Skip to main content
SpringerLink
Log in

Editorial Board Self-Publishing Rates in Czech Economic Journals

  • Original Paper
  • Published:
Science and Engineering Ethics Aims and scope Submit manuscript

Abstract

This article investigates whether editorial board members of selected economic journals publish their research papers in their ‘own’ journal. Journals were selected from the Journal Citation Report® from the categories Business; Business, Finance; and Economics. Only research articles published between 2012 and 2015 were included in the analysis. We recorded ratios concerning the share of articles authored by editorial board members, the share of editorial board members publishing in their own journals and ratios representing their publication output. The average share of articles authored by editorial board members ranges from 0.6 to 17.5%. The average share of editorial board members publishing in their own journals ranges from 5.6 to 24.4%. Considering only editorial board members publishing in their own journals, the share of their articles in their journals ranges from 8.2 to 71.4%. While the share of board members publishing only in their own journals, to the number of board members publishing in their own journals, the ratio in a quarter of journals is equal to zero, with a maximum reach of 85.7%. All observed ratios are significantly positively correlated with the gap between impact factor and impact factor without Journal Self Cites; and negatively correlated with the Article Influence Score. A cluster of journals in which a high proportion of editorial board members publish and simultaneously these members publish in their own journal at a high rate was identified.

This is a preview of subscription content, log in via an institution to check access.

Access this article

Log in via an institution

Price excludes VAT (USA)
Tax calculation will be finalised during checkout.

Instant access to the full article PDF.

Institutional subscriptions

Fig. 1

Source: WOS, author’s calculations

Similar content being viewed by others

Notes

  1. The probability of the paper to be read and to have an impact is higher, when the journal has a wider readership (Faria 2005).

References

  • Arnold, E. (2011). International audit of research, development and innovation in the Czech Republic: Synthesis report. http://audit-vav.reformy-msmt.cz/download-document/58-synteticka-zaverecna-zprava-aj. Accessed April 3, 2017.

  • Axarloglou, K., & Theoharakis, V. (2003). Diversity in economics: An analysis of journal quality perceptions. Journal of the European Economic Association, 1(6), 1402–1423. doi:10.1162/154247603322752584.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Baccini, A., & Barabesi, L. (2011). Seats at the table: The network of the editorial boards in information and library science. Journal of Informetrics, 5(3), 382–391. doi:10.1016/j.joi.2011.01.012.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Barta, J., & Považan, M. (2012). Publication activity of new Slovak professors in economics and its international reception. Prague Economic Papers, 21(3), 377–387. doi:doi.org/10.18267/j.pep.430.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bence, V., & Oppenheim, C. (2004). The influence of peer review on the research assessment exercise. Journal of Information Science, 30(4), 347–368. doi:10.1177/0165551504045854.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Besancenot, D., Huynh, K. V., & Faria, J. R. (2012). Search and research: The influence of editorial boards on journals’ quality. Theory and Decision, 73, 687–702. doi:10.1007/s11238-012-9314-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Bošnjak, L., Puljak, L., Vukojević, K., & Marušić, A. (2011). Analysis of a number and type of publications that editors publish in their own journals: Case study of scholarly journals in Croatia. Scientometrics, 86, 227–233. doi:10.1007/s11192-010-0207-7.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Boyes, W. J., Happel, S. K., & Hogan, T. D. (1984). Publish or perish: Fact or fiction? The Journal of Economic Education, 15(2), 136–141. doi:10.1080/00220485.1984.10845061.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Brogaard, J., Engelberg, J., & Parsons, C. A. (2014). Networks and productivity: Causal evidence from editor rotations. Journal of Financial Economics, 111(1), 251–270. doi:10.1016/j.jfineco.2013.10.006.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Chew, M., Villanueva, E. V., & Van Der Weyden, M. B. (2007). Life and times of the impact factor: Retrospective analysis of trends for seven medical journals (1994–2005) and their editors’ views. Journal of the Royal Society of Medicine, 100, 142–150. doi:10.1177/014107680710000313.

