Bias in the Social Science Publication Process: Are There Exceptions?

Explores the possibility that journals in the management area of the social sciences may not reflect the same degree of publication bias that has typically been found in other areas. Data from structured interviews & quantitative comparisons indicate that top-tier journals in the management area (1) have lower acceptance rates than our comparison group, (2) generally require a greater number of reviewers than the comparison group, & (3) publish a higher % of articles by authors affiliated with the schools/disciplines of the editors than would be expected by chance. It is concluded that the management area is not immune from bias. It is suggested that continued research of this nature can be an important source of information for both contributors & editors enabling them to become aware of & manage the types of biases to which editors are most susceptible. 2 Tables, 3 Figures, 42 References. Adapted from the source document.