May 2012

News / COPE Research Grant - deadline 1 June 2012

21/5/2012

The closing date for applications for COPE's research grant is 1 June 2012.  Any COPE member can apply for a grant (up to £5000) for a research project into publication ethics. See http://www.publicationethics.org/resources/research for more details and an application form.

Opinion / What constitutes 'self-plagiarism'?

21/5/2012 by Natalie Ridgeway

Last month, Nature News blog reported on an emminent chemist who was investigated for 'self-plagiarism' or duplicate publication.  Apparently a number of paragraphs were almost identical in a number of papers he published.  The most recent paper, published in Journal of the American Chemical Association, has since been retracted with the statement: "This article was removed by the publisher due to possible copyright concerns.

Opinion / Nature discusses proposed libel reforms in the UK

18/5/2012 by Natalie Ridgeway

An article in Nature discusses the proposed libel reform law that was included in last week's Queen's Speech.  This legislation directly addresses the concerns of researchers and scientific groups. You can read the full article here.

News / COPE receives top award from Council of Science Editors

17/5/2012

COPE has been awarded CSE's highest honour for its significant contribution to improving scientific communication by promoting high editorial standards.

News / Appointment of new COPE Ombudsman

14/5/2012

COPE is very pleased to announce the appointment of the new COPE Ombudsman, Suzanne Morris. Suzanne Morris is the Postgraduate Coordinator at the Sustainable Minerals Institute, University of Queensland, Australia. Suzanne also holds the role of Research Integrity Officer at the University of Queensland.

News / Election of COPE council members May 2012

8/5/2012

Voting for the 5 vacancies on COPE council is now open and will remain open until Wednesday 23 May 2012. All Full and Associate Members are entitled to vote. Please note: there is only one vote per journal title, even for  journals with multiple editors. The vote should be cast by the Member editor, who is usually the Editor-in-Chief, or otherwise by the nominated contact for the journal.

Opinion / Nature Editorial on Publishing Risky Research

7/5/2012 by Ginny Barbour

There has been much discussion recently on how journals handle risky or "dual use" research - ie research that has the potential to be used for harm. A Nature Editorial (http://www.nature.com/nature/journal/v485/n7396/full/485005a.html) now discusses where things stand with regard to a pair of papers submitted to Science and Nature of papers reporting mammalian transmissibility of avian flu as a result of artificial genetic manipulation.

Opinion / New declaration on Publication Ethics in China

1/5/2012 by Natalie Ridgeway

Recent articles in the Scientist and Nature discuss publication ethics in China and point to a recent declaration by editors of the China Association for Science and Technology (CAST) to follow guidelines issued by CAST in 2009. This declaration is one part of increasing awareness of the importance of publication ethics and the need for journals within China to address the issue.