Journal of Consumer Affairs

Top Research Topics at Journal of Consumer Affairs?

Marketing, Advertising, Actuarial science, Social psychology and Public relations are the subjects of interest in the journal. The journal focused on Marketing research but expanded to cover Public policy. The Advertising study featured in the journal draws connections with the study of Perception.

• Marketing (32.72%)
• Advertising (20.81%)
• Actuarial science (9.62%)

What are the most cited papers published in the journal?

• Do Consumers Expect Companies to Be Socially Responsible? the Impact of Corporate Social Responsibility on Buying Behavior (1462 citations)
• Do Consumers Care about Ethics? Willingness to Pay for Fair-Trade Coffee (931 citations)
• Consumer Perceptions of Privacy and Security Risks for Online Shopping (890 citations)

Research areas of the most cited articles at Journal of Consumer Affairs:

The journal papers aim to foster the development of research in Marketing, Advertising, Consumer behaviour, Social psychology and Consumer education. Public policy, Consumer economics and Public relations are some topics wherein Marketing research discussed in the most cited publications has an impact. While Advertising is the focus of the published papers, it also provides insights into the studies of Legislation, Nutrition facts label, Identity theft, Perception and Personally identifiable information.

What topics the last edition of the journal is best known for?

• Law
• China
• Marketing

The previous edition focused in particular on these issues:

Journal of Consumer Affairs explores disciplines such as Social psychology, Consumption (economics), Marketing, Subsistence agriculture and Perception. The Social psychology study tackled is a key component of adjacent topics in the area of Well-being. Journal of Consumer Affairs explores issues in Consumption (economics) which can be linked to other research areas like Monetary economics, Public economics, Affect (psychology) and Consumer behaviour.

The work on Marketing tackled in Journal of Consumer Affairs brings together disciplines like Life satisfaction and Public policy. It facilitates discussions on Subsistence agriculture that incorporate concepts from other fields like Economic growth, Socioeconomics and Value (ethics). The journal features Perception research that overlaps with concepts in Internet privacy.

The most cited articles from the last journal are:

• Digital redlining and the fintech marketplace: Evidence from US zip codes (7 citations)
• Impact of environmental and health consciousness on ecological consumption intention: The moderating effects of haze and self‐competence (3 citations)
• Impact of Consumer Animosity, Boycott Participation, Boycott Motivation, and Product Judgment on Purchase Readiness or Aversion of Kurdish Consumers in Iraq (3 citations)

Papers citation over time

A key indicator for each journal is its effectiveness in reaching other researchers with the papers published at that venue.

The chart below presents the interquartile range (first quartile 25%, median 50% and third quartile 75%) of the number of citations of articles over time.

Top authors and change over time

The top authors publishing in Journal of Consumer Affairs (based on the number of publications) are:

• Herbert Jack Rotfeld (26 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Robert N. Mayer (16 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Rachel Dardis (14 papers) absent at the last edition,
• Scot Burton (13 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition,
• Ronald Paul Hill (12 papers) absent at the last edition.

The overall trend for top authors publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top authors.

Top affiliations and change over time

Only papers with recognized affiliations are considered

The top affiliations publishing in Journal of Consumer Affairs (based on the number of publications) are:

• University of Wisconsin-Madison (46 papers) published 2 papers at the last edition,
• Ohio State University (36 papers) published 1 paper at the last edition the same number as at the previous edition,
• Cornell University (33 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of California, Davis (32 papers) absent at the last edition,
• University of Illinois at Urbana–Champaign (31 papers) published 4 papers at the last edition.

The overall trend for top affiliations publishing in this journal is outlined below. The chart shows the number of publications at each edition of the journal for top affiliations.

Publication chance based on affiliation

The publication chance index shows the ratio of articles published by the best research institutions in the journal edition to all articles published within that journal. The best research institutions were selected based on the largest number of articles published during all editions of the journal.

The chart below presents the percentage ratio of articles from top institutions (based on their ranking of total papers).Top affiliations were grouped by their rank into the following tiers: top 1-10, top 11-20, top 21-50, and top 51+. Only articles with a recognized affiliation are considered.

During the most recent 2021 edition, 0.00% of publications had an unrecognized affiliation. Out of the publications with recognized affiliations, 12.20% were posted by at least one author from the top 10 institutions publishing in the journal. Another 6.10% included authors affiliated with research institutions from the top 11-20 affiliations. Institutions from the 21-50 range included 24.39% of all publications and 57.32% were from other institutions.

Returning Authors Index

A very common phenomenon observed among researchers publishing scientific articles is the intentional selection of journals they have already attended in the past. In particular, it is worth analyzing the case when the authors participate in the same journal from year to year.

The Returning Authors Index presented below illustrates the ratio of authors who participated in both a given as well as the previous edition of the journal in relation to all participants in a given year.

Returning Institution Index

The graph below shows the Returning Institution Index, illustrating the ratio of institutions that participated in both a given and the previous edition of the conference in relation to all affiliations present in a given year.

The experience to innovation index

Our experience to innovation index was created to show a cross-section of the experience level of authors publishing in a journal. The index includes the authors publishing at the last edition of a journal, grouped by total number of publications throughout their academic career (P) and the total number of citations of these publications ever received (C).

The group intervals were selected empirically to best show the diversity of the authors' experiences, their labels were selected as a convenience, not as judgment. The authors were divided into the following groups:

• Novice - P < 5 or C < 25 (the number of publications less than 5 or the number of citations less than 25),
• Competent - P < 10 or C < 100 (the number of publications less than 10 or the number of citations less than 100),
• Experienced - P < 25 or C < 625 (the number of publications less than 25 or the number of citations less than 625),
• Master - P < 50 or C < 2500 (the number of publications less than 50 or the number of citations less than 2500),
• Star - P ≥ 50 and C ≥ 2500 (both the number of publications greater than 50 and the number of citations greater than 2500).

The chart below illustrates experience levels of first authors in cases of publications with multiple authors.

Contributions by Business Schools

One crucial missing section in the article could be a deep dive into the contributions made by Business Schools to the Journal of Consumer Affairs. A comprehensive analysis of the research papers, authors, and collaborations linked to premier business schools would help understand the role academia plays in shaping the focus of the journal and its impact on various sectors. Below is a draft for the missing section:

How Business Schools Contribute to the Journal of Consumer Affairs

Moreover, studies conducted by business schools often influence the decision-making processes in both private corporations and public bodies. For instance, research publications on consumer behavior offer valuable insights into market trends and consumer preferences. This, in turn, shapes marketing strategies and product development within businesses.

The contribution of business schools to the Journal cannot be overlooked because they provide an academic perspective to practical issues. This combination of theory and practice injects into the Journal a balanced view of the business landscape. For instance, research papers from the best business schools in North Dakota often report on real-world case studies and demonstrate field-based evidence to support or challenge theoretical propositions.

It is worth noting that the collaborative efforts of these institutions with other stakeholders, including researchers and practitioners worldwide, further enrich the overall quality and impact of the publications in the Journal. The dissemination of such vast and varied knowledge ultimately benefits researchers, practitioners, and policymakers alike, fostering the development and refinement of effective strategies and policies that foster consumer welfare.