    Google Scholar 

  • Colussi, T. (2015). Social ties in Academia: A friend is a treasure. Institute for the Study of Labor, Discussion Paper No. 9414.

  • Donovan, B. (1998). The truth about peer review. ICSU Press Workshop. http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/icsu/donovanppr.htm. Accessed January 15, 2017.

  • Faria, J. R. (2005). The game academics play: Editors versus authors. Bulletin of Economic Research, 57(1), 1–12. doi:10.1111/j.1467-8586.2005.00212.x.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Fiala, D., & Ho, Y.-S. (2016). Comparison of Czech and Slovak independent research in the 21st century. Current Science, 110(8), 1524–1531. doi:10.18520/cs/v110/i8/1524-1531.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hardin, W. G., Liano, K., Chan, K. C., & Fok, R. C. W. (2008). Finance editorial board membership and research productivity. Review of Quantitative Finance and Accounting, 31, 225–240. doi:10.1007/s11156-007-0067-2.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Harzing, A., & Metz, I. (2011). Gender and geographic diversity in the editorial board of the journal of international business studies. AIB Insights, 11(3), 3–7.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hilmer, M. J., & Hilmer, C. E. (2011). Do editors favor their students’ work? A test of undue favoritism in top economics journals. Economics Bulletin, 31(1), 53–65.

    Google Scholar 

  • Hoey, J. (1999). When editors publish in their own journals. Canadian Medical Association Journal, 161(11), 1412–1413.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jurajda, Š., Kozubek, S., Münich, D., & Škoda, S. (2015a). An international comparison of the quality of academic publication output in the Czech Republic. Praha: Národohospodářský ústav AV ČR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jurajda, Š., Kozubek, S., Münich, D., & Škoda, S. (2015b). Medzinárodné porovnanie kvality publikačného výkonu vedných odborov na Slovensku. Praha: Národohospodářský ústav AV ČR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Jurajda, Š., & Münich, D. (2015). Oborová publikační výkonnost pracovišť výzkumných organizací v České republice v letech 2008–2012. Praha: Národohospodářský ústav AV ČR.

    Google Scholar 

  • Laband, D. N. (1990). Is there value-added from the review process in economics? Preliminary evidence from authors. The Quarterly Journal of Economics, 105(2), 341–352. doi:10.2307/2937790.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Laband, D. N., & Piette, M. J. (1994). Favoritism versus search for good papers: Empirical evidence regarding the behavior of journal editors. Journal of Political Economy, 102(1), 194–203.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Lowe, D. J., & Van Fleet, D. D. (2009). Scholarly achievement and accounting journal editorial board membership. Journal of Accounting Education, 27, 197–209. doi:10.1016/j.jaccedu.2010.07.004.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Luty, J., Arokiadass, S. M. R., Easow, J. M., & Anapreddy, J. R. (2009). Preferential publication of editorial board members in medical specialty journals. Journal of Medical Ethics, 35, 200–202. doi:10.1136/jme.2008.026740.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macháček, M. (2004). Komparace tematické struktury časopiseckých publikací českých a evropských ekonomů (1999–2002). Politická Ekonomie, 52(1), 74–90. doi:10.18267/j.polek.451.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macháček, M., & Kolcunová, E. (2005). Publish or perish? On the importance of publishing on the economic sciences tenure-track in the Czech Republic. Finance a úvěr—Czech Journal of Economics and Finance, 55(11–12), 563–577.

    Google Scholar 

  • Macháček, M., & Kolcunová, E. (2008). Hirsch index and rankings of Czech economists. Politická Ekonomie, 56(2), 229–241. doi:10.18267/j.polek.638.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Macháček, M., Kolcunová, E., & Závacká, J. (2015). Publishing performance of Czech Academic Economists: (just) a matter of time? In M. R. López, & J. Graves (Eds.), Investigaciones de economía de la educación (vol 10(10), pp. 271–283).

