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Appointment of Joint Editors of the British Accounting Review (BAR) Journal

The British Accounting Review (BAR) is the flagship journal of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA) and is now in its 56th volume, having been established in 1984. It is highly regarded globally, being rated as a ‘3’ in the Academic Journal Guide and ‘A*’ in the ABDC Journal Quality Guide. In 2023 it had a CiteScore of 8.6 and an Impact factor of 5.5. It is ranked among the top 12 in Business, Management and Accounting and 17 in Business and Finance. The British Accounting Review is eclectic and pluralistic in nature, with contributions across a wide range of research methodologies (e.g. analytical, archival, experimental, survey and qualitative case methods) and topics (e.g. financial accounting, management accounting, finance and financial management, auditing, public sector accounting, social and environmental accounting; accounting education and accounting history).

Further information about the journal may be found on its dedicated webpages at https://www.sciencedirect.com/journal/the-british-accounting-review. Further information about the British Accounting and Finance Association is available on this website.

BAFA are seeking to appoint two Joint Editors for a three-year period from 1 May 2025 to 30 April 2028, with the option to renew for a further one-year subject to mutual agreement. We are seeking two individuals with established reputations for international excellence in research, one with expertise in accounting and one with expertise in finance. Individual or joint applications are welcome. Candidates should have a good understanding of the British Accounting and Finance Association.

Appointments will be made in compliance with BAFA’s Equality, Diversity and Inclusion Policy. The person specification and job description are detailed below.

Application and Selection

The selection of the Joint Editors will be made by the British Accounting Review's Appointment Panel. All applications will be treated in confidence. Application should be made by sending a Curriculum Vitae (CV) and covering letter to the General Secretary (generalsecretary@bafa.ac.uk) by noon (UK time) on Monday, 11 November 2024. Both should be used to clearly indicate how the candidate meets the person specification. Interviews will be held on 2-6 th December 2024 by Zoom videoconference with the Appointments Panel. The successful candidates will be expected to take up the role from 1 May 2025 for a three-year period to 30 April 2028, with the option to renew for a further one year subject to mutual agreement. A handover period with the current Editors will take place in the first quarter of 2025.

Applicants may contact Professor Collins Ntim (president@bafa.ac.uk) or Professor Joan Ballantine (vice-president@bafa.ac.uk) for an informal discussion or queries regarding the vacancies.

Person specification

It is essential for the candidate to:

  • Have an established track record in conducting and publishing world leading research.
  • Have demonstrable experience, knowledge and understanding of journal publishing evidenced by factors such as being a journal editor or preferable editorial experience as an associate editor or equivalent.
  • Have demonstrable knowledge and understanding of the different sub-fields of accounting and/or finance research evidenced by a research record in top-ranked relevant academic journals/grants/roles in university or other relevant bodies.
  • Have methodological expertise in quantitative and/or qualitative methods.
  • Have a capacity to demonstrate administrative skills, handle a demanding workload and to meet deadlines.
  • Demonstrate an ability to work constructively with others in the publishing community, including Consulting Editors, Advisory Board, Associate Editors, Editorial Board, reviewers and authors.
  • Have a good understanding and willing to engage with the core values and governance of the British Accounting and Finance Association (BAFA), including its Trustees, the Executive, Special Interest Groups and British Accounting Review’s Steering Group.
  • Have a willingness to contribute to the success of the journal through attendance at editorial meetings and representing the journal at events.
  • Have excellent communication skills, including social media.

Job Description

Editorial Duties:

  • Make an initial examination of each submitted paper (which passes the tolerance level on similarity index) as regards potential contribution. If acceptable, transfer paper to an appropriate Associate Editor for identification of and onward transmission to two independent Reviewers. Desk reject papers failing this examination or failing to pass the tolerance level on similarity index.
  • Ensure that the Editorial Office carefully screens papers for compliance as regards format, authors’ anonymity, etc., before papers are sent to Associate Editors and on to Reviewers.
  • Ensure that Associate Editors obtain a minimum of two independent, anonymous reviews for each paper and that Reviewers make a strong case for “revise and re-submit” or “accept” decisions. A minimum of two reviews are needed before a paper is accepted.
  • Make an appropriate decision on each paper based on recommendations from the Associate Editor and both Reviewers. This is the responsibility of the Joint Editors. Note: Associate Editors and the Editorial Office are not responsible for making final accept/reject decisions).
  • Undertake an Editorial Review of each paper immediately prior to (anticipated) acceptance, in order to determine contribution, the appropriateness of methodology, and compliance with law in terms of absence of defamation. If severe or (likely) unsolvable problems are identified, the paper may still be rejected. If solvable problems are identified, require appropriate work form the author(s).
  • Ensure that accepted papers have no obvious methodological flaws and do not have a high similarity index. Note: apply similarity index at each submission/re-submission/ amendment.
  • Make all accept/reject decisions based on merit and original contribution to knowledge.
  • Respond to queries from authors and other interested parties.
  • Manage and deal with all papers and correspondence on a timely basis.
  • Ensure that the Editorial Office chases Reviewers where necessary and that papers do not lag behind schedule.

Editorial System, Publisher and Support:

  • Manage the Editorial Office of one part-time assistant.
  • Use the Elsevier Editorial System to record all submissions and decisions.
  • Promote the journal and solicit submission of high-quality papers by attending conferences, including the annual British Accounting and Finance Association and dedicated British Accounting Review conferences.
  • Each year, award Best Paper prizes (two) for best papers in Accounting and Finance based on the recommendations of the editorial board.

Governance: General

  • Only Joint-editors and Editorial Office are to communicate with authors.
  • Represent the British Accounting Review on the BAFA Executive Committee and attend meetings, including the Annual General Meeting.
  • Prepare an annual report (including financial details) of the British Accounting Review for inclusion/consolidation into the BAFA Annual Report and Accounts. This should include a report on the British Accounting Review’s performance and developments.
  • Verbally present the annual report to BAFA’s Annual General Meeting.
  • Funding applications for initiatives and/or an annual conference should be submitted to the BAFA Executive Trustees for approval.

Governance: British Accounting Review’s Steering Group

  • In conjunction with the British Accounting Review’s Steering Group, manage the relationship with the publisher.
  • Changes to the British Accounting Review’s strategy, including publishing workflows (including number of issues, article-based publishing, sequencing of papers), open access, hybrid publishing, etc to be made and approved by the British Accounting Review’s Steering Group.
  • Organise and Chair the BAR Editorial Board, in conjunction with the British Accounting Review’s Steering Group to consider issues such as the balance of papers in terms of discipline (accounting and finance), methodological approaches (quantitative and qualitative) and geographic regions.
  • Appointments (Consulting Editors, Advisory Board, Associate Editors and Editorial Board) to be made and approved by the British Accounting Review’s Steering Group.
  • British Accounting Review’s Steering Group to take minutes of all discussions and decisions made. Minutes to be made available to Trustees.
  • British Accounting Review’s Steering Group should meet quarterly where Joint Editors should report on on the performance and developments of the journal.