- Case
Alleged unauthorized use of data and possible dual publication
…the authors were stating, all data seemed to be in the public domain, but advised him to put his concerns into his review or contact the authors directly, if the reviewer preferred. By the time the reviewer received this reply he had already submitted his review and informed the journal that he also sent his full review to the senior author. The reviewer also pointed out in an email to the… - Forum discussion topics
Predatory publishing: next steps and where do we go from here?
…people who work with systematic reviews in medicine. How should articles from predatory journals that are included in systematic reviews published in legitimate journals be handled? These papers might be affecting the final conclusions. Is COPE considering a flowchart on predatory publishing, and if so, would predatory conferences, videos, and other derivatives be included? IAP ( - News
Standards in Authorship webinar summary
…sciences on the topic of authorship. In the humanities, it is considered unethical if a supervisor is listed as an author on a student’s paper, a view at odds with that held in the sciences. As a result, the publication ethics issues in the humanities… - News
In the news: December 2020
…Africa and AfricArXiv team members to engage in COAR discussions and issues related to repositories and open science, and enhance COAR’s understanding of the issues and challenges in the African context." A brief non-random survey of ecologists regarding the question of whether the original authors who shared their data (and code, if relevant) should be included as co-authors if others use that… - News
In the news: September 2021
…value of research it is critical to understand the contexts in which the knowledge is needed, produced and used. The need to publish in "top journals" to achieve academic success undermines the need to do research that benefits the local community if it is unlikely to be published in a high impact journal. Efforts to judge research based on scientific rigor and relevance to local knowledge needs have… - News
Peer review resources
…COPE discussion documents introduce issues and aim to stimulate discussion about a topic. They are often about complex issues and COPE welcomes comments which add to the ongoing debate. COPE discussion documents should not be considered formal COPE policy. Discussion documents may be revised but remain a discussion document as the issues develop and if further comment from the community is sought, or… - News
Guest editorial: Data availability statements
…accurate: an EIC can (and arguably should) retract a paper if an author has pledged to make data available, but then does not do so upon request. Such a discrepancy between a statement made in a paper and reality may, in some cases, constitute falsification (as defined by The Office of Research Integrity). The request for data was denied by… - Case
Concern about reporting of a trial and also its DSMB
…feel actually that the paper will be the death knell for this treatment. We therefore rejected the paper but offered to see a revised version if it was written more in line with our concerns. The authors revised and the paper was re-reviewed. The paper was felt to be more balanced, but not yet completely satisfactory (ie, there was still too much emphasis on the positive result in one… - Case
Misattributed authorship and unauthorized use of data
…reached a consensus regarding authorship, we intend to correct the record and remove author B and author C from the author’s list. The director was asked if he could provide some other proof of his allegations besides the forwarded email correspondence between himself and author A. He did not provide any other proof and demanded that the article be removed at once and that author A's institution… - Forum discussion topics
Peer review models
…What is the biggest challenge facing peer review at present? How do we address this challenge? What should the role of ChatGPT/Large Language Models (LLMs) be in the peer review process (if any)? What might peer review look like in 3 years? What will be the biggest threat to peer review in 3 years’ time? Back to top Comments from the… - News
Announcement of COPE Council elections
…attendance at meetings. In accordance with COPE’s constitution, the candidate, or the organisation they represent, must have been a member of COPE for at least 1 year.Ordinary Council Members shall be elected by the Full and Associate Members with voting rights or (if the candidates are unopposed) by the approval of the Council. We are particularly seeking applications from journal… - News
Announcement of COPE Council elections
…meetings. In accordance with COPE’s constitution, the candidate, or the organisation they represent, must have been a member of COPE for at least 1 year. Candidates for Council membership will be short-listed by council following an interview. Short-listed Ordinary Council Members shall be elected by the Full and Associate Members with voting rights or (if the candidates are unopposed) by the… - News
Allegations of misconduct focus
…we provide a range of resources from which journal editors and publishers could develop their own guidance. These resources include flowcharts (e.g. on how to handle suspected ethical problems and responding to - News
COPE at COMPARE Life Sciences Workshop on Authorship, UK
…“Communication let me down…” Well it may do (to borrow a lyric from ‘Communication’ by Spandau Ballet), but it doesn’t have to, if communication channels are kept open. That was the take home message following a stimulating afternoon tackling some big questions around authorship with early career researchers of the joint COMPARE (Centre of Membrane Proteins and Receptors)… - News
Research Data: Institutions are key to management and post-publication concerns
…contact. Proper data management is particularly important if the credibility of research results are questioned and journal editors become involved in correcting the research record. Although it may be unknown to researchers, and maybe to some editors, most U.S. institutions have research data policies that describe the rights and responsibilities of the university, faculty, staff and students… - News
Editing, reviewing and writing during COVID-19
…Forum if you have a particular publication ethics case that has come about recently, whether created by the current situation or not. Support and guidance How swamped preprint servers are blocking bad coronavirus research Nature: repositories screening more closely May 2020 COPE, like… - News
Tackling the problem of paper mills
…embark on a joint project which will first seek to understand the scale of the problem of paper mills, and outline the key issues, challenges and solutions Based on the results of this research, a plan will be produced and executed on how to tackle paper mills at source. If you would like to tell us about your personal or professional experience of the problem, or that of your organisation, please - News
In the news: March & April 2022
…factors authors consider when choosing where to submit their manuscripts? Diversity, equity, inclusion If sustainable development works towards a just and ethical society, how does it deal with the - News
Letter from the COPE Chair: September 2022
…href="https://publicationethics.org/events/cope-webinar-managing-paper-mills">last chance to register if you haven’t already. During Peer Review Week there is a full schedule of webinars, videos, podcasts and blogs that you can take part in. Several members of COPE Council members have been invited to speak at various events: Jigisha Patel is on the panel of CSE’s webinar “Research integrity in publishing” Deborah Poff is part of the Aries… - Case
Retrospective correction: how far back do we go?
…report was inaccurate and the conclusions could not be relied on. Is it worth doing anything about this now? The main conclusion is that the journal’s standards about what is acceptable in publications and in errors in publications have markedly changed over the past nine years. But should the journal now acknowledge errors made long ago, and if so how long ago?…