Journal of Accounting and Public Policy: Scopus, Scope, Metrics & Submission Guide

Quick answer: what is the Journal of Accounting and Public Policy?

The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy (JAPP) is an Elsevier journal devoted to research at the intersection of accounting and public policy. Its defining editorial question is not simply whether a paper concerns accounting, but whether it helps explain the two-way relationship between accounting and public policy. The official scope explicitly includes theoretical and empirical analysis and connects accounting with economics, political science, sociology and law.

The journal is indexed in Scopus and the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) according to Elsevier's current Journal Insights page. The supplied source record identifies Scopus Source ID 29849. ScienceDirect currently displays a CiteScore of 4.4 and an Impact Factor of 2.2. Those values can change with reporting cycles, so researchers using journal metrics for doctoral, institutional or promotion requirements should verify the live database record before relying on them.

JAPP is most relevant to authors whose research has a clear public-policy mechanism, consequence, regulatory context or institutional implication. A technically strong accounting manuscript can still be a poor fit if public policy is peripheral. Before submitting, compare the manuscript's central question with the journal's aims, recent articles and author instructions.

Key takeaways for prospective authors

• Publisher: Elsevier; print ISSN 0278-4254 and online ISSN 1873-2070.
• Core scope: accounting–public policy interactions, including links with economics, political science, sociology and law.
• Indexing: Elsevier lists Scopus and SSCI; the supplied Scopus Source ID is 29849.
• Displayed metrics: ScienceDirect currently shows CiteScore 4.4 and Impact Factor 2.2; database-year quartiles should be checked live.
• Review model: double-anonymized review; suitable papers are typically sent to at least two independent reviewers.
• Fees: USD 100 for a new submission; the optional open-access route currently displays an APC of USD 3,270 excluding taxes.
• Publication model: hybrid, with open-access and subscription publication routes.
• Distinctive format: the Accounting Letters section accepts short research papers of approximately 3,000 words or fewer with a stated accelerated review pathway.

Journal information at a glance

What this guide covers

• the journal's aims, scope and distinctive public-policy orientation;
• Scopus/SSCI indexing and the metrics that can be verified from Elsevier;
• article formats, including the Accounting Letters pathway;
• double-anonymized review and what that means for manuscript files;
• submission and open-access fees;
• manuscript formatting, abstract, keyword, data and reference requirements;
• journal-fit checks and common reasons an accounting paper may be unsuitable;
• ethical publication-readiness support available to researchers.

Methodology and source note

This profile was prepared from the journal's official ScienceDirect page, its Guide for Authors, the official Journal Insights page, the editorial-board page, Elsevier's journal shop listing, and the supplied Scopus source record. Metrics, editorial teams, fees, indexing and policies can change. Where a live official value was not independently verified, this guide says so rather than estimating it.

Understanding the journal's aims and scope

JAPP's scope is narrower and more purposeful than the broad label “accounting research” may suggest. Elsevier describes the journal as publishing research on the intersection between accounting and public policy, with preference for theoretical or empirical work that illuminates the effects of accounting on public policy and the effects of public policy on accounting. That reciprocal relationship is central to journal fit.

In practical terms, a manuscript is more likely to align when the policy component changes the research question, theory, empirical design or interpretation rather than appearing only in the final implications paragraph. Work can connect accounting to economic regulation, political institutions, legal rules, social outcomes, taxation, disclosure mandates, governance, sustainability regulation, enforcement, public-sector accountability or other policy-relevant settings. The journal's historical special issues also show interest in regulatory institutions, accounting regulation and politics, cybersecurity, corporate governance, sustainability accounting and major economic-policy contexts.

Editorial interpretation: authors should be able to explain, in one or two sentences, what public-policy decision, institution, rule or consequence the paper helps readers understand. If removing the policy element leaves the paper's main contribution unchanged, the manuscript may fit a more general accounting journal better.

Who should consider submitting?

The journal can be a plausible target for accounting scholars, economics and finance researchers, public-policy academics, governance researchers, legal/accounting scholars and interdisciplinary teams whose study has a genuine accounting–policy interface. Its international editorial board and the breadth of topics visible in recent issues suggest that authors are not restricted to one country or one accounting subfield.

Researchers should consider JAPP when their manuscript has a clear policy mechanism, credible theoretical or empirical design, a contribution that matters beyond a single technical accounting treatment, and evidence that connects to the journal's readership. PhD scholars should also confirm whether their university's rules require a particular database, quartile or metric year; “Scopus indexed” alone may not satisfy every institutional policy.

