Flowcharts

COPE's flowchart on what to do if you suspect peer review manipulation discovered either during or after the peer review process.…

Manipulation of the publication process is a relatively new form of misconduct affecting the publishing industry. These guidelines represent an important first step towards encouraging openness and collaboration between publishers to address this phenomenon. Systematic manipulation of the publication process is where an individual or a group of individuals have repeatedly used dis…

Peer reviewers may be suggested by: the Editor handling the manuscript; authors on submission of their manuscript to a journal; another reviewer who is unable to peer review the manuscript. While there is an expectation that everyone involved in the process acts with integrity, the peer review process can be susceptible to manipulation as discussed at…

COPE's guidance on what to consider when you are asked to peer review a manuscript, presented as a flowchart and laying out the steps in the decision process that you might go through to decide whether or not you should accept the request. (Version 1, September 2017) …

For ease of use, we have gathered together here all of COPE's flowcharts into one downloadable PDF file (18 pages): What to do if you suspect redundant (duplicate) publication (2 flowcharts) What to do if you suspect plagiarism (2 flowcharts) What to do if you suspect fabricated data (2 flowcharts) Changes in authorship (4 flowcharts) What to do i…

COPE's guidance as a flowchart on what to do if you suspect a reviewer has appropriated an author’s ideas or data. The instruction to reviewers should state that submitted material must be treated in confidence and may not be used in any way until it has been published …