A bibliometric analysis of accounting information systems journals and their emerging technologies contributions

Highlights

• The six AIS journals (IJIAS, JIS, JETA, IJDAR, AISEJ and ISAF) published 681 accounting articles from 2004 to 2016.

• Of these, 305 articles addressed emerging technologies (ET) across all six journals.

• Archival, experimental, and survey are the top methods employed in the six journals.

• Auditing, AIS, financial, and managerial are the most studied areas in the six journals.

• XBRL, continuous/online/digital/e-reporting and AI are the most commonly researched ET.

Abstract

This study contributes to academic knowledge about methodologies used, accounting areas studied, and emerging technologies examined in scholarship in accounting information systems (AIS) journals. It presents a comprehensive bibliometric and comparative analysis of the 681 accounting articles that were published from 2004, the beginning of serious recognition of emerging technologies research in accounting as well as mandated measuring of research productivity under AACSB accreditation standards, through 2016 in the following six accounting information systems journals: Journal of Information Systems (JIS), International Journal of Accounting Information Systems (IJAIS), Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting (JETA), International Journal of Digital Accounting Research (IJDAR), Accounting Information Systems Educator Journal (AISEJ) and Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management (ISAFM).

The results suggest these journals do not have a singular focus but range in the breadth of the articles they publish. All accounting articles in ISAFM address emerging technologies, followed by JETA (73.8%), IJDAR (54.6%), IJAIS (40.0%), and JIS (30.5%). The majority (62.3%) of emerging technologies articles apply research methodologies that are Other in the Brigham Young University classification scheme. The most frequently applied Other methodology is design science research (21.0%), followed by archival methods (18.7%). Auditing (41.6%), and financial (28.5%) are the most commonly researched accounting areas. AIS (11.1%) is in the third rank. Although called AIS journals, each of the six reflects contemporary accounting and future opportunities for practice more broadly, whether they are published by major international academic publishers (IJAIS and ISAFM), section journals of the American Accounting Association (JIS and JETA) or are open source journals (IJDAR and AISEJ). This study's results are expected to be of interest to scholars, educators, practitioners, and graduate students in relevant accounting, AIS, and emerging technologies fields.

Introduction

This study provides a bibliometric and comparative analysis of research articles published in six accounting information systems journals for the recent 13-year period from 2004 through 2016. Building upon the research findings in Muehlmann et al. (2015), it broadens the research scope by examining 681 publications in the Journal of Information Systems (JIS), International Journal of Accounting Information Systems (IJAIS), Journal of Emerging Technologies in Accounting (JETA), International Journal of Digital Accounting Research (IJDAR), Accounting Information Systems Educator Journal (AISEJ), and Intelligent Systems in Accounting, Finance and Management (ISAFM) and extending the period of analysis by three years.

Accounting works well when it is in sync with business practice. The prospect of shaping the future of accounting with emerging technologies of recent years is exciting. Offering an overview of the fragmented body of emerging technologies research, this study hopes to serve as a resource for researchers who want to contribute, whether they are new to the field or are returning to emerging technologies research after a break.

The analysis of research content adopts the accounting area and research methodology classification scheme as used in the Brigham Young University Accounting Research Ranking (2018). Expanding the traditional accounting classification categories,¹ this study also applies multiple novel technology-oriented categories such as artificial intelligence, XBRL, and other emerging technologies keywords to enhance the classification findings and demonstrate the uniqueness in AIS research. Further insights on cross journal comparison of accounting information systems research are summarized as well.

This comprehensive study contributes to the academic knowledge about scholarship in accounting information systems journals in 2004–2016. Lists of accounting journals have been created as proxies for research relevance and quality since the 2003 AACSB standards started to mandate that research productivity be measured. Scholars may find this information useful in their research and in making decisions about submissions. Administrators and faculty may find this information useful when they consider which scholarship is reflecting currency and relevance of faculty's intellectual capital in accounting in their annual review and reward as well as promotion and tenure processes. They may also consider this information when they are updating their journal lists to reflect research outlets that are consistent with the school's mission, which the 2013 AACSB standards emphasize.

Factors that contribute to the continuing publication of emerging technologies research in accounting are open access to practitioners and educators instead of limited access through academic library subscriptions by IJDAR and AISEJ as well as the widely adopted practice of creating ranked journal lists to measure research productivity, which started in 2004, the year following the promulgation of business school accreditation standards by the Association to Advance Collegiate Schools of Business (AACSB). The AACSB standards did not mention such lists, but they became common practice in the ensuing years. International lists such as those prepared by the British Association of Business Schools (ABS) and the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) present convenient resources. Their rankings become potentially dominant in the perception of accounting research quality (Black et al., 2017). As a result, ABS and ABDC rankings may drive the preference for publication outlets over journal focus.

This study showcases a wide range of published research on emerging technologies by presenting an analysis of six accounting information systems journals. It reveals differentiation of the journals' publication foci, offering insights about the scholarship published in these journals and how they contribute to academic knowledge dissemination of a varied range of topical areas and research methodologies. This journal selection builds on prior research studies that examined only one journal (Muehlmann et al., 2015; Baldwin et al., 2000).

The period of analysis starts in 2004, the founding year of JETA, which marks the beginning of major recognition of emerging technologies research in accounting in the American Accounting Association, the world's largest academic community of accountants in academia. JETA focuses on research in emerging technologies and artificial intelligence which are applied or applicable to accounting, broadly defined. Although it is the only journal with this express mission, JETA is, however, not the only publication outlet for emerging technologies research in accounting. Its founding was preceded by ISAFM, published since 1992, and IJDAR, published since 2001, both journals that aim to attract emerging technologies research in accounting, as well as IJAIS and JIS, which broadly cover information technologies research as it relates to accounting. JETA's scope includes the publication of educational research, which is also covered by AISEJ, which has been published since 2006. All six of these journals have an interest in emerging technologies in accounting, whether as a central focus or as part of a much wider view of accounting information systems. Thus, the period of interest in this study begins in 2004, which marks both the founding of JETA and also an important change in AACSB standards as described above.

Section two summarizes the relevant literature. Section three describes the research methodology of this study. Section four provides findings of content analysis on accounting area and research methodology of accounting information systems research. Section five presents an analysis of emerging technologies contributions in the six journals. Lastly, section six offers a summary and future research opportunities.