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Announcement of COPE Council elections

Due to vacancies on Council, we are seeking nominations for three new candidates.

These are voluntary positions. Council is responsible for COPE’s policy and management. Council members are expected to attend four meetings a year (at least 2 of which are in London and 2 may be attended by phone or other media).

There is also an annual 1 day strategy meeting which Council Members are expected to attend. Annual seminars are held in a number of locations worldwide and it is hoped that Council Members will attend one of these. COPE has subcommittees, and Council Members will also be expected to be involved in other COPE related tasks, which are undertaken electronically. It is anticipated that the work of Council Members should amount to about 1–2 days per month, in addition to attendance at meetings.

In accordance with COPE’s constitution, the candidate, or the organisation they represent, must have been a member of COPE for at least 1 year.
Ordinary Council Members shall be elected by the Full and Associate Members with voting rights or (if the candidates are unopposed) by the approval of the Council.

We are particularly seeking applications from journal editors with expertise in areas other than biomedicine, specifically humanities, law, ethics and basic sciences. Publishers and non-native English speakers are also particularly welcome.

Further details, including a job description, can be found below.

Those who are interested should contact the COPE administrator. A Candidate for Council membership should be nominated by two other current members of COPE, at least one of whom must not be employed by the same organisation as the nominee.

The closing date for applications is 18 January 2013.

COPE council member: role description

Purpose of role

  • To be responsible, together with other council members, for the policy and management of the Committee on Publication Ethics.
  • To be a trustee of COPE as a charity in accordance with UK legislation.

Key responsibilities

  • Act as a Trustee for COPE, as a UK charity.
  • Attend and take a full part in quarterly meetings of Council at least twice a year, either in person or by webinar.
  • Attend and contribute to quarterly Forum meetings (Council and Forum meetings are held on the same day).
  • Attend and take a full part in the annual strategy meeting of Council.
  • Take part in additional policy and advisory discussions (usually by email) and approve the annual budget.
  • Monitor expenditure and supervise the administration of COPE.
  • Make appointments to Council and other positions.
  • Take part in subcommittees and other tasks, as agreed by Council.
  • Represent COPE externally when required to do so by Council.

Person specification

  • Experience of academic publishing (in particular, gained as the editor or publisher of a peer-reviewed publication).
  • Understanding of ethical issues in academic publishing (eg, having published on or with experience of such matters).
  • Experience of committee work or involvement with charitable organizations.
  • Expertise that will benefit COPE, such as writing, editing, publishing, training, law, accountancy, charity administration, public relations, human resources, fundraising, etc.
  • Sufficient time to commit to COPE activities, including attending meetings and contributing to the work of Council as required.
  • Good understanding and judgment of business matters.