- News
Letter from the COPE Chair: July 2019
Is self-citation ever an ethical action for authors to do? Is there ever a justification for editors or reviewers to recommend citations to their own work or their own journal? These are just some of the topics addressed in the new, and about to be released, COPE discussion document on citation… - Case
Query regarding a retraction
A journal published a paper. Some months later, the author asked if they could change the contents of the paper. The Editor in Chief had some concerns with respect to some of the results and could not come to an agreement with the author. The author then requested withdrawal of this paper and asked that it be removed from the database. The author also accused the journal of being unethical. - Case
Enquiry regarding copyright/retractions
…or updated) but that Editors/Publishers are not in agreement as to whether this is appropriate or how this should be approached. Aside from making a judgement on whether the submission is ‘redundant’ to the record, the journal’s main concern is that, if they consider the paper, they should avoid breaching the copyright/publishing agreement made between the other publisher and the… - Event
CSE annual meeting: Editorial policy ethics clinic
…This will be a virtual event Heather Tierney, is speaking on behalf of COPE as a panellist on the editorial policy ethics clinic at the CSE Annual Meeting. The ethics clinic discussion will be around retractions. For more information on retractions read - Case
Can a journal retract a paper against the recommendation of an institutional investigation?
…the institute director, who initiated an institutional investigation. The institutional committee said that they checked all of the original data and found no signs of manipulation. The institution also confirmed that the corrected files were in order. Question for COPE Council The editors believe the paper should be retracted based on the serious issues with the… - Case
Managing an editor’s undisclosed conflict of interest in a published article
…round of peer review with an unbiased handling editor would be appropriate to uphold the integrity of the journal’s review process and to ensure transparency around possible conflicts of interest. This plan was communicated to the authors. The authors responded stating that they were concerned that given the nature of the controversy, and the post-publication debate, that another round of peer review… - Case
Requesting authorship after publication
…(not as an author). Dr H was not satisfied with this solution, continuing to believe that he should be listed as an author. At this point we went back to the corresponding author, who replied that he had discussed the situation further with his co-authors and Dr H, and they thought that even though Dr H does not fulfil the ICMJE criteria, they support his addition as an author because their… Press
…transparency and best practice released 15 September 2022 The fourth edition of the Principles represents a collective effort between the four organisations to align the principles with today’s scholarly publishing landscape. Guidance is provided on the information that should be made available on websites, peer review, access, author fees and publication ethics. The…- Case
An appropriate response to concerns of research validity
A paper describing a novel technique was submitted. Three out of four external reviewers felt that the results could not be true. The manufacturers of the tool used in the technique provided evidence to support the reviewers’ claims that the results were not feasible. The editor wrote to the authors asking them to explain their results. The authors replied saying that they were unable… - Case
The unacceptable use of a placebo
_ Ethics committee approval should be requested, but how far could this be challenged if the authors had it, in which case the local ethics committee in question should be queried. _ It was correct to trial an established treatment against a new treatment, and not just a placebo. But it would be wrong to test a drug against other drugs that had been found to be ineffective. _ The editor… - Case
Transparency of peer review to co-authors
An associate editor of one of our journals has asked whether we can configure our online peer review system to restrict access to reviewer correspondence to corresponding authors. His concern is that some of the review materials (eg, a harsh critique) might be embarrassing for the principal investigator if accessed by a co-author who was a junior investigator or laboratory technician.… - Research
Prevalence and attitudes towards plagiarism in biomedical publishing 2010
…of plagiarism and attitudes towards plagiarism in the scientific community. The prevalence of plagiarism in a biomedical journal will be measured using CrossCheck, eTBLAST, and WCopyFind plagiarism detection software. All papers submitted to the Croatian Medical Journal (CMJ, an international peer-reviewed open-access journal; http://www.cmj.hr) in 2009 and… - 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 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… Expenses policy
…COPE's expenses policy explains when COPE will pay expenses, and what expenses can be claimed. Page contents –– Principles –– Attending external meetings and conferences –– COPE's invited guests –– Allowable expenses - travel,…- Webform
COPE peer review workshop, November 2020
…this workshop, with the same cases, at a time that we hope will be suitable for members in different time zones. The workshop will work through real cases raised by COPE Members to identify issues in peer review and how to handle them. Join us for the workshop where we'll create an online environment for attendees to share ideas, experience, and suggest next steps for each case. The… - Forum discussion topics
Coordinating multi-journal complaints
…is then taken on that article, usually without reference to the broader concerns. As such complaints become more frequent, should editors continue the previous best practice to treat each case individually or in isolation? Taken in the context of just one or two papers, it could be an acceptable resolution to issue an erratum or correction for an error, but how much consideration should be… - News
COPE flowcharts now available in French
The full set of the COPE flowcharts are now available in French. They can be downloaded from the website here.… - Case
Confidentiality and consent in case reports
…the study of the doctor–patient relationship to shed light on the presenting difficulties. In other words, the doctor–patient relationship is one of our key treatment ‘tools’ allowing connections to be made between the body and the mind in relation to the sexual problem. These consultations almost always include intimate and sensitive information. Therefore, it had previously been felt that… - News
Announcement of COPE Council elections
Due to vacancies on Council, we are seeking nominations for three new candidates, as our constitution requires. These are voluntary positions. Council is responsible for COPE’s policy and management. Council members are expected to attend four meetings a year (in London) as well as take part in subcommittees and other COPE related tasks. It may be possible to attend some meetings by… - News
Announcement of COPE Council elections
Due to vacancies on Council, we are seeking nominations for two new candidates, as our constitution requires. These are voluntary positions. Council is responsible for COPE’s policy and management. Council members are expected to attend four meetings a year (in London) as well as take part in subcommittees and other COPE related tasks. It may be possible to attend some meetings by…