COPE will be represented at the forthcoming World Conference on Research Integrity.
COPE Chair, Ginny Barbour, will be chairing a symposium on behalf of COPE entitled “Publishing and research ethics as wicked problems”. The session will discuss how research and publication ethics issues can be thought of as intertwined wicked problems – that is problems which are "difficult or impossible to solve because of incomplete, contradictory and changing requirements that are often difficult to recognize”. Ginny will hear various perspectives from the panel debating the issues to explore whether we can rethink how we can address such problems by adopting less conventional approaches. Speakers include: Marie-Andre Jacob (Keele University), Jane Jacobs (Queensland University of Technology), Phil Hurst (Royal Society) and Bianca Kramer or Jeroen Bosman ( Utrect University).
Somewhat related to the discussion of ‘wicked problems’ in publication ethics, COPE Council Member, Elizabeth Moylan, will be chairing a symposium on behalf of BioMed Central entitled “Rethinking retractions: the pros and cons of self-retraction”. This session will be exploring Daniele Fanelli’s (Stanford University, USA) proposal for a system of self-retraction for honest error and the issues involved. Various view points from different stakeholders will be discussed. Speakers are: Richard Mann (University of Leeds, UK), Ivan Oransky (Retraction Watch) and Ginny Barbour (Chair, COPE).
If you are attending the WCRI, these sessions are open to all delegates.