Indexing, scholarly visibility and metrics

Elsevier's Journal Insights page lists Scopus, the Social Sciences Citation Index (SSCI) and SCImago Journal Rank (SJR) among abstracting and indexing information. The supplied source record identifies the journal as Scopus Source ID 29849. This is important for researchers whose assessment frameworks recognize Scopus or Web of Science coverage, but institutional policies should be read literally because some require a specific subject quartile, JCR category, date of indexing or active coverage period.

ScienceDirect currently displays a CiteScore of 4.4 and an Impact Factor of 2.2. This guide does not state a current SJR value, SNIP value or quartile because those were not independently verified from the applicable official database for the relevant reporting year. Avoid treating an undated search snippet or third-party “Q1/Q2/Q3/Q4” page as definitive.

Article types and the Accounting Letters option

The official journal scope refers to regular research papers and a distinctive Accounting Letters section. Accounting Letters is designed for concise, important accounting research and states a length of approximately 3,000 words or fewer. Elsevier further states that papers submitted to this section will be reviewed within four weeks of receipt, limited to one revision, and published within four months of acceptance.

The Guide for Authors currently displays “Review Articles” under its article-types heading, while the journal's recent content and scope clearly include research articles. Because article-type menus can be updated, authors should select only an article type offered in the live submission system and confirm any format-specific instructions before final preparation.

Peer review and editorial screening

JAPP uses double-anonymized peer review. The journal asks authors to submit a separate title page containing author names, affiliations, acknowledgements, declaration information and corresponding-author details, while the main manuscript must be anonymized. Suitable submissions are typically sent to at least two reviewers for independent expert assessment, with the final acceptance or rejection decision made by the editors.

Editorial screening happens before external review. Elsevier explicitly notes that a paper can be rejected without review if the editor considers it unsuitable in quality or scope or if it does not follow the journal's style requirements. This makes scope positioning and technical compliance part of publication readiness, not cosmetic details added after the research is complete.

The current editor-in-chief listed by Elsevier is Marco Trombetta of IE Business School, Madrid. Editorial-board membership can change, so authors should use the live board page when they need current names or conflict-of-interest checks.

Manuscript preparation requirements that matter before upload

The official Guide for Authors requests editable source files: Word submissions should use .doc or .docx, while LaTeX is also supported; a PDF alone is not accepted as the source file. Word files should use single-column formatting. The title page and anonymized manuscript must be separate for double-anonymized review.

The abstract must be concise, factual and no longer than 250 words. Authors should provide 1–7 English keywords. Highlights are encouraged as a separate editable file, normally 3–5 bullets with a maximum of 85 characters per bullet. The journal asks manuscripts to be divided into clearly defined and numbered sections and advises sparing use of footnotes.

References use an author–year pattern in the text. Authors should verify names, years, journal titles, pagination and DOI information, because incorrect metadata can prevent reliable linking to services such as Scopus and Crossref. Web references should include at least the full URL and date accessed, with further bibliographic information when available.

Research data, ethics and disclosure expectations

The Guide for Authors states that the journal applies Elsevier research-data Option C: authors are required to deposit research data in a relevant repository and cite/link the dataset, or explain why the data cannot be shared. This can affect empirical accounting papers that rely on proprietary, confidential, licensed or restricted data, so the data-availability statement should be planned before submission rather than improvised after review.

Elsevier's publishing-ethics rules cover originality, concurrent submission, authorship, conflicts of interest, funding, permissions and responsible use of generative AI. The journal requires disclosure of generative-AI or AI-assisted technologies used in manuscript preparation when applicable, while basic tools for grammar, spelling and reference checking do not require that declaration. AI tools cannot be listed as authors.

Authors should also ensure that all co-authors approve the submission and authorship order, conflicts are fully declared, copyrighted material has permission where needed, and the manuscript is not under consideration elsewhere.

Submission fees, open access and publication costs

For new submissions, Elsevier states a USD 100 submission fee effective from 26 September 2023, with no fee for resubmissions. The submission is considered after payment. Elsevier states that the fee is refundable only for accepted papers, if paid. Authors transferred through Elsevier's Article Transfer Service are not required to pay another submission fee for that transfer.

JAPP is a hybrid journal. ScienceDirect currently displays an optional open-access APC of USD 3,270 excluding taxes, noting that the amount may be reduced during submission where applicable. Under the subscription route, Elsevier states that no publication fee is charged to authors and access is available to subscribers. Funding agreements, institutional arrangements, waivers or discounts can affect the actual OA amount, so authors should confirm the personalized charge before selecting a publishing agreement.

