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Previously, the CABS journal rankings for various business disciplines, including Information Systems, Operations & Technology Management, Organisational Psychology, Economics and Business History, Accounting & Finance, as well as the CABS Authoritative Guideline, were published. In this and subsequent posts, you will find the full 2025 ABDC Business Journal Rankings.

Accordingly, the list for the Accounting field is presented in the table below. You will find all 149 journals, their 2025 ratings (from A* down to C), publishers, ISSNs, and years of inception.

The rankings are based on the Australian Business Deans Council’s 2025 review methodology, which combines expert panel evaluation with international citation metrics.

Below is a breakdown of what each column in the journal ranking table means:

The Ranking Thresholds

The ABDC’s ranking scale—A*, A, B, and C—is defined by clear quality thresholds based on a journal’s position within its specific Field of Research (FoR). These percentage-based thresholds are applied consistently across all panels to ensure fairness and comparability.

The 2025 ABDC ranking thresholds

• A*: The highest quality category. Represents the top 5-7% of journals in a specific FoR. These are internationally recognised exemplars of excellence.
• A: The second-highest quality category. Represents the next 15-25% of journals. These have among the highest citation metrics within their FoR.
• B: The third highest quality category. Represents approximately the next 35-40% of journals. These are solid, reputable journals with good-to-excellent metrics.
• C: Represents the remaining recognised quality journals. This category may also include excellent practitioner-oriented journals.

These thresholds act as a numerical ceiling to guide expert judgment, providing a structured yet flexible framework for the panels.

Pillars of the Process: The Four Guiding Principles

The entire review is anchored by four key principles that ensure the final list is credible and trusted.

• Transparency: Every step is clearly documented. Expert panels are required to report on their deliberations, ensuring the process is open to scrutiny.
• Consistency: A uniform methodology is applied across all panels, informed by globally recognised journal ranking lists and citation metrics, enabling fair comparisons.
• External Validation: An independent international advisor, not affiliated with any Australian or New Zealand university, reviews the panels’ work to provide a global perspective and safeguard the list’s international standing.
• Stability: The previous 2022 JQL provides a strong foundation, with changes made deliberately and incrementally to avoid sudden, disruptive shifts in the academic landscape.

A Dynamic and Inclusive Process

The 2025 review wasn’t just about adjusting existing rankings. It was a comprehensive overhaul, involving the addition of 120 new titles and the removal of 149 titles considered non-relevant, low-quality, or predatory. This dynamic approach ensures the list remains relevant and up to date.

Central to this process is stakeholder feedback. Eligible academics at Australian and New Zealand (ANZ) institutions, disciplinary peak bodies, and business schools can make submissions to the panels concerning the journals. Gathering this frontline input is a vital part of the ABDC’s efforts to maintain a list that is both authoritative and credible.

The rankings for key fields—namely Accounting & Finance, Economics & Business History, Operations & Tech Management, and Organisational Psychology—along with the authoritative CABS guidelines, have been posted previously and can be found via the links below.

The Methodology

The core of the ABDC methodology lies in its multi-layered, hybrid approach. It moves beyond a simple reliance on citation metrics. The review is carried out by expert panels, each aligned with a specific Field of Research (FoR) code, such as the Accounting panel (FoR 3501). These panels are the engines of the review. They combine quantitative data, including globally validated citation metrics (e.g., SCImago, Journal Impact Factor) and scores from other lists like the FT50, with qualitative expert peer review. This blend ensures that a journal’s reputation and standing within the academic community are weighed alongside its raw citation count.

Beyond quality, the ABDC also applies a “substantive business element” test to ensure a journal’s relevance to its audience. To be included, a journal must have more than 50% of its published articles over three years authored by business faculty or be of a business and management nature. This criterion ensures the list remains focused on publications that are central to the business academic community.