Recent technological advances in the field of big data have created new opportunities for enhancing forensic accounting and auditing processes. Big data - characterized by high volume, velocity, and variety - enables professionals to perform more sophisticated analyses that support effective decision making in these areas. This study provides a descriptive study of reputable academic sources to review the impact of big data analytics on forensic accounting and auditing. The findings demonstrate that big data analytics can improve the efficiency of forensic accounting and auditing procedures, mitigate risks, and play a pivotal role in the detection and prevention of fraud. Moreover, big data tools have accelerated data analysis and facilitated the identification of hidden patterns. Applying these analytics has rendered auditing and forensic accounting processes faster, more accurate, and of higher quality. The use of big data in these two domains not only enhance the speed and the quality of process but also decision making in auditing and fraud detection. In particular, leveraging advanced data analytics tools has enabled the prediction of financial threats and the detection of anomalous patterns.
Ajana, B. (2015). Augmented borders: Big data and the ethics of immigration control. Journal of Information, Communication and Ethics in Society, 13(1), 58–78. https://doi.org/10.1108/JICES-01-2014-0005
Albrecht, W. S., Albrecht, C., & Albrecht, C. C. (2008). Current trends in fraud and its detection. Information Security Journal, 17(1), 2–12. https://doi.org/10.1080/19393550801934331
Alcadipani, R., & de Oliveira Medeiros, C. R. (2020). When corporations cause harm: A critical view of corporate social irresponsibility and corporate crimes. Journal of Business Ethics, 167(2), 285–297. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04157-0
Almeida, P., & Bernardino, J. (2015). A comprehensive overview of open-source big data platforms and frameworks. Services Transactions on Big Data, 2(3), 15–33. https://doi.org/10.29268/stbd.2015.2.3.2
Arab Mazar Yazdi, M., & Moradi, A. (2020). Opportunities and challenges of applying big data in the public sector's accounting information system from the perspective of accountability. Auditing Knowledge, 20(79), 95–122. https://elmnet.ir/doc/2138948-24103 (in Persian)
Cao, M., Chychyla, R., & Stewart, T. (2015). Big data analytics in financial statement audits. Accounting Horizons, 29(2), 423–429. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-51068
Chen, J., Tao, Y., Wang, H., & Chen, T. (2015). Big data based fraud risk management at Alibaba. The Journal of Finance and Data Science, 1(1), 1–10. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jfds.2015.03.001
DeFond, M. L., & Lennox, C. S. (2011). The effect of SOX on small auditor exits and audit quality. Journal of Accounting and Economics, 52(1), 21–40. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.jacceco.2011.02.001
Deloitte. (2018). Forensic analytics in fraud investigations: Identifying rare events that can bring the business down. Deloitte.
Dewu, K., & Barghathi, Y. (2019). The accounting curriculum and the emergence of Big Data. Journal of Accounting and Management Information Systems, 18(3), 417–442. https://doi.org/10.24818/jamis.2019.03006
DiGabriele, J. A., & Huber, W. D. (2015). Topics and methods in forensic accounting research. Accounting Research Journal, 28(1), 98–114. https://doi.org/10.1108/ARJ-08-2014-0071
Gabrielli, G., Medioli, A., Andrei, P., & Marchini, P. L. (2022). Accounting and big data: Trends, opportunities and direction for practitioners and researchers. Financial Reporting, 2, 89–112. https://doi.org/10.3280/FR2022-002004
Golden, T. W., Skalak, S. L., & Clayton, M. M. (2007). A guide to forensic accounting investigation. John Wiley & Sons. https://doi.org/10.1002/9780471730323
Greer, M. B., Jr. (2013). 21st century leadership: Harnessing innovation, accelerating business success. iUniverse. https://www.iuniverse.com
Guo, K. H. (2016). The institutionalization of commercialism in the accounting profession: An identity‐experimentation perspective. Auditing: A Journal of Practice & Theory, 35(3), 99–117. https://doi.org/10.2308/ajpt-51337
Halili, K., & Valavi, M. (2017). Big data technology: Opportunities, challenges, and strategies. Quarterly Journal of Interdisciplinary Studies on Strategic Knowledge, 7(28), 7-28. https://sid.ir/paper/511554/fa (in Persian)
Herath, S. K., & Hamm, A. (2023). How big data analytics is used in forensic accounting and auditing. The Business and Management Review, 14(1). https://doi.org/10.24052/BMR/V14NU01/ART-12
