Academic Journal Critique Essay Example

ACADEMIC JOURNAL CRITIQUE

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Academic Journal Critique

Guthrie and Parker published the article in 2017 and represent a reflection of the thirty years of publication since the establishment of Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal. The work has maintained its vision of diversity and creativity since 1988 during its first editorial. As such, the journal encourages interdisciplinary researchers in the accounting practice to undertake and submit their innovative research work. The mission of the AAAJ is to increase connectivity within society and, encourage the utilization of accounting practice to address in a wider scope, the social problems of societal attachment.

The article outlines the seven AAAJ institutions established over the years and that further its mission such as the APIRA conference, AAAJ’s special guest edited thematic issues, its prizes and awards for authors, reviewers, doctoral students and emerging scholars, Hall of Fame, the methodological section, and the literary section. The institutions provide an international forum where researchers can showcase their work and different aspects of accounting such as social, political and institutional in terms of theory or practice. The main focus rests on creativity and innovation, the institutions embraced, and cultivate the international emergence of interdisciplinary accounting researchers. Institutions such as the conference provide a forum where the researchers can meet, interact and network. The paper explains that the institutions and the AAAJ call for diversity and encourage scholars and learners to venture into new subject areas, challenge the status quo, address ignored and controversial topics and challenge the views and opinions of their peers (J. Fogarty 2014). Apart from providing a networking platform, the journal also recognizes the outstanding interdisciplinary researchers of the different accounting fields through prizes and awards.

In 2016, the journal found that there was a conflict between AAAJ’s mission and the metrics. The article addresses the conflict by restating its responsibility to maintain the credibility of any publication and research appearing in the AAAJ. To avoid any violation of trust or responsibilities, the journal must focus on the metrics applying to the fields of research and the intellectuals working in those fields. The journal’s elaborate tackling of contemporary issues has earned it the mark of quality and consistent high ranking by Google Scholar, Emerald Publishing, ResearchGate, and so forth.

Reflection

The article is well structured with the authors, arranging the sections using different topics and sub-topics, and the main title of the article is clear on the objective of the paper. The style used is elaborate and clear whereby the article quotes previous AAAJ publications, reviewers and contributors to comprehensively explain a point. The quotes show that the authors are respectful of the contributions of other people to the journal. The research is significant because it outlines the strides that the Journal has taken since its establishment in1988 and its future considerations. All the statements are clear and explanations comprehensive and follow the objectives of the paper.

The authors interpret different literature and statistics in the text and avoid any misrepresentations. The article cites renowned publications and researchers such as Emerald Publishing. The journal is rated high among its peers and to support this claim, the authors show different average citations of articles published by AAAJ and the consistent ranking by a number of prominent international institutions such as the Australian Business Deans’ Council. The interpretation of the pertinent literature significantly reduces errors or omissions of facts, and hence, making the research valid and reliable. The research and interpretations of the journal are original and significant. However, the authors do not necessarily provide a fresh insight into the working of the AAAJ journal. The AAAJ has annual commentary and special issues that discuss the journal’s significant contributions to the practice of accounting. The only insight that stimulates the need for a discussion is the mission of the journal to contribute to societal and community engagement. Therefore, the article and the research design are respectable and adequate to catch the attention of the reader and educate them on the importance of the AAAJ journal to the accounting practice and the society.

Relevance

The article is relevant to the practice of accounting in terms of professional accounting and various stakeholders’ related issues. The research identifies the values of the AAAJ and its future contributions to the society and accounting (Guthrie and Parker 2014). The paper encourages interdisciplinary researchers to submit their work and tackle topics that are under-rated. The article and the journal act as motivating tools for researchers to creatively develop knowledge and contribute to accounting (J. Fogarty 2014). The authors are encouraged to challenge mainstream ideas and values so as to find elaborate solutions to social, political, and institutional challenges.

People have a narrow view and definition of accounting. The journal has often been critiqued for some of its publications in which the reviewers question whether they fall under the scope of accounting according to the AAAJ standards (Guthrie and Parker 2014). The journal and the article explain that the scope of accounting is large and covers different subject areas. The article is relevant because it explains the complexity of the practice of accounting and the interrelation with social practices. The AAAJ encourages researchers, scholars, and learners to embrace the expanse field of accounting and explore beyond the technical view of the discipline (Guthrie and Parker 2014).

Additionally, the article and the journal enlist new approaches to accounting research, such as developing multiple avenues where researchers can interact. The different means of engagement are also meant to encourage new researchers and potential stakeholders to join the journal community. The experienced scholars use workshops and conferences to persuade the emerging learners to submit their publications to the AAAJ (J. Fogarty 2014). Therefore, the article is relevant to the practice of accounting and various stakeholders because it issues a statement that established and emerging scholars can engage in complex scholarly activities in the issues of the AAAJ.

Improving the Research

The research on the article is comprehensive and reliable. The authors have used comprehensive statements to put the points across and convince the readers. However, I would have added various techniques such as diagrams and statistical charts to create a visual for the readers. The use of diagrams has been established to help readers retain more information and attract more people to skim through the paper. The use of illustrations in the interpretation of statistical data shows the readers that the authors understood the information before publishing. Additionally, using statistical data gives the author a chance to collaborate with the statistician which will help enhance the quality of the article’s findings. Working with different statisticians will also help the researcher gather comprehensive and independent data. The array of data is significant in the interpretation of results to enhance reliability and validity. Therefore, I would use more visual aids to display statistical data from different prominent statisticians.

Reference

Guthrie, J. and D. Parker, L., 2014. The global accounting academic: what counts!. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 27(1), pp.2-14.

Guthrie, J., & Parker, L. D, 2017, Reflections and projections: 30 years of the interdisciplinary accounting, auditing and accountability search for a fairer society, Accounting, Auditing and Accountability Journal, 30(1), 2-17. DOI: 10.1108/AAAJ-11-2016-2781

J. Fogarty, T., 2014. A dream deferred: interdisciplinary accounting in the US. Accounting, Auditing & Accountability Journal, 27(8), pp.1265-1270.