What do the journal's publishing timelines mean?

ScienceDirect currently shows journal-level indicators of 7 days from submission to first decision, 76 days from submission to decision after review, 490 days from submission to acceptance, and 13 days from acceptance to online publication. These figures describe journal-level experience rather than a promise for any individual paper. Manuscript complexity, reviewer availability, revision rounds and editorial decisions can produce substantial variation.

The Accounting Letters section is different because the official scope states its own accelerated pathway. Researchers considering that route should not simply shorten a full paper; the manuscript needs to work as a concise research contribution within the section's purpose.

Journal-fit checklist before you submit

1. Policy centrality: Is public policy central to the question, mechanism or consequence?
2. Accounting contribution: Does the paper make a recognizable contribution to accounting research rather than merely using accounting data?
3. Interdisciplinary logic: If economics, political science, sociology or law is involved, is the connection analytical rather than decorative?
4. Recent-paper fit: Can you identify recent JAPP papers that engage with related questions, methods or policy settings?
5. Methodological credibility: Is the theoretical or empirical design strong enough to support the policy claims?
6. Anonymization: Can the main manuscript be submitted without author-identifying information?
7. Data compliance: Have you planned repository deposit, data citation or a defensible non-sharing statement?
8. Institutional eligibility: Have you checked the current Scopus/JCR status and metric year required by your institution?

Common reasons a manuscript may be a poor fit

A paper may be unsuitable when it treats public policy as a superficial implication, addresses an accounting question with no policy relevance, makes causal or policy claims unsupported by the design, or does not engage with the interdisciplinary literature needed to explain the setting. Technical non-compliance can also create avoidable problems: author-identifying details in the anonymized file, missing declarations, inconsistent references, an over-length abstract, or a poorly prepared data statement.

As a publication-readiness step, authors should read several recent JAPP articles and ask not only “Is my topic similar?” but “Does my paper make the kind of accounting–policy connection this journal is designed to publish?”

A practical pre-submission workflow

1. Open the current aims and scope and write a one-sentence journal-fit statement for your manuscript.
2. Review recent JAPP papers in the nearest topic/method area and identify the contribution gap your paper addresses.
3. Confirm the live Scopus/JCR information required by your institution.
4. Prepare the title page and anonymized manuscript as separate files.
5. Reduce the abstract to 250 words or fewer and provide 1–7 focused keywords.
6. Check tables, figures, equations, references, disclosures and permissions.
7. Prepare research-data deposit/linking information or a clear reason data cannot be shared.
8. Confirm the new-submission fee and, if relevant, the current OA APC before payment.
9. Run a final language, consistency and formatting check without changing the substance of the authors' research.

How Contentxprtz can support ethical publication readiness

Preparing for JAPP requires more than grammar correction. Authors must communicate why the accounting question matters for public policy, preserve methodological precision, satisfy double-anonymized submission requirements, format references consistently and present data and disclosures clearly.

Contentxprtz can support researchers with academic editing, manuscript editing, proofreading, journal formatting, reference and citation consistency, manuscript assessment, cover-letter editing, reviewer-response editing and publication-readiness review. Support should improve the clarity and presentation of the authors' own work without fabricating evidence, inventing citations or misrepresenting authorship.

Contentxprtz does not control editorial decisions and does not guarantee journal acceptance or publication. Researchers remain responsible for the research, claims, source verification, declarations, compliance and final submission.

Summary: Journal of Accounting and Public Policy

The Journal of Accounting and Public Policy is an Elsevier journal centered on the two-way relationship between accounting and public policy. It is listed by Elsevier as indexed in Scopus and SSCI, with supplied Scopus Source ID 29849. ScienceDirect currently displays a CiteScore of 4.4 and Impact Factor of 2.2. The journal uses double-anonymized peer review, charges USD 100 for new submissions, and offers both subscription and optional open-access publication routes.

For authors, the decisive question is scope: the public-policy dimension should be integral to the research rather than an afterthought. Strong preparation means checking recent papers, confirming live indexing/metric requirements, separating identifying information from the anonymized manuscript, complying with data and ethics policies, and following the latest Guide for Authors.

Official sources and verification links

• Journal of Accounting and Public Policy — ScienceDirect
• Official Guide for Authors
• Journal Insights: metrics, indexing, fees and timelines
• Editorial Board
• Scopus Source ID 29849