Accounting academics vs. academic writing: The battle of the pen

Abstract

Accounting academics in South Africa are now, more than ever before, defined not only as lecturers but as scientists who engage in scholarly activities; in research. It is general knowledge that accredited academic publications can only be possible after researches have been conducted. These publications are sometimes taken into consideration during promotion of these academics. Despite the importance and “push” to do research, many accounting academics in South Africa do not take this into consideration. This paper endeavoured to identify the research-related needs of accounting academics in South African universities. This was achieved through a survey (questionnaires and non-structured interview techniques) that was done mainly through the use of e-mail to all accounting academics in South Africa (a census) and some telephone communication. The findings show that accounting academics are aware of the importance of doing research but are in dire need of research training at different levels and stages. They need to further their postgraduate qualifications thereby creating an avenue for them to do research. The study indicates that accounting departments at some institutions have already started some interventions like research writing workshops and mentoring to bridge these research capacity-building needs. Out of all the research needs, mentoring and finding suitable research topics are the major ones.