  • Mani, J., Makarević, J., Juengel, E., Ackermann, H., Nelson, K., Bartsch, G., et al. (2013). I publish in I edit?—Do editorial board members of urologic journals preferentially publish their own scientific work? PLoS ONE, 8(12), 1–5. doi:10.1371/journal.pone.0083709.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Medoff, M. H. (2003). Editorial favoritism in economics? Southern Economic Journal, 70(2), 425–434. doi:10.2307/3648979.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Münich, D. (2006). Recent publication productivity of czech economists. Finance a úvěr—Czech Journal of Economics and Finance, 56(11–12), 522–533.

    Google Scholar 

  • Nazim Ali, S., Young, H. C., & Ali, N. M. (1996). Determining the quality of publications and research for tenure or promotion decisions: A preliminary checklist to assist. Library Review, 45(1), 39–53. doi:10.1108/00242539610107749.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oleinik, A. (2012). Publication patterns in Russia and the West compared. Scientometrics, 93(2), 533–551. doi:10.1007/s11192-012-0698-5.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Oleinik, A. (2014). Conflict(s) of interest in peer review: Its origins and possible solutions. Science and Engineering Ethics, 20(1), 55–75. doi:10.1007/s11948-012-9426-z.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Pagel, P. S., & Hudetz, J. A. (2011). Bibliometric analysis of anaesthesia journal editorial board members: Correlation between journal impact factor and the median h-index of its board members. British Journal of Anaesthesia, 107(3), 357–361. doi:10.1093/bja/aer191.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Rösing, C. K., Junges, R., & Haas, A. N. (2014). Publication rates of editorial board members in oral health journals. Brazilian Oral Research, 28(1), 1–5. doi:10.1590/1807-3107BOR-2014.vol28.0042.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Roth, W.-M. (2002). Editorial power/authorial suffering. Research in Science Education, 32(2), 215–240. doi:10.1023/A:1016030212572.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Shugan, S. M. (2007). The editor’s secrets. Marketing Science, 26(5), 589–595. doi:10.1287/mksc.1070.0309.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Stigler, G. J., Stigler, S. M., & Friedland, C. (1995). The journals of economics. Journal of Political Economy, 103(2), 331–359.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Thompson, P. J. (2009). How to choose the right journal for your manuscript? Chest, 132(3), 1073–1076. doi:10.1378/chest.07-1340.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Vanecek, J. (2014). The effect of performance-based research funding on output of R&D results in the Czech Republic. Scientometrics, 98, 657–681. doi:10.1007/s11192-013-1061-1.

    Article  Google Scholar 

  • Walters, W. H. (2015). Do editorial board members in library and information science publish disproportionately in the journals for which they serve as board members? Journal of Scholarly Publishing, 46(4), 343–354. doi:10.3138/jsp.46.4.03.

    Article  Google Scholar 

Download references

Acknowledgements

This study was supported by Research Program of the Department of Accounting and Finance (RVO160).

Author information

Authors and Affiliations

  1. Faculty of Economics, University of South Bohemia, Studentská 13, 37001, České Budějovice, Czech Republic

    Radek Zdeněk

Authors
  1. Radek Zdeněk
    View author publications

    You can also search for this author in PubMed Google Scholar

Corresponding author

Correspondence to Radek Zdeněk.

Rights and permissions

Reprints and permissions

About this article

Check for updates. Verify currency and authenticity via CrossMark

Cite this article

Zdeněk, R. Editorial Board Self-Publishing Rates in Czech Economic Journals. Sci Eng Ethics 24, 669–682 (2018). https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-017-9922-2

Download citation

  • Received:

  • Accepted:

  • Published:

  • Issue Date:

  • DOI: https://doi.org/10.1007/s11948-017-9922-2

Keywords

Search

Navigation