Sources of influence on award winning research: A note

While great advances have been made because of accounting research, limited understanding exists about the process of producing top-research in accounting and getting it published. This study contributes to a better understanding of the process of producing top quality research in accounting by examining the importance and characteristics of a high value-added literature review. To that end, in this study we examine the literature reviews contained in articles recognized for the Notable Contributions to the Accounting Literature Award of the AAA for the twenty-five year period, 1983 to 2007. Results find that top quality research has a cutting edge timeliness that is characterized by greater reliance on more recently published reference sources and by incorporating a substantial number of working papers. This study also identifies the most influential articles, journals and individuals to Notable Contribution authors, including both accounting and interdisciplinary sources.