- News
Global standards for authors and editors tackle thorny issues such as research bias and misleading publicity
…href="http://www.worldscibooks.com/socialsci/8102.html">here). COPE Chair, Liz Wager, writes: “COPE already helps editors from many of the world’s major publishers to deal with publication misconduct and the standards for editors complement the COPE Code of Conduct followed by our members. We also welcomed the chance to get involved in the first universal global guidelines for authors from all areas of scholarly publishing, including research scientists,… - Case
An article in a high profile journal that potentially misappropriates research published in lower impact journals
…a comment on the website because it is not citable, does not have a doi and so would not be linked to the original article. The authors should complain to the editor and ask him or her again to publish their response; but it was pointed out that you cannot force an editor to publish. COPE’s code of conduct states that editors have a duty to “encourage debate” and that “cogent criticisms of… - Case
Reviewer misconduct and its potential impact on an submitted manuscript
Author X raised concerns that confidential information obtained during the peer review of their submission with Journal Y had been misappropriated by one of the reviewers of their submission (reviewer Z). Author X believed that reviewer Z had used this confidential information in order to silently alter code published by reviewer Z with repository R, which contained errors that were… - News
Applications for COPE Ombudsman
…whose stated mission is “to educate and advance knowledge in methods of safeguarding the integrity of the scholarly record for the benefit of the public”. Its members are largely journal editors and publishers who commit to following the appropriate Code of Conduct, and COPE’s main activities involve advising, supporting, and educating these members. COPE also mediates between COPE members and… FORUM DISCUSSION TOPIC: Sharing of information among editors-in-chief regarding possible misconduct
…inconsistencies. Questions for discussion: Are publishers right to be cautious about sharing of such information? Would a disclaimer on a journal’s website prevent such claims? Would COPE’s endorsement or publication of a Code of Conduct that allows sharing of information under certain circumstances prevent such claims? Such a Code might consist of the…- Forum discussion topics
COPE Forum 4 September 2013: Sharing of information among editors-in-chief regarding possible misconduct
…text, or other inconsistencies. Questions for discussion: Are publishers right to be cautious about sharing of such information? Would a disclaimer on a journal’s website prevent such claims? Would COPE’s endorsement or publication of a Code of Conduct that allows sharing of information under certain circumstances prevent such claims?… Consensus statement on research misconduct in the UK by COPE and BMJ
…good research conduct, and funders have a duty to hold institutions to account Research funders should require research institutions to appoint a senior named person as a research integrity officer and to adhere to an agreed code of conduct for research The code of conduct should mandate among other things: The setting up of effective systems to prevent and detect misconduct,…- Case
Ethical conduct of qualitative research studies
…been conducted compliantly in accordance with the EPHMRA guidelines, which state that Ethics committee approval is not required if studies meet the criteria of market research. In addition, these studies are non-interventional and the Health Research Authority tool also indicates that Ethics committee approval is NOT required. However, our interpretation of the COPE guidelines is that ethics… Foreword, COPE Report 2005
…mistakes. COPE’s Code of Conduct for Editors, launched at the end of 2004, recognised the need to raise the standards of editorial behaviour by setting out broad principles of good conduct. These include: publishing corrections and apologies where necessary retracting fraudulent or erroneous articles publishing cogent criticisms…- News
In the news: November 2018 Digest
…Oversight A new Code of Conduct for Research Integrity was put into place in the Netherlands on 1st October. It replaces the previous Code which has been in use since 2004 and requires the Institution to foster research integrity through empowering scientists to… - Case
Lack of trial registration leads to new concerns about study conduct and ethical review/approval
…already grounds for retraction and that retraction is justified on the basis of the lack of appropriate protocol, lack of trial registration and possible lack of ethics committee approval. Hence, although ideally a formal investigation should be conducted and the editor should wait for the outcome, if the institution does not respond or if the response is unsatisfactory, the editor should retract the… - News
Core Practices
Background A Code of Conduct for Editors has been in place at COPE since 2004, its purpose to provide guidance on current thinking in the practice of publication ethics. Subsequent editions and versions have evolved… - Research
Retractions research project 2008
The COPE Code of Conduct states that editors have a responsibility to ensure the reliability of the scientific record, implying that it will sometimes be necessary to retract an article, but it has never attempted to develop detailed guidance about this. Anecdotal evidence suggests that editors may be reluctant to retract articles because of concerns about litigation or uncertainty about the… - Event
3rd World Conference on Research Integrity
The 3rd World Conference on Research Integrity will focus international attention on research integrity, responsible conduct of research, and publication of research. Attendees will have opportunities to learn the current state of worldwide progress on research integrity, discuss new challenges and emerging topics, and help shape national and international responses. The Conference… - Case
Self plagiarism
…the national code for the responsible conduct of research: “It is not acceptable to repeat the reporting of identical research findings in several different publications, except in particular and clearly explained circumstances, such as review articles, anthologies, collections, or translations into another language.” The institution’s decision was that the author had clearly explained that the… COPE Governance
…in publication ethics. Page contents –– Constitution –– Code of Ethics –– Trustee Board –– Officers –– Council –– Subcommittees Constitution COPE is…- Case
The ethics of drug/medication use evaluation audit cycles and publication of the results
We are seeking guidance on the ethical issues surrounding drug/medicine use evaluation (DUE or MUE) audit cycles, particularly with respect to the publication of findings but also perhaps with regard to the conduct of these audits in general. DUE is a quality improvement activity that involves data collection and evaluation (usually by audit), followed by ‘action’ or intervention and… - Event
International Society for Medical Publication Professionals (ISMPP) Annual Meeting
ISMPP is offering a 10% registration discount to COPE members for its 16th Annual Meeting, The Evolving Role of the Scientific Communications Professional in an Open World, 20-22 April 2020, in Washington, DC. Check out the meeting at www.ismpp.org/annual-meeting, and enter 16AMCOPE in the… - Case
Publication of expression of concern
…conducted at that institution and by the same individual. We feel we have a responsibility to alert the readers of these articles to the findings of the IRB report. Question(s) for the COPE Forum• Is there justification to publish an expression of concern about articles that report research not specifically reviewed in the IRB investigation?… - Case
Possible plagiarism
…account of COPE’s guidelines and code of conduct under the headings of encouraging integrity of the academic record and pursuing misconduct.. Based on the advice communicated to me, the journal decided to retract the paper and to inform the dean of the author’s institution about this incident. The retraction note has been published online (and will also be printed in the next possible print…