Accounting and Finance

About Accounting and Finance

Accounting and Finance: An In-Depth Profile

Accounting and Finance is a leading peer-reviewed academic journal covering accounting, finance, and business information systems, published by Wiley on behalf of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ). With a publication history stretching back to 1979, it is the flagship journal of the Australasian accounting and finance research community — and one of the region's most cited outlets — while attracting authors and readers from around the world.

Overview and Identity

Accounting and Finance publishes articles addressing significant research questions from a range of perspectives that contribute to accounting, finance, and business information systems. The journal is aimed at academics, graduate students, and all those interested in research in accounting and finance. It publishes theoretical, empirical, and experimental papers, and its scope deliberately spans the two disciplines named in its title — a breadth that distinguishes it from journals confined to accounting alone or finance alone.

As the journal of AFAANZ, Accounting and Finance carries a dual identity: it is both an international scholarly journal competing on global citation metrics and the intellectual home of a regional research community. That community dimension shows in the journal's traditions — including the Peter Brownell Award for the best article published each year — and in its role as the publishing arm of an association that also runs doctoral symposia, conferences, and education initiatives.

History and the AFAANZ Connection

The journal's coverage history in Scopus runs from 1979 to the present, making it one of the longest-running accounting and finance journals in the Asia-Pacific. It is published by Wiley-Blackwell on behalf of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ), the professional association of accounting and finance academics in the two countries. AFAANZ publishes two journals: Accounting & Finance and Accounting History.

Over its history the journal has mirrored the growth of accounting and finance research in Australasia — from a regional outlet into a journal ranked in the top quartile of its fields internationally. In 2023 the journal moved to online-only publication, reflecting the broader shift in scholarly publishing; AFAANZ members who still want print can order hard copies through a member print-on-demand programme.

A notable tradition is the Peter Brownell Award, presented for the best article published in the journal — for example, Sarah Osborne's paper on abnormal returns and asymmetric information surrounding strategic and financial acquisitions received the 2019 award. The award signals the journal's commitment to recognising research excellence within its pages.

Aims and Scope

Accounting and Finance aims to publish high-quality research addressing significant questions in accounting, finance, and business information systems. Its scope includes, but is not limited to:

• Financial accounting and reporting: disclosure, earnings quality, valuation, capital markets research
• Management accounting: behavioural and organisational perspectives, performance measurement
• Auditing: audit quality, auditor behaviour, regulation
• Corporate finance: capital structure, payout policy, mergers and acquisitions, corporate governance
• Asset pricing and investments: market efficiency, funds management, banking
• Business information systems: accounting information systems, technology and reporting
• Related fields: taxation, sustainability accounting, integrated reporting, intellectual capital

The journal explicitly welcomes a range of theoretical, empirical, and experimental approaches. Its editorial team is organised by field — with editors covering areas such as auditing, capital markets, banking, corporate reporting, and sustainability accounting — reflecting the journal's breadth.

Editorial Board and Editors

The journal's editorship has been held by senior figures in Australasian accounting and finance. Recent editors-in-chief include Tom Smith (Macquarie University), who served a six-year term; Gary Monroe (University of New South Wales), who succeeded him; and, from 2026, Millicent Chang as Editor-in-Chief — whose research spans accounting and finance, including climate-related disclosures and firm carbon emission targets, and who previously served as an Associate Editor of the journal.

The journal is supported by a large team of editors and associate editors drawn from universities in Australia, New Zealand, and beyond, with portfolios covering accounting sub-fields (management accounting, auditing, financial reporting, sustainability accounting, intellectual capital) and finance sub-fields (banking, asset pricing, corporate finance, capital markets, funds management). This field-editor structure ensures that submissions are handled by specialists.

Peer Review Process

Accounting and Finance operates a rigorous peer review process consistent with Wiley's publishing standards. Manuscripts submitted through Wiley's Research Exchange platform undergo initial screening by the editors, followed by double-anonymous peer review by independent experts. The journal offers Free Format Submission, allowing authors to submit in a flexible format with the formal formatting applied after acceptance — reducing the burden of initial submission. Authors can expect editorial decisions informed by specialist reviewers in their sub-field, given the field-editor structure.

Indexing and Abstracting

Accounting and Finance is listed in Thomson Scientific's Social Sciences Citation Index (Web of Science) and in Scopus, and is abstracted in the standard business, economics, and finance indexing services. Its long coverage history (1979–present in Scopus) and SSCI listing underpin its standing in research assessment exercises in Australia, New Zealand, and internationally.

