- Webform
COPE integrity workshop 2021
…(BST), 11:00-12:30 Eastern Daylight Time (EDT)--> COPE is delighted to announce an online workshop which looks at the lessons that can be learnt from issues of concern raised to COPE's Facilitation and Integrity subcommittee. At the workshop we will: discuss the framework within which the Facilitation and… - News
COPE Forum agenda and materials: 23 September 2014 meeting
The next COPE Forum meeting is being held on Tuesday 23 September, 3–5pm (British Summer Time). The COPE Forum will be held virtually via webinar. Download the agenda and materials here (PDF, 805kb). The invitation to join the webinar is below. We can accommodate up to 100 attendees, so please register… - Case
Double plagiarism
A researcher has written to us to point out that a paper published in a German journal in 1993 was put together almost verbatim from articles published in the BMJ in 1989 and the New England Journal of Medicine in 1992. About three quarters of the material in the article in the German paper comes from these two journals. It may be that the data are original but it seems unlikely. What should… - Case
Change in author’s name after publication
An original work was published in our journal in September 2010. The article had five authors. Now, in February 2013, the third author is requesting an alteration in his/her name. The original name published was SFHS. The request is to change the name to SFH, both on the journal's website and Medline. No valid reason could be provided by the author for this change in name. The last name… - Case
Image duplication
…and asked for the opportunity to repeat the experiments. The response was again reviewed by the senior editor and discussed at a meeting of the editorial board, which again confirmed the view that there was a problem with one particular image. It was therefore decided not to accede to the request and the author was notified that a retraction for one paper would be issued (earlier it had also… - Case
Supervisor publishes PhD students work
The PhD supervisor and a co-supervisor published a paper. The paper contained the work of a PhD student; approximately 90% of the paper was from the thesis. The PhD student found out when the paper was electronically pre-published. He contacted the supervisor. The supervisor’s first reaction was “How did you find out”? The supervisor did not want to include the PhD student as an author since… - Case
Re-publication of peer reviewed articles as translations
…each journal will be important, as will whether these cover the same dates for articles which have already been published. This should be borne in mind when consulting the Related resources, below. Related resources ICMJE guidance on overlapping… - Event
COPE Forum: 3 February 2017 4pm (GMT)
The COPE will at 8am and 4pm (GMT) will be held by webinar and is open to COPE members. Call for cases Cases can be submitted on our website and must be anonymised. We do like those presenting a case to take part in the Forum: pick which time is suitable for you. The February COPE Forum, where we discuss cases submitted by members, will be held by webinar. - Case
The single author, randomised controlled trial
After a randomised controlled trial from a single author had been published, a letter was received in which the correspondent suggested that the original trial might be fraudulent. Firstly, the writer claimed that it was highly unlikely that just one author could perform a prospective, randomised, double blind, placebo controlled trial, especially in a small district hospital. The… - Case
Interactive case report of a patient with ongoing health problems
The case of a patient with unresolved upper abdominal pain and weight loss was written up and submitted by her family doctor to a journal that publishes interactive case reports. The intention was to present it as an unfolding story in three parts over five weeks. Responses would be invited on the journal’s website from readers to questions about diagnosis and management, and about what to say… - News
Upcoming CrossRef webinars
…4:00 pm (London)Moderator: Rachael LammeyRegistration Introduction to CrossCheck In this webinar you will learn about the innovative plagiarism screening service and… - Case
Increased number of casual submissions
We have experienced a sudden spurt in casual submissions of poor quality articles. We believe this is because authors wish to show that they have submitted articles which are under consideration at reputable journals. While any journal or editor would be happy to see increased numbers of submissions, sadly, most are of very poor quality in all respects. Most are very casually prepared… - News
Letter from the COPE co-Chairs: March 2019
…paper and he dismissed my concerns about my name being on a publication that I had never seen. He told me to be glad that I had been included and that I now had something to add to my curriculum vitae. Being new, inexperienced, uncertain, and overshadowed by his authority, I let this go. At that time, the publication ethics “rules” about what it means to be an author were less clear than today.… - Seminars and webinars
Seminar 2021: Driving diversity, equity, and inclusion to shape the future of publication ethics
…integral to publication ethics. Many journals are now seeking to make improvements in this area and to play a role in overcoming systemic barriers that face scholars from historically marginalised groups. This webinar is intended to give participants an opportunity to learn about tangible actions to improve diversity and inclusion, and to explore how these actions might be implemented. This is one of - Event
5th World Conference on Research Integrity
COPE will be represented at the forthcoming World Conference on Research Integrity. COPE Chair, Ginny Barbour, will be chairing a symposium on behalf of COPE entitled “Publishing and research ethics as wicked problems”. The session will discuss how research and publication ethics issues can be thought of as intertwined wicked problems – that is problems which are "difficult or… - Case
Publication of dead patient’s name at the request of the family
An author requested advice about reporting unusual ocular manifestations of a patient who died from a fatal injury. The author sought the permission of the family to report the case, but they also requested that the patient’s name be added to the report in her memory. The author has proposed to add the following in the acknowledgement section: “The authors are grateful to the family of… - Case
Should we allow pseudonymous authorship?
…should pseudonyms not be appropriate. Questions for Council Can coauthors use a pseudonym on a published paper? If yes, do the given circumstances justify this? If yes, should the pseudonymous authors reveal their real identities to the editor? … - Case
Submissions from members of the editorial board
Our journal has decided that members of the editorial board are allowed to submit manuscripts which will undergo peer-review directed by the present or former editor-in-chief. It can be difficult, and I would like to present one example. A group of authors (including one member of the editorial board) submitted five manuscripts during a period of 17 days. The handling of some… - Case
Lack of patient consent for a case report, patient confidentiality
…consent was not sought from the child’s legal guardians as the child was placed with the social services and lost to follow-up. The authors believe the case report should be published to raises awareness among clinicians about potential symptoms of non-accidental injury in children, even though they cannot provide consent from the child or the child’s guardians to publish. The editorial staff…