Ibrahim, A. E. A., Elamer, A. A., & Ezat, A. N. (2021). The convergence of big data and accounting: Innovative research opportunities. Technological Forecasting and Social Change, 173, Article 121171. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.techfore.2021.121171
Kaur, B., Sood, K., & Grima, S. (2022). A systematic review on forensic accounting and its contribution towards fraud detection and prevention. Journal of Financial Regulation and Compliance. https://doi.org/10.1108/JFRC-02-2022-0015
Lehrer, C., Wieneke, A., vom Brocke, J., Jung, R., & Seidel, S. (2018). How big data analytics enables service innovation: Materiality, affordance, and the individualization of service. Journal of Management Information Systems, 35(2), 424–460. https://doi.org/10.1080/07421222.2018.1451953
Leung, P., & Chau, G. (2001). The problematic relationship between audit reporting and audit expectations: Some evidence from Hong Kong. Advances in International Accounting, 14, 181–200. https://doi.org/10.1016/S0897-3660(01)14010-9
Moffitt, K. C., & Vasarhelyi, M. A. (2013). AIS in an age of big data. Journal of Information Systems, 27(2), 1–19. https://doi.org/10.2308/isys-10372
Munoko, I., Brown‐Liburd, H. L., & Vasarhelyi, M. (2020). The ethical implications of using artificial intelligence in auditing. Journal of Business Ethics, 167(2), 209–234. https://doi.org/10.1007/s10551-019-04407-1
No, W. G., Lee, K., Huang, F., & Li, Q. (2019). Multidimensional audit data selection (MADS): A framework for using data analytics in the audit data selection process. Accounting Horizons, 33(3), 127–140. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-52453
Rezaee, Z., & Wang, J. (2019). Relevance of big data to forensic accounting practice and education. Managerial Auditing Journal, 34(3), 268–288. https://doi.org/10.1108/MAJ-08-2017-1633
Ryu, S. L., & Won, J. (2022). Scale and scope economies in Korean accounting firms around Sarbanes-Oxley regulations. Journal of Asian Economics, 78. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.asieco.2021.101427
Shaabani, Z. (2024). The relationship between big accounting data in forensic accounting practice and education. Journal of Accounting & Financial Transparency, 2(2), 102-119. https://sid.ir/paper/1399316/en (in Persian)
Strong, D., Volkoff, O., Johnson, S., Pelletier, L., Tulu, B., Bar-On, I., Trudel, J., & Garber, L. (2014). A theory of organization–EHR affordance actualization. Journal of the Association for Information Systems, 15(2), 53–85. https://doi.org/10.17705/1jais.00353
Vasarhelyi, M. A., Kogan, A., & Tuttle, B. M. (2015). Big data in accounting: An overview. Accounting Horizons, 29(2), 381–396. https://doi.org/10.2308/acch-51071
Verma, S., & Bhattacharyya, S. S. (2017). Perceived strategic value–based adoption of Big Data Analytics in emerging economy: A qualitative approach for Indian firms. Journal of Enterprise Information Management, 30(3), 354–382. https://doi.org/10.1108/JEIM-10-2015-0099
Wagner, E. L., Moll, J., & Newell, S. (2011). Accounting logics, reconfiguration of ERP systems and the emergence of new accounting practices: A sociomaterial perspective. Management Accounting Research, 22(3), 181–197. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.mar.2011.03.001
Wang, T., & Cuthbertson, R. (2015). Eight issues on audit data analytics we would like researched. Journal of Information Systems, 29(1), 155–162. https://doi.org/10.2308/isys-50955
Ganji,H. , Pourmahdi,P. and Gholampour,M. (2025). Big Data Analytics in Forensic Accounting and Auditing. Journal of Information System and Technology Auditing, 1(2), 278-295. doi: 10.22034/jista.2026.527173.1047
MLA
Ganji,H. , , Pourmahdi,P. , and Gholampour,M. . "Big Data Analytics in Forensic Accounting and Auditing", Journal of Information System and Technology Auditing, 1, 2, 2025, 278-295. doi: 10.22034/jista.2026.527173.1047
HARVARD
Ganji H., Pourmahdi P., Gholampour M. (2025). 'Big Data Analytics in Forensic Accounting and Auditing', Journal of Information System and Technology Auditing, 1(2), pp. 278-295. doi: 10.22034/jista.2026.527173.1047
CHICAGO
H. Ganji, P. Pourmahdi and M. Gholampour, "Big Data Analytics in Forensic Accounting and Auditing," Journal of Information System and Technology Auditing, 1 2 (2025): 278-295, doi: 10.22034/jista.2026.527173.1047
VANCOUVER
Ganji H., Pourmahdi P., Gholampour M. Big Data Analytics in Forensic Accounting and Auditing. JSITA, 2025; 1(2): 278-295. doi: 10.22034/jista.2026.527173.1047