Impact Metrics

Impact metrics for Accounting and Finance, with attribution:

• Scopus-based impact score: approximately 4.02, computed from Scopus citation data (Resurchify, based on Scopus) — a strong figure reflecting the journal's citation performance.
• SCImago Journal Rank (SJR): approximately 0.895, with a Q1 best quartile — in Economics, Econometrics and Finance (miscellaneous) — and Q2 in Accounting and Finance categories (SCImago, based on Scopus data).
• h-index: approximately 70 (Scopus-based).
• Journal Impact Factor: consult the latest Journal Citation Reports (Clarivate) for the current figure; the journal is SSCI-listed.

The journal's metrics place it among the stronger regional-flagship journals in accounting and finance globally — competitive with many European and North American outlets, and the leading generalist accounting-and-finance journal of the Australasian region.

Publication Ethics

As a Wiley journal, Accounting and Finance follows Wiley's publishing ethics guidelines and the COPE Core Practices. Authors must warrant originality, disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources, obtain necessary permissions, and avoid duplicate or redundant publication. Wiley investigates allegations of misconduct — including plagiarism, data fabrication, and authorship disputes — under COPE procedures. Reviewers are bound by confidentiality and expected to declare competing interests.

Open Access Policy

Wiley offers authors of Accounting and Finance a choice between subscription publication and open access. Authors selecting open access publish under a Creative Commons licence on payment of an article publication charge; Wiley's agreements with many institutions and funders — including read-and-publish (transformative) agreements — may cover the charge. AFAANZ members should check current member benefits and institutional agreements for OA funding routes.

Submission Guidelines

Manuscripts are submitted via Wiley's Research Exchange platform, which supports Free Format Submission — authors may submit a single PDF or Word file in any readable layout for initial review, with journal formatting applied after acceptance. Standard requirements include: original work not under consideration elsewhere; a structured abstract; appropriate keywords and JEL classifications where relevant; disclosure of funding and conflicts; and data-availability statements where applicable. Authors should consult the current author guidelines on the Wiley Online Library journal page, as requirements are updated periodically.

The AFAANZ Ecosystem: Conferences, Doctoral Support, and Community

Accounting and Finance does not exist in isolation: it is embedded in the AFAANZ ecosystem. The association runs an annual conference, a doctoral symposium that gives PhD candidates feedback from senior scholars, and — since 2020, in partnership with Chartered Accountants Australia and New Zealand — an Education Technology Symposium. The journal's editors have held panels at AFAANZ conferences on publishing in the association's journals, demystifying the review process for early-career researchers.

This ecosystem matters for prospective authors: the journal is known for nurturing scholarship from the region, and its editors and reviewers include many scholars active in AFAANZ's conference and doctoral programmes. For Australasian PhD students and early-career researchers, publishing in Accounting and Finance carries particular professional weight.

Readership and Influence

The journal's readership includes accounting and finance academics worldwide, graduate students, and — through AFAANZ membership access via Wiley Online Library — the association's full membership. Its papers are cited across accounting, finance, and business information systems literatures, and its best articles (recognised through the Peter Brownell Award) often become reference points in their sub-fields. The journal's Twitter/X presence (@AF_AFAANZ) disseminates new content to the research community.

Notable Research Areas

Reflecting its editors' expertise and its community, Accounting and Finance has published influential work across capital markets research, corporate governance, auditing, banking, sustainability and integrated reporting, intellectual capital, and accounting education-adjacent topics. Its openness to both accounting and finance — and to experimental and behavioural work alongside archival-empirical studies — gives it a broader methodological palette than journals confined to a single tradition.

A Brief History: From Regional Outlet to International Journal

Accounting and Finance began in 1979 as the journal of Australia's accounting academic community, in an era when Australasian accounting research was still finding its international voice. The association behind it — today the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand — brought together accounting and finance academics from both countries, and the journal became the principal outlet for their work.

The journal's trajectory mirrors the professionalisation of accounting research in the region. In its early decades, it published work deeply engaged with Australian and New Zealand institutions — capital market regulation, accounting standards, corporate governance in the local context. As the region's business schools internationalised and as Australian research assessment (notably the Excellence in Research for Australia, ERA, exercise) rewarded publication in highly ranked international journals, Accounting and Finance itself internationalised: its authorship, readership, and citation footprint expanded well beyond Australasia.

A key milestone was the journal's inclusion in the Social Sciences Citation Index, which cemented its status as an internationally recognised outlet. Its Scopus metrics — an impact score around 4.02, SJR near 0.895, and Q1 placement — now place it competitively against many European and North American journals. The 2023 move to online-only publication marked the end of the print era; the association's print-on-demand programme preserves a physical option for members who want it.

Standing in Research Assessment

For Australian and New Zealand academics, journal rankings carry direct career consequences through the ERA exercise and university-internal journal lists. Accounting and Finance's SSCI listing and Q1 Scimago quartile make it one of the strongest outlets available to regional scholars — a journal where excellent work can satisfy both international scholarly standards and local assessment criteria. This dual role — international journal and regional flagship — is central to its identity and to its attractiveness as a publishing venue.

