Endorsement policy
…This policy describes the different types of endorsements COPE may agree to support, what COPE will not endorse, and how to make a request for endorsement. COPE is from time to time asked to endorse or support documents, policies or events produced by external organisations. This may include adding the COPE name or logo to a document or website,…- Case
Anonymous peer review – author requesting manuscript file
…confidentiality and may expose the reviewers to hostile action on the part of the author. However, we do think that authors may have a right to see their file—we are willing to allow them to do so, as long as all names and identifying details have been removed from reports and correspondence. However, we have not encountered this request before. We ask the Forum whether… - Case
Publication of private data
…Exercise (RAE) reports that are available to the public for past research, this may not be the case for all research grants (ie, industry grants or private donations). Is research grant income classified as private data (in which case, consent is needed) or it is public data and the cover letter to the study means that returning completed questionnaires implies consent?… - Case
Late addition of new author to article
…the article in question. The editor should then contact the original author for a full explanation of the circumstances and contributions of the "new" author. At the same time, the editor should contact the "new" author and ask for their perspective on the issue. Depending on the responses, the journal could either allow the addition, continue with the investigation (which may include asking the… - Flowcharts
How to recognise potential manipulation of the peer review process
…="https://publicationethics.org/sites/default/files/recognising-peer-review-manipulation-cope-infographic.pdf" target="_blank">How to recognise potential manipulation of the peer review process PDF 316 KB Key points Peer reviewers may be suggested by: the Editor handling the manuscript;… - Forum discussion topics
Claiming institutional affiliations
…rarely provide guidance or standards on the definition of “deserving” affiliations or the number of affiliations per author on a publication. Multiple undeserved affiliations may be considered as research malpractice and may affect different stakeholders and the integrity of the published record. During this Forum we will engage in a discussion on “institutional authorship” – the definition of… - News
Dates of future COPE meetings
2011 Monday 7 March 2011 (deadline for cases 21 February) Monday 6 June 2011 (deadline for cases 23 May) Tuesday 6 September 2011 (deadline for cases 23 August) Tuesday 6 December 2011 (deadline for cases 22 November) All Forum meetings are 3–5pm, in the Council Chamber, Royal College of Paediatrics and Child Health, 5-11 Theobalds Road,… - Event
Symposium on Challenges in Research Integrity
Health Ethics, Law and Policy Group (HELP) invite you to attend the symposium on Challenges in Research Integrity To be held on Thursday, 8 May 2014, 1.00pm – 4.30pm Lecture Theatre 1.01, Level 1, Health Sciences Lecture Theatre Complex, Flinders University Bedford Park Campus (see map at - News
Appointment of COPE Ombudsman
…if two or more members cannot agree on how to handle a complaint involving both their publications. Although it is impossible to predict future workload, we are happy to note that COPE has only required the Ombudsman to consider 2 cases over the last 6 years (although one case was very protracted). (Earlier reports from the retiring Ombudsman may be viewed - Case
Duplicate submission and authorship dispute
…journal, there were 10 authors. During the review process, two authors were removed from the article at their request. This happened in May, between manuscript resubmission. These two authors then submitted the case report to journal Y, with a new set of co-authors. We have confirmed with the Editor-in-Chief (EiC) of journal Y that they received their initial submission in May. As noted,… - Case
Stolen article
…inadvertently leaked by an unnamed medical company they work with. We told the authors of article A that in future they must declare the role of any company in their research and consider if this may be a conflict of interests. They said their article was previously submitted 4 years ago to another publisher of journal C, who rejected it. We confirmed this with the publisher, who added that their… - Case
Ukrainian authors request retraction of article in Russian conference proceedings
…conference may bring dismissal from their posts, and also potentially imprisonment. The publisher's first step was to request written permission from all the authors. Questions for the Forum What actions should the publisher take in this case? Should the publisher delete the article completely so that no longer appears on the platform? How should the… Rights and permissions policy
…and redistribute the material in any medium or format, as long as you comply with the following licensing terms: Attribution — You must attribute the work in the manner specified by the author or licensor (but not in any way that suggests that they endorse you or your use of the work). Non-commercial — You may not…- Case
Ethical dilemma involving religious beliefs
The editor and co-editors of a book have a query concerning an ethical dilemma involving possible authors for a book chapter. The book concerns certain diseases in pregnancy and the authors have been approached to contribute a chapter. Both authors are apparently deeply religious and have expressed a strong concern about contributing to a book in which views may be expressed that are… - Case
Possible breach of reviewer confidentiality
…reviewers and knew that the person who asked the question was not one of the reviewers. The authors are concerned that one of the reviewers may be a colleague or collaborator with the person who asked the question. After receiving the author’s letter, I emailed the two reviewers to inform them of our concern about confidentiality and to ask if they shared the manuscript or its contents and, if so,… - Event
COPE Forum: Wednesday 9 June 2021
…publishers in dealing with complaints from whistleblowers", will be followed by discussion and advice among attendees on members' cases submitted in advance. … - Case
Grounds for retraction?
The co-author of a paper has contacted us about a paper he published 5 years ago together with a researcher who has now been convicted of serious professional misconduct by the GMC for research misconduct. The co-author is worried that the paper he co-authored may also be fraudulent. The research was in two parts. The first was analysed by a doctor not convicted of research… - Case
Attempted plagiarism of a published report
_ This is a serious case which warrants persistence. _ The editor should go ahead and contact the head of the authors’ institution but needed to notify the author of that. _ The editor should wait to hear back from the institution before contemplating further action. _ If the institution’s response were inadequate, publishing details of the episode in the journal may be appropriate. _ The… - Research
Characterisation of trials published in medical journals to determine whether there are specific characteristics of trials that are designed primarily for the purpose of marketing and, if identified, what the prevalence and distribution of such trials is
…investigate their prevalence and assess where published. All trials are marketing exercises to a degree; our purpose is to characterise features of trials that are primarily driven by marketing, rather than addressing a genuine clinical need. Such trials may thus threaten the integrity of the medical literature and require readers to be very cautious of the findings. Of course, some trials are both… - News
COPE awards research grant to the EQUATOR group
…indication of the degree to which reporting guidelines are currently formally used in the peer review process. The study also hopes to identify examples of good practice which may inform recommendations for consideration by other journals. If simple processes which journals have found to be helpful can be identified, more journals may consider using them which may help to improve the quality of submissions…