Title: Key audit matters: a systematic review

Authors: Mahmoud Elmarzouky; Khaled Hussainey; Tarek Abdelfattah

Addresses: Aston Business School, Aston University, 295 Aston Express Way, Birmingham B4 7UP, UK ' Faculty of Business and Law, School of Accounting, Economics and Finance, University of Portsmouth, Portsmouth, PO1 3DE, UK ' Nottingham University Business School, Nottingham, NG8 1BB, UK; Faculty of Commerce, Mansoura University, Mansoura, Egypt

Abstract: Key audit matters (KAMs) play a substantial role in financial reporting and have garnered increasing attention in recent years. This systematic review of 117 papers and reports published between 2013 and 2023 contributes to the audit and financial reporting field by identifying research gaps and suggesting areas for future research. The findings show that KAMs impact financial reporting and emphasise the need for further investigation into their effectiveness in improving financial reporting quality. This study provides valuable insights for regulators, stakeholders, and the academic and professional community and highlights the importance of future research on KAMs to assess the success of regulatory changes in audit reporting.

Keywords: KAMs; key audit matters; extended audit report; audit quality; financial reporting.

DOI: 10.1504/IJAAPE.2024.138473

International Journal of Accounting, Auditing and Performance Evaluation, 2024 Vol.20 No.3/4, pp.319 - 341

Accepted: 11 Apr 2023
Published online: 07 May 2024 *

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