Beyond Australasia, the journal is read and cited by accounting and finance scholars worldwide. Its papers appear in reference lists across the capital-markets, governance, auditing, and banking literatures, and its field-editor structure — with specialists handling submissions in areas from funds management to sustainability accounting — signals serious scholarly standards to international authors.

Special Issues and Thematic Collections

Like many leading journals, Accounting and Finance publishes special issues and thematic collections on emerging topics, typically proposed by guest editors and approved by the editorial team. These collections have covered areas such as sustainability reporting, corporate governance reform, and developments in financial markets — giving concentrated attention to fast-moving debates. Prospective guest editors usually approach the Editor-in-Chief with a proposal outlining the theme, the guest editorial team, and a call-for-papers plan.

The Editorial Workflow in Detail

Understanding the journal's workflow helps prospective authors:

• Submission: Manuscripts go through Wiley's Research Exchange. Free Format Submission means the initial manuscript can be a single file in any clear layout — the journal will impose its house style only after acceptance.
• Screening: The Editor-in-Chief and field editors screen for fit, originality, and basic scholarly standards. Desk rejections are common at leading journals; a clear statement of contribution in the cover letter and introduction helps.
• Review: Papers passing screening are sent to two or more independent reviewers under double-anonymous review. Reviewers are selected for expertise in the paper's sub-field.
• Revision: Most accepted papers go through at least one major revision. Authors should respond point-by-point to reviewer comments and explain their revisions in a response memo.
• Production: After acceptance, the manuscript moves to Wiley production for copyediting, proofing, and online publication — typically with early-view publication before issue assignment.

Relationship with Accounting History

AFAANZ's second journal, Accounting History, complements Accounting and Finance: where the flagship journal covers contemporary accounting, finance, and information systems research, Accounting History publishes historical papers exploring the nature, uses, roles, rules, and practices of accounting in their cultural and political contexts. Authors with historical work should consider which of the association's two journals fits better — the flagship journal does publish historically informed work, but dedicated accounting-history scholarship belongs in the specialist title.

Open Access and Author Rights

Wiley's standard author arrangements apply. Authors choosing the subscription route typically transfer or license publishing rights while retaining rights to share the accepted manuscript under Wiley's self-archiving policies (usually after an embargo). Authors choosing gold open access retain copyright under a Creative Commons licence. Funders with open-access mandates — including the Australian Research Council and New Zealand's funders — can generally be satisfied through either the gold route or compliant green archiving; authors should verify current embargo and licence terms on the Wiley journal page.

Guidance for Prospective Authors

• Question first: The journal seeks articles addressing significant research questions — frame the contribution around the question, not the technique.
• Fit: Work spanning accounting, finance, or business information systems fits; purely economics or management papers without an accounting/finance anchor may be better placed elsewhere.
• Format: Use Free Format Submission to submit quickly; polish formatting after a revise-and-resubmit.
• Community: Present the paper at the AFAANZ conference or doctoral symposium for feedback before submission — the journal's community rewards engagement.
• Open access: Check whether your institution's Wiley agreement covers the APC before choosing the OA route.

Looking Ahead

Accounting and Finance enters its fifth decade in a strong position: SSCI-listed, Q1-ranked, and embedded in a vibrant regional research community. Its challenges mirror those of the disciplines it serves — engaging with climate and sustainability reporting, with the digitisation of accounting and finance, with the replication and credibility debates in empirical research, and with the evolving open-access landscape. The journal's field-editor structure and its association backing give it the agility to respond: new editorial portfolios (such as sustainability accounting and integrated reporting) show the journal moving with the research frontier. For authors, the journal offers a rare combination — international scholarly standing, a supportive disciplinary community, and an editorial team invested in developing rather than merely gatekeeping research.

Key Facts at a Glance

• Title: Accounting and Finance
• Publisher: Wiley (Wiley-Blackwell), on behalf of the Accounting and Finance Association of Australia and New Zealand (AFAANZ)
• Print ISSN: 0810-5391
• Online ISSN: 1467-629X
• Coverage: 1979–present (Scopus)
• Publication: Online-only since 2023; volumes with multiple issues per year
• Current Editor-in-Chief: Millicent Chang (from 2026); previously Tom Smith, Gary Monroe
• Indexing: SSCI (Web of Science), Scopus
• Best-article award: Peter Brownell Award
• Submission: Wiley Research Exchange, Free Format Submission available

Metric figures are recent reported values; verify current figures in Journal Citation Reports and SCImago. Editorial details compiled from AFAANZ publications and the Wiley Online Library journal pages.