Convergence among academic journals in accounting: a note

Abstract

In this study, we investigate the ranking convergence pattern of 24 accounting journals across 13 established academic journal lists by applying the Phillips and Sul (Econometrica 75(6), 1771–1855, 2007; J Appl Econom 24(7), 1153–1185, 2009) methodology. The motivation is to provide a long-term perspective regarding the future convergence of accounting journals. Our main hypothesis is that the current competition among academics for a top publication will lead several outlets to meliorate their position and shift academic perception in their favour. As a result, these journals will improve their ranking and converge towards top-tier outlets. The findings incur that journals mainly converge into two clubs. The first club comprises the Top 50 Financial Times listed journals, while the second club includes the rest. We argue that journals such as Management Accounting Research and European Accounting Review, appear to converge with the top-tier (club one) journals, thus confirming our main hypothesis. The transition paths further validate the main findings of the study. We also conduct statistical analysis to investigate what drives club convergence. All in all, this paper makes an important contribution to the literature by identifying and analysing convergence patterns in the ranking of accounting academic journals.