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China Accounting and Finance Review (CAFR)
Established in 1999 by The Hong Kong Polytechnic University (PolyU) in collaboration with Tsinghua University, China Accounting and Finance Review (CAFR) is the first refereed journal of accounting and finance published in the Greater China Region. For more than 20 years, CAFR has been publishing original articles that have implications for accounting and finance issues in China. All subject areas in accounting and finance, and research methodologies, including empirical, analytical, behavioral, conceptual, or experimental, will be considered. To attract more high-quality publications, starting from this year CAFR welcomes submissions of research papers and literature review papers with topics related to contemporary accounting and finance issues for all countries or regions outside of China. CAFR also encourages comparability studies (of special interest are replications of prior China or US studies using data from other countries), or applying fundamental analysis of accounting information for capital markets around the world. CAFR now publishes global, rather than just China, topics. Since 2019, CAFR has been rated "A" in the Australian Business Deans Council (ABDC) Journal Quality List and indexed in the Australian Research Council (ARC) and American Economic Association (EconLit). |
p-ISSN: 1029-807X e-ISSN: 2307-3055 Issues per year: 4
Acceptance rate: 13% (Since 2019) 20% (Before 2019)
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Consulting Editors
Iftekhar Hasan, Fordham University
Xiaohui Qu, Harbin Institute of Technology (Shenzhen)
Jianming Ye, Xiamen University
Managing Editors
C.S. Agnes Cheng, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Xuan Tian, Tsinghua University
Senior Track Editors
Accounting Tracks
General
C.S. Agnes Cheng, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Bin Ke, National University of Singapore
Fundamental Analysis
James Ohlson, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Audit and Taxation
Linda Myers, University of Tennessee; Thomas Omer, University of Nebraska–Lincoln
Management Accounting
Anne Wu, National Chengchi University
Finance Tracks
General
Walid Saffar, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Asset Pricing
John Wei, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Corporate Finance
Ji-Chai Lin, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Entrepreneurial Finance
Xuan Tian, Tsinghua University
Cross-disciplinary Tracks
Belt & Road
Xinpeng Xu, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Energy and Environment
Chitru S. Fernando, University of Oklahoma
Fintech and Data Analytics
Kose John, New York University; Hai Lu, University of Toronto
Politics, Law, and Economics
Haitian Lu, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Karthik Ramanna, University of Oxford; Joshua Ronen, New York University
ESG Investment, CSR, and Business Sustainability
Louis Cheng, Hong Kong Polytechnic University; Albert Tsang, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Editors
Mark Anderson, University of Calgary
Warren B. Bailey, Cornell University
Andy Call, Arizona State University
Thomas J. Chemmanur, Boston College
Rong-Ruey Duh, National Taiwan University
Junxiong Fang, Fudan University
Guojin Gong, Penn State University
Joanna L. Ho, UC Irvine
Marcin Kacperczyk, Imperial College London
Yongtae Kim, Santa Clara University
Charles M.C. Lee, Stanford University
Dan Li, Tsinghua University
Yinghua Li, Arizona State University
Steve Wen-Jen Lin, The University of Memphis
Yupeng Lin, National University of Singapore
Yu-Jane Liu, Peking University
Connie X. Mao, Temple University
Grace Pownall, Emory University
Katherine Schipper, Duke University
Wei-Ling Song, Louisiana State University
Avanidhar (Subra) Subrahmanyam, UCLA
Senyo Tse, Texas A&M University
Qinghai Wang, University of Central Florida
M.H. Franco Wong, University of Toronto
Chaopeng Wu, Xiamen University
Qiang Wu, Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute
Anne Wyatt, Deakin University
Xing Xiao, Tsinghua University
Nianhang Xu, Renmin University of China
An Yan, Fordham University
Tong Yao, University of Iowa
Kangtao Ye, Renmin University of China
Tianyu Zhang, The Chinese University of Hong Kong
Xiao-Jun Zhang, University of California, Berkeley
Reviewer Board
Neil Bhattacharya, Southern Methodist University
Ervin Black, The University of Oklahoma
Mark A. Chen, Georgia State University
Yenn-Ru Chen, National Chengchi University
Zhan Gao, Lancaster University
Re-Jin Guo, University of Illinois at Chicago
Thomas Hansen, Virginia Commonwealth University
Wen He, Monash University
Michael Hertzel, Arizona State University
