Prof.dr. James ThewissenFinance · Language · Intelligence

Research & publications

Ask harder questions.
Build stronger evidence.

I examine how, when and why language influences financial decisions, corporate disclosure and entrepreneurial finance.

Research published in leading journals

My research appears in leading journals in finance, accounting and entrepreneurship, including journals in the Financial Times 50 and journals rated ABS 4*.

Journal of Business VenturingFinancial Times 50 · ABS 4*Journal of Corporate FinanceStrategic Entrepreneurship JournalFinancial Times 50Entrepreneurship Theory and PracticeFinancial Times 50 · ABS 4*The European Journal of FinanceBusiness Strategy and the EnvironmentAbacus

Financial Times research ranking list · ABS ratings: Academic Journal Guide 2024

How, when and why
language matters.

I investigate how textual and visual information shapes financial decisions, from corporate reporting to crowdfunding and token markets. My work combines linguistic analysis, financial theory and empirical methods.

Publications & research output

Articles · Books & chapters · Working papers · Conference research

48 publications and research outputs

2026Journal article

Financial Review

Hitting the Right Note: The Impact of Lexical Complexity on Initial Coin Offering Success ↗

James Thewissen, Jennifer Thewissen, Özgür Arslan-Ayaydin & Diego Barrio Herrezuelo

61(1), 135–173

Investigates how vocabulary and linguistic complexity relate to the success of token offerings.

Publisher & DOI ↗
Related versions & presentations

Striking the Right Vocabulary Note: Lexical Complexity in Initial Coin Offerings Success ↗
2024 · 7th Cryptocurrency Research Conference

Hitting the Right Note: The Impact of Lexical Complexity on Initial Coin Offering Success ↗
2025 · Midwest Finance Association Annual Meeting

Hitting the Right Note: The Impact of Lexical Complexity on Initial Coin Offering Success ↗
2025 · journal article

2026 · online 2024Journal article

The British Accounting Review

Picturing Success: The Informational Role of Visual Cues in Initial Coin Offerings ↗

Feilian Xia, James Thewissen, Diego Barrio Herrezuelo, Özgür Arslan-Ayaydin & Shuo Yan

58(3), 101503

Examines the informational role of infographics alongside textual disclosure in entrepreneurial financing.

Publisher & DOI ↗
Related versions & presentations

Picturing Success: The Power of Visual Cues for Investors in Initial Coin Offerings ↗
2024 · 8th ENTFIN Conference

Picturing success: The informational role of visual cues in initial coin offerings ↗
2024 · journal article

2026Working paper

Working paper & conference research

Time Will Tell: Linguistic Temporality and Investor Decisions in Digital Entrepreneurial Finance ↗

Feilian Xia, Diego Barrio Herrezuelo, James Thewissen, Jennifer Thewissen

CRC2026 · Best PhD Paper Award

Publication record ↗
Related versions & presentations

Time will tell: Linguistic temporality and credibility in initial coin offerings ↗
2026 · working paper

Time Time Will Tell: Linguistic Temporality and Investor Decisions in Digital Entrepreneurial Finance ↗
2026 · 9th Cryptocurrency Research Conference

2025Conference paper / presentation

The 95th Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association

Circularity and Venture Capital: Impact of Circularity on ICO Performance ↗

James Thewissen, Sébastien Wilmet, Josep Oriol Izquierdo Montfort, Yves De Rongé

Publication record ↗
Related versions & presentations

Circularity and Venture Capital: Impact of Circularity on ICO Performance ↗
2025 · The 95th Annual Meeting of the Southern Economic Association

Circularity and Venture Capital: The Impact of Circularity on ICO Performance ↗
2025 · working paper

2023 · online 2022Journal article

The European Journal of Finance

Linguistic Errors and Investment Decisions: The Case of ICO White Papers ↗

Jennifer Thewissen, James Thewissen, Wouter Torsin & Özgür Arslan-Ayaydin

29(7), 826–868

Examines how spelling and grammatical errors in ICO white papers influence investment decisions.

Publisher & DOI ↗
Related versions & presentations

Spell it right! The impact of linguistic accuracy on business investment decisions ↗
2021 · PLIN DAY Linguistics applied to Business Language in a multilingual and multicultural world

Spell It Right! The impact of linguistic accuracy on corporate investment decisions: The case Initial Coin Offering whitepapers ↗
2021 · journal article

Linguistic errors and investment decisions: the case of Initial Coin Offering white papers ↗
2022 · journal article

2023 · online 2021Journal article

European Accounting Review

International Earnings Announcements: Tone, Forward-looking Statements, and Informativeness ↗

Elaine Henry, James Thewissen & Wouter Torsin

32(2), 275–309

Studies the tone, forward-looking content and informativeness of international earnings announcements.

Publisher & DOI ↗
Related versions & presentations

International Earnings Announcements: Tone, Forward-looking Statements, and Informativeness ↗
2022 · journal article

International Earnings Announcements: Tone, Forward-looking Statements, and Informativeness ↗
2021 · working paper

2022Journal article

Journal of Corporate Finance

Unpacking the Black Box of ICO White Papers: A Topic Modeling Approach ↗

James Thewissen, Prabal Shrestha, Wouter Torsin & Anna M. Pastwa

75, 102225

Maps the thematic content of 5,210 ICO white papers and examines its information value to investors.

Publisher & DOI ↗
Related versions & presentations

Unpacking the black box of ICO white papers: a topic modeling approach ↗
2021 · working paper

Unpacking the black box of ICO white papers: A topic modeling approach ↗
2022 · journal article

2021Conference paper / presentation

28th International Annual EurOMA Conference

Mismatch between corporate circular economy practices and literature: Sustainability report analysis of highly-rated ESG companies ↗

Petchprakai Sirilertsuwan, Josep Oriol Izquierdo Montfort, Yves De Ronge, James Thewissen

Publication record ↗
Related versions & presentations

Mismatch between corporate circular economy practices and literature: Sustainability report analysis of highly-rated ESG companies ↗
2021 · 28th International Annual EurOMA Conference

Mismatch between corporate circular economy practices and literature: Sustainability report analysis of highly-rated ESG companies ↗
2021 · Evidence for Action: Aligning the Climate and SDG Agendas

Research recognition · 2026

2026Santiago, Chile

Best PhD Paper Award

9th Cryptocurrency Research Conference

Time Will Tell: Linguistic Temporality and Investor Decisions in Digital Entrepreneurial Finance

Co-authored with Diego Barrio Herrezuelo, Feilian Xia and Jennifer Thewissen. The paper received the Best PhD Paper Award, presented to Diego Barrio Herrezuelo at CRC2026.

Read the university announcement ↗

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