The role of scholar status in the academic publication process

With journal impact factors becoming increasingly visible aspects of academia and doctoral edu-cation, it is important for researchers to understand the process of becoming published in a high-impact journal so that faculty members are able to prepare doctoral students for successful publi-cation. Using a sample of empirical manuscripts published on a common topic (the business value of information technology or BVIT), this study explored the extent to which a scholar's status and quality of respective manuscript explained journal quality and examined how scholar status af-fected the relationship between manuscript quality and journal quality. Differences over time were also explored, and models from two different time periods (pre- and post-2000) were com-pared. Findings emerged that have implications for doctoral research and education. First, schol-ars with higher status were published in journals with higher impact factors, even if the manu-script was not of superior quality. Second, in post-2000 years, the contribution of scholar status in predicting journal quality became significant. The productivity gap between scholars from top-tier institutions and scholars associated with all other institutions has increased in this particular domain in recent years and/or that scholar status is exerting greater impact on journal outlet over time. Findings are discussed in context of management schools' doctoral education programs.