- Case
A case of plagiarism?
A paper was published in our journal. A reader contacted us and informed us that the whole of the introduction of the paper was copied directly from another publication. The editor-in-chief suggested retracting the paper immediately. However, the author insists on publishing a correction. They do not want to publish a retraction as this will affect their future career development. - Research
What instructions and guidance do journals provide to their reviewers to assess submitted manuscripts? : A survey with particular emphasis on the use of reporting guidelines 2010
The project aims to survey journals’ instructions to reviewers of submitted manuscripts. The study will summarise if and how journals use reporting guidelines in the peer review process, and will explore how effective the editors have found reporting guidelines in improving manuscript quality. The survey will provide an indication of the degree to which reporting guidelines are currently… - News
COPE's first discussion document on plagiarism published
When aspects of publication ethics are particularly fast-moving or controversial COPE cannot always provide detailed guidance. Consequently, in a new venture for COPE, we are intending to publish a series of discussion documents with the aim to stimulate discussion rather than tell editors what to do. We hope that, by raising the issues, we can contribute to the debate within the academic… - Event
Publication ethics: fraud and misconduct
…member rate (ALPSP Member rate £355.00 plus VAT; non-Member £515.00 plus VAT).COPE members: Please email Melissa Marshall directly to ensure you are charged the discounted fee (do not book online). … - Case
Lost raw data
In a nutshell, if someone has lost their raw data, workup data and laboratory books (so that in effect their data cannot be checked/queried/verified/substantiated) what would be the implications of submitting his/her results to a journal? I have a very clear view. I would not do it. However, others seem to think that if you cannot prove that the results are wrong, then they must be accepted on… Systematic manipulation of the publishing process via paper mills: Forum discussion topic September 2020
… While publishers and editors can handle individual papers on a case-by-case basis, how do we tackle the bigger issues at play? What can publishers do to improve the screening processes to detect these problems earlier? Are there key author declarations that could be suggested that researchers make? Even for journals which do not have…- Case
Repeated alleged plagiarism in case reports
…asked my specialty editors to be vigilant about this form of intellectual property theft and to do whatever is possible to prevent being a party to it. I will explore whether there is any usable free software or online solution available to deal with this problem easily but in the meantime I have found Google really easy to use. While I have submitted this anonymised, I feel that serial… Dealing with editor misconduct
…journal of which he thought readers should be made aware. The journal in question belongs to COPE. Does this represent editorial misconduct? What should the editor have done? If you were the subcommittee invited to deal with this case in the light of the COPE code, what would you do (step by step) and what recommendations would you make?…- Case
New commercial cure for a common but incurable problem, role of sponsor
…it, saying that they could not produce an opinion. The reviewer who did eventually do so said that the results were not credible and that all the signs suggested that the paper might be fraudulent. The statistical adviser was asked for his opinion, and, although he agreed that the results were very unlikely, he was less convinced that there had been any data manipulation. He suggested that the… - Case
Wrong version of article published. Should we retract?
The incorrect PDF version of an article was published together with the correct HTML, XML and EPUB versions. The variations between the PDF and other versions are language editing related, and do not affect the scientific value or scientific nature of the article. Questions for COPE Council Given that two version of the article exists, should the journal retract… - Case
Inadequately supervised research?
…objections raised. Was this the right thing to do? Should more be done?… - Case
Short case reports without formal consent
…in a large region and the reports only include those with a very specific cardiac diagnosis and do not include any identifying details, we felt it was fair to say that the case reports do not identify the individual. It did not seem appropriate to contact bereaved parents many years later to seek consent for this and we agreed that this was not necessary. The congenital anomalies database has MREC… - Case
Problem with figures
…digital image generation and processing than I do. All of them find that the striking similarities between groups of cells in the middle and low panels make it hard to believe that the two images come from different tumors (as is implied in the figure legend and your earlier messages). As it doesn't seem that we are able to resolve the issue easily, we will need to conduct a more formal… - Event
ISTME European virtual event
…citations, this talk will look at who subverts best practice, why they do it, how they can be countered, and what are the consequences. From self-citing authors, to coercive reviewers and editors, and citation rings, citation manipulation undermines research integrity. Can we treat all citations as equal, such as those to articles in predatory journals, retracted or corrected articles, and non-peer… FORUM DISCUSSION TOPIC: comments please
…questions as to how best ensure author, editor, reviewer and journal interests are protected. Questions Does it violate confidential/blind peer-review to reveal reviewer comments even after publication? What can journals do to make sure reviewer comments remain confidential? How can reviewers ensure they are able to share and get credit for their…- Event
COPE Forum: Tuesday 15 December 2020
COPE members can now register to attend the December Forum, to be held on Tuesday 15 December 2:00-3:30pm GMT. The deadline to register is Monday 14 December. The discussion topic is 'Predatory publishing: next steps and where do we go from here?'. This will be followed by… - Case
An author plagiarising the work of the reviewer?
…co-authors (including the reviewer himself). The manuscript is similar to others—one published with the reviewer’s name but without his consent The author is taking credit for work done by others—most notably the reviewer The author has refuted many, if not all, of the allegations What should the editor do now? He has invited advice from the university who awarded the PhD, but is… - Case
Overseas editor dismissed from university for fraud
…attempting legally to overturn the university’s action. The UK editor wrote to the journal asking whether the incident discussed affects the editorial arrangements for the journal. Is there anything else the editor should do and does the problem affect his own position as an editor working in parallel with the overseas editor, as neither one is accountable to the other?… - Case
Rights of reviewers
…stimulated to examine the same markers in their own patient group following the review of the paper, and that his group felt that they could confirm and extend the important observations made by the submitting authors. _ Do reviewers have the right to closely follow a manuscript through to the point of publication? _ What should the editor do about the fact that this reviewer appears to have altered his… - Case
The incomplete retraction
A journal published a paper several years ago that subsequently had to be retracted, on the advice of the university where the work had been conducted. The university provided no further details but promised to do so. Two years later they confirmed that the paper should be retracted, but gave no information on exactly what had gone wrong and whether anybody had been punished. Subsequently, one…