The Diminishing Influence of Celebrity Authors in a Diversified World of Accounting Journals

Abstract

While the ranking of accounting journals has been extensively and continually investigated by scholars, very few studies have examined the trend and dynamics of the ranking. This research is an attempt to fill the void by testing four hypotheses related to pre-established lists of accounting journal tiers corroborated in the literature and the citations of articles published in those journals to ascertain if differences exist over time. The authors contribute to the current literature by examining the topic in a dynamic context, rather than as a static subject. Furthermore, the study introduces a simplified citation-based method which combines existing opinions of journal quality with timely updates in the field. The findings suggest a diminishing influence of celebrity authors and a more democratic and diversified world of accounting journals. While top tier journals maintain their lead, the gap between them and journals of lower tiers is shrinking. This new reality carries profound implications for researchers as well as policy makers in business schools.

Keywords: journal ranking, celebrity authors, tiers, citation analysis, Google Scholar, research, quality

JEL Classification: A00