WORKSHOP
How to improve your manuscripts and
publish in quality journals
What are the characteristics of
a successful scholar and a successful PhD student?
Self-motivation
Self-discipline
Hard work
Tenacity
There is no magic in publishing.
It takes hard work.
Goal: Become a top 25 program in finance
What does it take?
5 articles in top 3 finance journals EVERY YEAR
So in 4 years—20 top 3 articles
Goal: Become a top 25 program in finance
Resource action plan:
• Purchase all datasets including:
Compustat, CRSP, Datastream, Reuters, WRDS
• Invite leading professors (including journal editors)
to campus for extended stays
• Recruit faculty who publish in the top journals
(Minimum of 5 in top 3)
• Pay highly-competitive salaries
• Give very low teaching loads
• Provide ample funding for attending conferences
• Recruit highly-qualified doctoral students
Under these optimal conditions, how many top 3 articles
can each faculty member produce?
1 every 4 years
Need 20 articles in 4 years.
Each faculty can produce 1 article every 4 years
Hence, to become top 25, need 20 research faculty
What is the Pecking Order for Journals?
http://jindal.utdallas.edu/the-utd-top-100-business-school-research-rankings/journals
45 Journals used in FT Research Rank
31. Journal of the American Statistical Association
1. Academy of Management Journal (Academy of Management)
32. Management Science (Informs)
2. Academy of Management Perspectives (AMP)
33. Marketing Science (Informs)
3. Academy of Management Review (Academy of Management)
34. MIS Quarterly (MIS Research Centre, University of Minn.)
4. Accounting, Organisations and Society (Elsevier)
35. Operations Research (Informs)
5. The Accounting Review (American Accounting Association)
36. Organization Science (Informs)
6. Administrative Science Quarterly (Cornell University)
37. Organization Studies (SAGE)
7. American Economic Review (American Economic Association)
38. Organizational Behaviour and Human Decision Processes
8. California Management Review (UC Berkeley)
39. Production and Operations Management (Wiley)
9. Contemporary Accounting Research (Wiley)
40. Quarterly Journal of Economics (MIT)
10. Econometrica (Econometric Society, Wiley)
11. Entrepreneurship Theory and Practice (Baylor University, Wiley) 41. Rand Journal of Economics (The Rand Corporation, Wiley)
12. Harvard Business Review (Harvard Business School Publishing) 42. Review of Accounting Studies (Springer)
43. Review of Financial Studies (Oxford University Press)
13. Human Resource Management (Wiley)
44. Sloan Management Review (MIT)
14. Information Systems Research (Informs)
45. Strategic Management Journal (Wiley)
15. Journal of Accounting and Economics (Elsevier)
16. Journal of Accounting Research (University of Chicago, Wiley)
17. Journal of Applied Psychology (American Psychological Association)
18. Journal of Business Ethics (Kluwer Academic)
19. Journal of Business Venturing (Elsevier)
20. Journal of Consumer Psychology (Elsevier)
21. Journal of Consumer Research (University of Chicago)
22. Journal of Finance (Wiley)
23. Journal of Financial and Quantitative Analysis (Cambridge University Press)
24. Journal of Financial Economics (Elsevier)
25. Journal of International Business Studies (Academy of International Business)
26. Journal of Management Studies (Wiley)
27 Journal of Marketing (American Marketing Association)
28. Journal of Marketing Research (American Marketing Association)
29. Journal of Operations Management (Elsevier)
30. Journal of Political Economy (University of Chicago)
ABCD list
Is an experienced author more likely to receive a favorable referee report?
Should I have a coauthor?
A coauthor can bring:
• Useful skills—writing, programming, statistics, and econometrics
• Additional resources—data, computing power, submission fees
• Subject knowledge—microstructure, asset pricing
• Publishing experience
• A more visible platform
Are single-authored articles worth more?
How do I choose a topic?
• Pick a topic that is of current interest
• Extend a published model or line of research
• You know it is of interest because it is published
• If you test someone else’s model you don’t need confirmation
What are the characteristics of a top tier topic?
• Address an important question
• Address a wide audience
• If your paper is an extension of another paper, make sure that
paper is a well known paper published in a top journal.
• Primarily use U.S. data
Is an experienced author more likely to receive a favorable referee report?
In writing the paper:
If anyone (including a referee) can’t understand your paper,
it’s YOUR fault. This is akin to “The customer is always right.”
In writing the paper:
• Be as comprehensive as possible. Make sure all issues that
can be handled are covered before sending out.
• Get feedback from colleagues before sending out.
• In the reference section, stick mainly to papers from top journals.
• Identify key researchers working in your area and make sure
their work is cited.
In writing the paper:
• Make sure that:
• Writing is clear,
• Grammar is correct,
• Formatting of everything (text, references, footnotes, tables)
is consistent,
• You follow established conventions
• Are meticulous, and
• Use U.S. English, spelling, and paper size
Where should one start in writing the paper?
What is a favorable referee report?
Does the referee ask for things that you can do?
Do the referee’s suggestions improve the paper?
Can I influence the choice of referee?
Is refereeing really blind?
• Internet
• SSRN
• Presentation circuit
How should one respond to a referee report?
• Respond to each and every point by doing what the referee asks unless
it is impossible.
• If the referee asks the impossible, then explain why it can’t be done
and attempt to allay concerns that this is affecting whether the project
is worthwhile.
• Notice that the above two points do not indicate whether the author
received an R&R.
• Never argue with the referee.
• IN ANY EVENT also brainstorm about additional ways to improve
the manuscript.
Research integrity is VERY important
Plagiarism
Taking someone else's work or ideas and passing them off as one's own.
https://www.google.com/?gws_rd=ssl#q=plagiarism+definition
Data manipulation