Tenure Consequences of Submit-to-Accept Delays in Accounting

SYNOPSIS Submit-to-accept (STA) times in accounting journals have increased significantly over the last two decades (Hurley, Gal-Or, Knechel, and Pesch 2025). We investigate how these longer STA times affect tenure outcomes for accounting faculty in their first post-doctoral academic appointment. Understanding this relationship can help faculty and administrators more effectively anticipate the extent to which prolonged STA delays may impact the tenure process. We find that longer STA times for articles published late in the probationary period reduce the probability of an academic earning tenure at their first institution, particularly for tenure candidates hired at universities ranked below the top 15. Additionally, female candidates experiencing longer STA times are less likely to earn tenure compared with males with similar STA delays. These findings are important for journal editors, reviewers, provosts, deans, tenure committees, and tenure-track academics seeking to understand and manage the implications of lengthening publication timelines. Data Availability: The data used in this study are available from the sources indicated herein. Survey responses are available upon request from the authors. JEL Classifications: I23; M41; J44; J16; J24.