliyometrik özelliklerinin incelenmesi amaçlanmıştır. Dergideki 20 sayıda yer alan toplam 246 
 makale incelenmiştir. Araştırmada, bibliyometrik analiz kullanılmıştır. Araştırmanın sonucunda; 
 2018 yılı hariç diğer yılların tamamında erkek yazarların kadın yazarlardan daha fazla ve makalelerin 
 çoğunluğunun araştırma makalesi olduğu belirlenmiştir. Ayrıca, en fazla makaleyi Dr. Öğr. Üyesi 
 unvanlı öğretim üyelerinin yazdıkları, makalelerin en fazla 2 yazarlı olarak yazıldıkları ve yazarların 
 en fazla sırasıyla Ankara Hacı Bayram Veli, Başkent ve Anadolu Üniversitelerinde çalıştıkları tespit 
 edilmiştir. Dergideki makalelerin en fazla sırasıyla 34 adet muhasebe standartları, 23 adet muhasebe 
 meslek mensupları ve 11 adet muhasebe eğitimi ve bağımsız denetim konularında yazıldıkları 
 bulunmuştur.

The New Wave of CSR-Related Mainstream Accounting Research: On the Performative Effects of Literature Reviews

ABSTRACT This commentary/reflection offers a critical analysis of four articles presenting literature reviews concerning Corporate Social Responsibility (CSR) research in accounting published in North American-based or inspired accounting research journals and of the research on which they focus. This analysis is presented against the backdrop of [Gond, J.P., S. Mena, and S. Mosonyi. 2023. The performativity of literature reviewing: Constituting the corporate social responsibility literature through re-presentation and intervention. Organizational Research Methods 26, no. 2: 195–228] conceptualisation of the performative effects of literature reviews, examinations of the recent resurgence of CSR research in top-tier North American-based accounting journals offered by well-established social and environmental accounting (SEA) researchers, as well as in light of some of the many reviews on the same or similar lines of research. Whilst previous examinations of such resurgence focused on regular articles, this reflection focuses on literature reviews, which I consider a negative development in view of what they represent in terms of the self-referencing behaviour already present in the literature they review. This commentary serves the purpose of cautioning those interested in becoming acquainted with accounting research on CSR-related topics that the reviews examined should not be used as an entry point, given that they offer a rather incomplete picture of such research. Rather, they should only be used after having acquired a global view of CSR-related literature.

Institutional Ties and Publications in Top Accounting Journals

Institutional Ties and Publications in Top Accounting Journals

Replication of Audit and Financial Accounting Research: We Do More than We Think

SYNOPSIS There is a widespread concern that a “replication crisis” exists in the social sciences. Accounting researchers echo this claim and add that little accounting replication research is published. We carry out a conservative study to identify articles published in six leading accounting journals from 1970 to 2016 that attempt to replicate prior financial accounting and auditing research. We find 248 articles that attempted to replicate, in whole or in part, 298 published papers’ results typically in the context of extending the original finds. Highlights of our findings include: (1) the number and percentage of replicating articles have increased over the period; (2) 60 percent of all replication attempts are completely successful, 29 percent report mixed success, leaving 11 percent that fail to replicate. These findings suggest that the accounting academe publishes more replication research than previously documented and that published results are relatively robust when replicated. Data Availability: Data are available from the authors upon request.

Causal microeconometrics in accounting research

Purpose: This paper reviews accounting research that employed causal inference methodology, with a focus on methods associated with causal microeconometrics (quasi-experimental). The reviewed papers were published in five leading accounting journals from 2017 through 2021. Methodology/approach: The research approach is a literature review of studies that apply the methodology of causal microeconometrics to accounting. The main section of the paper describes five methods: the treatment effects approach, propensity score matching, natural experiment, difference-in-differences estimators, and regression discontinuity design. The assumptions and limitations of each method are discussed, and selected examples of causal inference published in five leading accounting journals are provided. Findings: The study confirms the increasing frequency of the use of causal inference methodologies in accounting research. Sometimes referred to as quasi-experimental or causal microeconometric, these methods can provide a base for finding evidence of causality. However, there are limitations associated with each method. Practical implications: Statistical-econometric methodology in accounting research based on regression is rarely able to demonstrate causal relationships. This paper presents the pros and cons of applying causal inference methodologies in accounting. Originality/value: The paper’s value lies in: (1) introducing to the research community the growing presence of quasi-experimental causal methodologies in accounting, (2) presenting causal research in accounting using causal microeconometric methods, (3) identifying papers using these methods that were published in five leading accounting journals between 2017 and 2021, and (4) highlighting the challenges and the need for caution and due consideration in applying these methods.