Shawn Huang, Arizona State University
Victor Wei Huang, University of Hawaii
Helen Kang, University of New South Wales
Wei Li, The University of Iowa
Qi Liu, Peking University
Ting Luo, Tsinghua University
Per Olsson, ESMT Berlin
Rachna Prakash, University of Mississippi
Buhui Qiu, The University of Sydney
Ghon Rhee, University of Hawaii
Maria Rykaczewski, Arizona State University
Hawfeng Shyu, Sichuan University
Wilson Tong, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Kun Wang, Tsinghua University
George Yang, Chinese University of Hong Kong
Aaron Yoon, Northwestern University
Yong Yu, University of Texas at Austin
Huai Zhang, Nanyang Technological University
Ning Zhang, Queen's University
X. Frank Zhang, Yale University
Luo Zuo, Cornell University
Manager of Editorial Office
Kenneth Chu, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Deputy Manager of Editorial Office
Weijia Hu, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Editorial Associate
Amy Kwan, Hong Kong Polytechnic University
Accounting Tracks
General
The general accounting track accepts papers that report the (empirical or theoretical) results of accounting research and/or explain the related research methodology. The objective is to promote high-quality research in general accounting areas, such as financial accounting, management accounting, auditing, taxation, corporate governance, accounting information systems (AIS), etc.
Fundamental Analysis
This track solicits papers focusing on the information content of financial statements and how such information can, or ought to be, put to use in financial market settings. Thus, in broad terms, it concerns the risk assessment and valuation of equities and financial obligations. Such topics naturally include concerns about how to identify relevant financial statement information which can be used to forecast firms' performance, such as earnings, sales, expenses, profit margins, cash flows, etc. Thus, financial analysis and forecasting are of great interest, and it extends to include the characteristics of analysts’ forecasts and their role in explaining market values and value changes. Papers that address practical issues, such as how to best exploit the accruals vs. cash flows dichotomy and financial statement ratios when forecasting financial performance, are also part of the subject matter.
Audit and Taxation
This track focuses on the theory and practice of audit and taxation with the goal of promoting present and future advances in knowledge. Research on external and internal auditing, other attestation or assurance services, tax avoidance, tax planning, and related issues will be considered. Submissions can be related to practices in China or in other countries.
Management Accounting
This track aims to explore the managerial decision-making process. Interesting and intellectually rigorous work using archival, case, experimental, field, and survey on managerial decision making (such as plan devising, resource adjustment, performance evaluation and etc.) in corporate strategy, operation, and finance are of particular interest.
Finance Tracks
General
The general finance track accepts papers that report the (empirical or theoretical) results of finance research and/or explain the related research methodology in different finance areas, such as assets pricing, banking and insurance, dividend policy, capital structure policy, capital markets, corporate social responsibility, financial intermediaries, firm performance, market efficiency, etc.
Asset Pricing
This track studies the applications of asset pricing theories, methodologies, and practices of how different financial assets, such as equities, debt, derivatives, and interest rate instruments, are priced.
Corporate Finance
This track targets for papers about corporate financial problems and decision making, especially related to shareholder value. Topics that include, but not limit to, capital structure, payout policy, debt and equity financing, cost of capital, and corporate restructuring are warmly welcomed.
Entrepreneurial Finance
This track brings together research on entrepreneurial finance undertaken by academics from different disciplines and conducted from various methodological and philosophical standpoints using a variety of research methods. It is a forum for communication between academic researchers, venture capital practitioners and policy-makers that raises the knowledge of different types of entrepreneurial finance (venture capital, private equity, angel investment, crowdfunding, etc.) on a global basis. Its coverage is international, focusing on not only established financial capital markets, such as the USA and the European Union, but also emerging markets.
