- Case
Disclosure and transparency issue
…authorship. The editor thinks that the described contribution goes much beyond copy editing. Question(s) for the COPE Forum• Is “assembling the comments and suggestions from all of the co-authors after the data re-analysis, and assisting in preparing the revised version of the paper for submission” simply copy editing or does it justify authorship?• The editor believes this is… - Case
Publication of a manuscript on an external website after acceptance but prior to journal publication
…redundant publication. We have informed the authors that we have postponed publication until we receive the COPE Forum's recommendation. In the meantime, we have asked the authors to remove the content of the manuscript from the external website. Question(s) for the COPE Forum• Is it acceptable to permanently withhold publication of this otherwise accepted manuscript?… - Case
When to conclude correspondence from reader about errors in a published article
…correspondence directly between Dr A and authors. The editors have therefore decided that the matter should be formally closed in public by publishing the erratum, and that any subsequent discussion should be handled privately between Dr A and the authors. The erratum has not yet been published. Question(s) for the COPE Forum• Have the editors handled the situation reasonably?•… - Case
Consequence for dual submission
…has apologized, admitted his mistake and withdrew the article from journal B. We believe journal B should contact the institution. Question(s) for the COPE Forum• What is the appropriate action in such a case. Should the institution be informed or is banning the author from both journals for a period of time enough?• Who should initiate the action—journal A or journal… - Forum discussion topics
COPE Forum 8 July 2014: ethical review
…burden the researcher to start with? 4. Is this a problem beyond the UK and part of what Greg Koski has defined as the creeping “hyperregulation” of research? Download the PDF for the full discussion… - Case
Licence for a published scale
…actions of the researcher and his enforcement of copyright on the tool. We are currently only publishing articles that have a license permitted by the scale’s developer because we do not want to be sued or have to retract the articles. Question(s) for the COPE Forum • How should we be handling cases where this scale is being used? • Should we be taking any action relating… - Case
Self-plagiarism and suspected salami publishing
…Had the editors of journal A known that the authors had submitted or planned to submit paper B to another journal, they would have rejected paper A. The claim now is that the authors have self-plagiarised the manuscripts, with potential salami publication. Question(s) for the COPE Forum• When self-plagiarism and suspected salami publishing is found in a published article, what… - Forum discussion topics
COPE Forum: 13 November 2017: Self-Citation: where's the line?
…-manipulation https://publicationethics.org/forum-discussion-topic-comments-please-8 This was discussed at the start of the COPE Forum on 13 November 2017. To read the discussion at the COPE Forum and comments on the… - Case
Removal of an author
…Question(s) for the COPE Forum What course of action would the Forum advise? If author C is removed without their permission, could they ask for the article to be retracted? If author C remains on the article but they have been ill and not signed off on the final accepted version, could they ask for retraction of the article because they did not agree to the final article… - Case
Author displays bullying behaviour towards handling editor
…and promising to take action internally. Question(s) for the COPE Forum Did the journal handle the case appropriately? Could something else or something different have been done? How can this type of situation be prevented? … - Case
Allegations related to multiple papers and journals
…referred the concerns to the institution responsible for the research governance of the authors. The institution said they would investigate and respond by a certain date, but their response is slightly overdue. Question(s) for the COPE Forum Should an expression of concern be published while waiting for the outcome from the institution? One of the… - Case
Ethics approval for survey design
…organisation’s needs assessment, evaluation, or quality improvement that would clearly meet exempt from review or ethical approval criteria. Question(s) for the COPE Forum Should the journal allow resubmission of the manuscript or an appeal to the reject decision, under the unique circumstances of the COVID-19 pandemic, which included the IRB triage of the… - Case
Ethics approval and consent
…claims publishing an expression of concern although the potential for resolution of an investigation is small and an expression of concern might seem heavy handed updating the complainant and ‘closing’ the case for now Questions for the Forum ● To what extent should publishers question statements about ethical approval? ● Are there… - Case
Change of corresponding author after manuscript published online
…of the corresponding author. The manuscript was published online (as an "article in press/online first" without a volume or issue number but with a DOI). However, 5 months after the paper was published online, the authors of the manuscript asked the journal to change the corresponding author, but provided no clear explanation. Questions for the Forum - Case
Request for removal from author list for reasons of religious belief
…considered ethically controversial. We have serious concerns that, although they might now feel unable to support the work, removing the author from the author list means that they will no longer be accountable for their contribution to the research. We request the advice of COPE on whether the reasons given by the author for removal from the author list are acceptable. Question for the… - Event
COPE Lightning Talk: AI
30 January 2024, 13:00-14:00 GMT / UTC COPE members only New for 2024 COPE introduces Lightning Talks! We've created these to increase awareness and confidence in specific topics. Each talk will begin with a short introduction from experts, and then open up to discussion and questions from the audience. Join us to learn more, let us know your thoughts… - Forum discussion topics
Editorial conflicts of interest
…absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } .embedtool .fluid-vids {position: initial !important} /*-->*/ COPE Forum discussion To maintain credibility, scholarly publications need to make the utmost effort to be transparent… - Forum discussion topics
Ethical aspects of conference proceedings
…{ position: absolute; top: 0; left: 0; width: 100%; height: 100%; } .embedtool .fluid-vids {position: initial !important} /*-->*/ COPE Forum discussion Many COPE members publish both journals and books, and wonder what are the similarities and… - News
COPE advice to editors on geopolitical intrusions on editorial decisions
…2013 1 August 2013 There has been much discussion recently on government, specifically US government, sanctions against Iran, the potential effect on Iranian researchers and some publishers have cautioned editors and reviewers about handling papers from Iran. A recent BMJ news item… - News
Thank you and farewell to Council Members
…target="_blank">Revista Española de Cardiología, the official journal of the Spanish Society of Cardiology, Spain Jason Hu - joined COPE while at ORCID, China. Now at Taylor &…