- News
Case Discussion: Withdrawal of paper at proof stage
…informed of the acceptance and was asked to proofread the article. After 2 weeks, however, the corresponding author requested that the paper be withdrawn. The chief editor asked for an explanation and brought the case to COPE Forum, noting that the journal does not charge article processing fees. Question(s) for the COPE Forum Significant resources have been provided to improve the… - News
Case Discussion: Possible plagiarism
…to other sources, whereas some overlapping text had been cited. When approached, the authors admitted their mistakes and oversight to the publisher and suggested publishing a correction. To the book editor, the plagiarism was not substantial and warranted a correction. Question(s) for the COPE Forum • Is this misconduct serious enough to warrant a retraction, or would it be sufficient… - News
Announcement of COPE Council elections
Due to vacancies on Council, we are seeking nominations for two new candidates. These are voluntary positions. Council is responsible for COPE’s policy and management. Council members are required to attend four meetings a year (two of which will usually be in person in London; the others may be attended by phone or other media). There is also a strategy meeting every 18/24 months which… - Case
A breach of confidentiality?
The Forum were unanimous in their opinion that this would be a breach of confidentiality. It would also be misconduct on the part of the reviewer as the peer review process should be completely confidential. The issue here is the fact that the article has not been published. In addition to the confidentiality and ethical issues, there is also the problem that the peer-reviewed article may be… - Case
Late introduction of an omitted author after online publishing
The corresponding author as well as the co-authors admit that they have omitted one author (author X) who was responsible for a major part of the work in their study. Author X insists on having full acknowledgment in the authorship line and would not be satisfied with an erratum. What should I do? Please advise also about whether author X will appear in different citation… - Forum discussion topics
Dealing with complaints about the integrity of published research
…COPE Forum, June 2022 NOTE, Comments do not imply formal COPE advice, or consensus Journals need to be explicit about timelines and set expectations for complainants. It is important to keep complainants up to date. If expectations are set upfront, then complainants can be told if they are not respecting those boundaries. If an editor is receiving multiple… - News
PLOS ONE study on the rise in scientific retractions
Still on the subject of retractions, a recent study published in PLOS ONe by R. Grant Steen, Arturo Casadevall, and Ferric C. Fang asks why are the number of scientific retractions rising? Is it because the number of flawed articles being published are increasing, or that they are being retracted more quickly? Click - Event
INANE Annual Conference 2015
The INANE (International Academy of Nursing Journal Editors) annual conference is being held in Las Vegas, Nevada, August 3-5, 2015. In addition to the conference, COPE council members Charon Pierson and Geri Pearson will be leading a COPE Forum. For more… - News
Chile Seminar: CANCELLED
COPE has cancelled the COPE Chile Seminar on October 2, 2018. It will be rescheduled to a later date. We will take this chance to organise a sustainable approach to our presence and services in South America, something we recognise as part of our commitment to providing education and resources to editors and publishers globally. COPE has recently completed the translation of our basic… - Event
COPE integrity workshop April 2021
21 April 2021, 16:00-17:30 British Summer Time (UTC + 1) COPE members only During this workshop, which looks at the lessons that can be learnt from issues of concern raised to COPE's Facilitation and Integrity subcommittee, attendees will work through anonymised cases, share experiences and provide feedback to the Facilitation and Integrity subcommittee. It is an… - Case
Review of a book written by an editor of a journal
Two scholars and professional colleagues, A and B, serve as co-editors of a peer-reviewed international journal. Editor A, who recently had a book published, has requested that editor B solicit a review of the book from a scholar in the field. Editor A would like this review to be published in the journal that they edit together. Editor B is concerned that this situation would put him in… - Forum discussion topics
Ethical considerations around watchlists
…right to appeal the decision. Attention should be paid to how watchlists operate alongside systems of double or triple anonymous peer review, or pre-preprint review systems such as Publish, Review, Curate. Editorial… - Case
Seven plagiarized manuscripts in one month by the same corresponding author
…D) in two of the manuscripts. Four of these manuscripts (manuscripts 1, 5, 6 and 8) were rejected after the editorial review because they were not found to be original. One has been sent to reviewers and 6 are with associate editors for initial review. One of the associate editors has advised that the manuscript they had been reviewing (manuscript 10) has a similarity index of 97% The editor… - Case
Change of corresponding author after manuscript published online
… How should the journal act—should the journal change the name of the corresponding author after this length of time? Would such a change be considered an erratum or corrigendum? … - Case
Data integrity issues
…validity of the data in both articles had been raised, and that the journal had requested the data from the authors. The third party contacted the editor-in-chief again, suggesting that the papers should be retracted. The journal sent a third notice to the author requesting the same information. The author responded stating that the situation was currently being investigated by their university.… - Case
Author accused of sexual harassment
…meaning there will be no permanent record. Therefore, as there is no official outcome, the Editor decided to continue to have the paper peer reviewed. Questions for the Forum Should the editor have behaved differently? For papers where authors have been accused of sexual misconduct should Editors/Journals decline to have the paper reviewed, or take… - Event
7th World Congress on Research Integrity 2021
As the face to face World Congress on Research Integrity (WCRI) 2021 in South Africa has been postponed to 2022, WCRI will host a virtual event with a series of free webinars on six engaging and relevant topics that will form part of the broader research integrity dialogue. Each topic will be broadcast live via webinar in two different time slots. Virtual event topics… - Case
Authors bearing gifts …
The editor of an international journal is bothered: he has received a gift that looks expensive, though it might not be. The sender is an author of a paper submitted to the journal; he has just received a “major revisions necessary” decision. In previous emails, the author has suggested hosting the editor in “his native beautiful city”, an invitation the editor has acknowledged, saying… - Case
Request to remove an author post-publication
A paper was submitted to a journal by authors A and B. The paper was accepted and then published in the journal. Several months after final publication, author A contacted the journal asking for their name and their biography to be removed from the article. Author A stated that they wished to distance themselves from the research. Author B also contacted the journal separately to…