Cross-disciplinary Tracks
Belt & Road
The Belt & Road Initiative (BRI)—The “Silk Road Economic Belt and the 21st-Century Maritime Silk Road”—was a globalization project initiated by the Chinese Government in 2013. BRI will have far-reaching implications for trade, finance, investment, infrastructure, and logistics for countries along the BRI regions and beyond. This track focuses on original research exploring the impact of, relevant challenges from and responses to BRI.
Energy and Environment
This track tries to provide a widely accessible yet scholarly source for the latest thinking on energy and environment related issues. Themes of particular interest cover (a) energy and environmental markets, including financialization, securities, and pricing; (b) energy and environmental disclosure, and other accounting issues; (c) energy and environmental taxation issues; (d) energy and environmental corporate finance including valuation, financing, real options, corporate environmental policy, etc.; (e) energy and environmental risk management; (f) financial economics of climate change, including climate derivatives and climate risk management.
Fintech and Data Analytics
This track discusses issues around technology-enabled innovation in financial services (Fintech) and its consequences for the financial system. Fintech is developing rapidly, reshaping certain areas of financial services and weakening the profitability of some financial institutions. Fintech presents both opportunities and risks to the financial system. Papers that aim to understand how the business models of existing financial institutions and the market structure are changing in response to the technology developments are of particular interest.
Politics, Law, and Economics
This track seeks to promote an understanding of many complex phenomena by examining such matters from a combined perspective of law, economics, and politics. It provides a forum for interdisciplinary research at the interface of law, politics, and economics. In this section, we are interested in original scholarships that include the economic analysis of law, the economic analysis of regulation and the behavior of regulated firms, industrial organization and antitrust policy, the political economy of legislation and legislative processes, law and finance, and governance.
ESG Investment, CSR, and Business Sustainability
This track brings together related research on sustainability, driving positive impact on society and the environment. Research papers on the latest sustainability and/or CSR reporting trends as well as their causes and consequences are of particular interest.
CAFR welcomes submissions that fall within the editorial policy of the journal. Submitted articles must be readable, well-organized and in good writing style. Submissions are accepted on the understanding that they have not been published previously and that they are not under consideration by any other journal. Authors are required to explicitly state that these conditions have been met in a covering message to the editors. The journal is published quarterly in March, June, September, and December of each year.
Submission of Manuscripts
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Manuscript(s) should be submitted via email in Word or PDF format to the CAFR editorial office. Email: af.cafr@polyu.edu.hk Submissions written in English as well as those in Chinese are welcomed. As accepted papers will be published in English, authors are encouraged to present their research in English. |
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Manuscripts should at least have a spacing of 1.5 lines, with a font size of 11 points and 2.5cm margins all around. All pages should be numbered consecutively. Titles and subtitles should keep short and be meaningful and precise. References, tables, legends for figures, and illustrations should appear after the main text in the above order and should begin on separate pages. There is no page limit for the manuscript on the initial (first-round) submission. However, as common practice, manuscripts should be written clearly with a directed purpose. Manuscripts with excessive length and an ambiguous research topic may be rejected. An online appendix will not be counted toward the page limit. |
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The first page of the manuscript should contain the title of the paper and the name(s), position(s), and institutional affiliation(s) of the author(s). It should also give the name and e-mail address of the corresponding author. |
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An abstract of not more than 200 words should appear on a separate page after the title page. Up to six keywords should be provided. |
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Footnotes are allowed but must be numbered with superscript Arabic numerals in a sequential manner. Too lengthy footnotes should be avoided. Acknowledgements and information on grants received can be given in a first un-numbered footnote. |
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Displayed formulae should be numbered consecutively in the text as (1), (2), etc. against the right-hand margin of the page. |
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Tables should be numbered consecutively in the text in Arabic numerals. |
