The CPA Journal is a submission-based, double blind, peer-reviewed monthly publication that features special themes throughout the year, including financial reporting, fraud, financial planning, technology, and a taxation update. The editors attempt to balance practical information and conceptual analysis to provide readers with opportunities to enhance their understanding of key issues. We depend on a large group of individuals from a diverse cross-section of the profession to provide the most relevant content for our readers. We use six criteria to ensure quality control: technical accuracy, readability, practicality, relevance of topic, timeliness, and comprehensiveness.

During the Society’s past fiscal year—between June 1, 2016, and May 31, 2017—the Journal received a total of 353 submissions, a decrease from 373 the previous year. The full set of data is summarized in the Exhibit. The overall acceptance rate rose somewhat from last year; there remained a split between academic and nonacademic authors, with the acceptance rate for the former rising slightly (39.1% to 42.1%) and the latter more substantially (71.1% to 76.4%). As a result, the mix of authors continued to shift from academics to nonacademics (now at a 25/75 ratio). These results are largely attributable to regular columns contributed primarily by practitioner authors. These columns are also shorter on average than other articles, enabling more articles to be published over the course of the year.

EXHIBIT

Annual Submission and Review Data

2017; 2016
Total submissions; 353; 370
Accepted without revision; 183; 169
Accepted with revision; 41; 42
Rejected; 86; 124
Withdrawn without decision; 5; 11
Pending revision; 17; 18
Average days …
In review; 65.74; 56.47
From acceptance to publication; 60.78; 56.49
Acceptance rate …
Without revision; 51.8%; 45.3%
With revision; 63.5%; 56.6%
Academic authors; 42.1%; 39.1%
Nonacademic authors; 76.4%; 71.1%
Accepted manuscripts from …
Academic authors; 25.00%; 31.28%
Nonacademic authors; 75.00%; 68.72%

Acknowledgements

Every year at this time, we take this opportunity to thank everyone who has contributed to the Journal—by developing topics, soliciting authors, reviewing submissions, and participating in judging articles for the annual Max Block Distinguished Article Award program. The Editorial Board members, editors, and production staff are named each month on the masthead. Effective for the 2017/18 fiscal year, the Editorial Board has been enlarged and reconstituted into an Editorial Advisory Board, whose members write articles and review submissions, solicit and develop submissions by others, and advise the editors on the future direction of the magazine, and an Editorial Review Board, whose members frequently review submissions in their areas of expertise. In addition, Column Editors regularly author short articles within their specialty.

The editors would also like to thank the ad hoc reviewers who, in addition to the individuals listed on the mast-head on page 4 every month, evaluated manuscripts over the NYSSCPA’s past fiscal year (June 1, 2016, through May 31, 2017). The contributions of these individuals help ensure that The CPA Journal provides technical content of the highest quality in a wide variety of subject areas. A full list of these contributors appears on the following page.

CPA Journal Ad Hoc Manuscript Reviewers, 2016/17

  • Jeffrey Allen
  • Robert S. Barnett
  • Francesco Bellandi
  • Stewart Berger
  • Bill Bergman
  • Warren Bergstein
  • Alexander K. Buchholz
  • Gary Carpenter
  • Anthony Cassella
  • Salvatore Collemi
  • Robert H. Colson
  • Dan Crouch
  • J. Roger Donohue
  • John H. Eickemeyer
  • Jianing Fang
  • Roseanne Farley
  • Allen Fetterman
  • Derek Flanagan
  • Julie Floch
  • Craig Foltin
  • James M. Fornaro
  • Elizabeth Forspan
  • Michael Gargiulo
  • Fred Goldstein
  • James Goldstein
  • Richard Goldstein
  • Craig Goodman
  • Brian Gordon
  • Bharti Gupta
  • Leon Gutmann
  • Jeffry Haber
  • Richard Hecht
  • Jan Herringer
  • Mark Hettler
  • F. Wayne Holton
  • Ronald J. Huefner
  • Edward Ichart
  • Patricia A. Johnson
  • Richard Jones
  • Mark S. Klein
  • Ron Klein
  • Joseph Koletar
  • William Kriesel
  • Cynthia Krom
  • Ford Levy
  • Steven Lilien
  • Adam Lilling
  • P. Paul Lin
  • Mary Michel
  • Steven Mintz
  • Edwin B. Morris
  • Ian Nelson
  • Raymond M. Nowicki
  • Ilene Persoff
  • Rita Piazza
  • Lawrence A. Pollack
  • Israel Press
  • Sridhar Ramamoorti
  • Renee Rampulla
  • John Raspante
  • Ronald Ries
  • James Rigos
  • Stephen A. Scarpati
  • Jacalyn Schwartz
  • Daniel Shaviro
  • Joel Sinkin
  • Ernest P. Smith
  • Mitchell Sorkin
  • Joel Steinberg
  • Nathan Szerlip
  • Sallie Mullins Thompson
  • Thomas Tribunella
  • Neal R. VanZante
  • Miklos Vasarhelyi
  • George I. Victor
  • Mark Warshavsky
  • Priscilla Z. Wightman
  • Barry Zalma
  • Kenneth Zemsky
  • David S. Zweighaft