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The list of references should be in alphabetical order by the author's last name. References to publications should be as follows: 'Scott (1998) studied the problem of...' or 'This problem has been studied (e.g. Scott, 1998)'. There should be a strict one-to-one correspondence between names and years in the text and those on the list of references. The titles of journals should not be abbreviated in the list. Examples are as follows: |
Monographs Davis, A. R. and Deng, J. (1985), Auditing Methods, Oxford: Oxford University Press. Contribution to collective works Jiang, W. (1990), 'A Crossroads of the Accounting Profession in China', in Li, G. (ed.), The Accounting Profession in the 1990s, Oxford: Oxford University Press, pp. 52-65. Journals White, L. S. and Wu, N. M. (1998), 'The Effect of Auditors' Incentives on their Judgments', Journal of Accounting 35 (1): 151-159. |
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9 |
If necessary, page proofs will be sent to the corresponding author for proofreading. The responsibility for detecting errors lies with the author. Corrections should be restricted to instances in which the proof is at variance with the manuscript. Extensive alterations should be avoided. |
Refereeing Process
Authors should indicate clearly which track in CAFR their manuscript is being submitted to. Authors can also indicate “General” track in case they cannot find a track suitable for their manuscript, and may suggest a Senior Track Editor (STE) to handle their manuscript. Authors are also welcome to suggest reviewers. The STE will first screen the submitted manuscript for whether its theme fits for the journal and/or the manuscript has sufficient potential for further review by referees. When the manuscript is decided for further review, the STE will then assign a suitable editor to handle the review process including assigning referees (editor may also serve as one referee) and providing recommendation to the STE for whether the manuscript should be accepted as is, revised, or rejected. CAFR adopts a policy of “immediate acceptance decision”; the STE may make a decision that the manuscript will be eventually accepted for publication when first submitted. The STE will help the authors to improve quality of their manuscript throughout the review process.
CAFR conducts double-blinded reviews, meaning that identities of the reviewers and authors are concealed from each other to make sure that the review process is anonymous. The text contents of manuscripts must not contain explicit indications of the authors’ names and institutional affiliations and any acknowledgments. The authors should avoid or try to minimize self-citations; if the authors consider that citing their own work is necessary, they should make sure that they have referred to their own work in the third person. For example, “We have previously demonstrated (Smith and Black, 2007)” should be rewritten as “Smith and Black (2007) have demonstrated”. Proper attribution of prior work, especially work done by the authors, is a must and takes precedence over maintaining anonymity.
Upon receipt of the review recommendation from the editor, STE or editor will notice the authors whether the paper should be accepted as is, revised, or rejected. After the manuscript is received by the Editorial Office, authors will receive the notification e-mail from the CAFR Editorial Office within 6 weeks on average regarding the acceptance decision and referee reports.
A “revise” decision means that authors can revise and resubmit their manuscript within 1 year; otherwise it is considered “withdrawn” by the authors. A revised manuscript submitted after 1 year will be treated as a new submission. Authors resubmit a revised manuscript must submit a summary document that mentions the changes that they have made and the response to each of the comments from the previous round of reviews.
CAFR does not allow resubmission of a rejected manuscript, except that the STE makes an exception and explicitly invites a resubmission. The authors should disclose this information during the submission process and state clearly in the submission cover letter why resubmission is justified.
Open Access
CAFR is an open access journal. All articles published open access will be immediately and permanently free for everyone to read, download, copy and distribute. Permitted reuse is defined by the terms under the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits any use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author(s) and the source are credited. Authors will retain the copyright alongside scholarly usage rights and CAFR will be granted publishing and distribution rights.
Please direct all enquiries to CAFR Editorial Office. Email: af.cafr@polyu.edu.hk
November 28 and December 1, 2020
CAFR Fundamental Analysis Symposium
Online
September 26-27, 2020
CAFR 2020 Virtual Annual Conference (Theme: Taxation)
Online
January 2, 2020
CAFR Research Workshop (Theme: Global Development in Fintech and Its Implications to Accounting, Finance, and Law Research) (Preliminary Program)
San Diego, U.S.A.
September 24-25, 2019
The New Silk Road: Shared Prosperity through Cooperation
Al-Farabi Kazakh National University, Almaty, Kazakhstan
September 20-21, 2019
CAFR Knowledge Transfer Forum (photos, video)
Dongguan & Hong Kong, China
July 3-5, 2019
2019 Summer Research Boot Camp on Financial Intermediation and Markets
Tsinghua University, Beijing, China
November 30, 2016
China Accounting and Finance Review (CAFR) 2016 Conference