- Case
Duplicate publication
_ Both journals should publish a notice of duplication. _ Only the paper with the later acceptance date should be retracted.… - Seminars and webinars
ISMTE webinar 2020: Citation games
…reviewers and editors, and citation rings, citation manipulation undermines research integrity. Can we treat all citations as equal, such as those to articles in predatory journals, retracted or corrected articles, and non-peer reviewed content? Citation games: mocking research (PDF) Related resources - Case
Supervisor publishes PhD students work
The Forum emphasised the fact that if something is published online (especially it it has a DOI number), then it should be considered published. Hence, an editor cannot simply remove a paper from their website. A paper should only be removed from on online site if it has been formally retracted. In this case, the paper should be re-instated on the website, with an expression of concern. The… - Case
Correcting errors versus privileged information
…reviewers on two different versions of a critique submitted by author A, which pointed out these errors. In the email, author A requested that the corrigendum be retracted and that the journal “publish an editorial note that sets the record straight”. The sequence of events was as follows. Author A’s critique was rejected by the handling editor, based in part on negative reviews and in part on the… - Case
Rescind a decision post-acceptance prior to publication
…dataset or research ethics are questionable because of a retraction elsewhere involving the same study, or there has been duplicate or salami publishing. If the authors did not declare that their other article was under investigation this would be a failure to disclose information that ‘would have unduly affected interpretations of the work or recommendations by editors and peer reviewers,’ which is… - Case
Late introduction of an omitted author after online publishing
The Forum agreed that you can change the author list of a paper that is published online, even if it has a DOI number. As the paper has been published online, it cannot be withdrawn as it is already published. It would have to be retracted, which would not be appropriate in this instance. The editor should issue a correction, with the newauthorship line, but he must first make sure that… - Flowcharts
Redundant (duplicate) publication in a published article
…are acceptable but MUST reference the original. Editors may consider publishing a correction (ie, the link to the original article) rather than a retraction/notice of duplicate publication in such cases. Related resources Redundant (duplicate) publication in… - Case
Suspicion of breach of proper peer reviewer behaviour
The Forum suggested that the editor should follow the flowchart on “What to do if you suspect a reviewer has appropriated an author’s idea or data” in such cases. Even if the other journal has published the paper first, the editor can consult the submission dates for confirmation. The first journal would then have to retract the paper on the grounds of plagiarism, if indeed this had been… - Case
Using industry knowledge to evaluate an ethics case
…publisher A can use these insights, are there any limitations on the ways they could be applied? If, for example, publisher A ultimately shares publisher B's concerns but the editors defend the methodology, could publisher A potentially proceed with a correction or retraction? … - Seminars and webinars
COPE webinar: Enhancing partnerships of institutions and journals
…and 'misconduct' in cases of fraudulent behaviours, falsification, manipulation and plagiarism; 'validity' and 'reliability' of research for cases where there are concerns that don't allow validation of conclusions, data or that might warrant corrections, retractions which would typically apply to cases of honest errors, issues of replication or misleading text that needs to be edited. To… - Case
Possible fabricated data: a conspiracy of silence?
…members, but they are not. The committee agreed that the best approach for the editor would be to seek a retraction of the papers from the co-authors on the basis of gift authorship. The advice was to write to the co-authors, ask for the data, and if not provided, ask them to withdraw the papers. In this way, it is not necessary to say that the data are fraudulent, with all its legal implications.… - Case
An attempt to publish data already published elsewhere
…behaviour in the future. Discussions with the editors of the other journal have continued and it has been decided that both of these papers should be retracted, having been improperly submitted. The editor has written to the authors to inform them of the action that has been taken and of the decision to bar them from submitting to the journal for the next three years. The editor has also informed… - Case
Conflicting authorship in a collaboration
An article by Author X was published in Journal A. The refereeing process was conducted along standard rules. Two months after publication, Journal A received a complaint from an independent researcher Y, demanding retraction of the article on the basis that the article was published with an author list representing only a minority of the actual collaboration, with no new experimental data or… - Guidelines
A short guide to ethical editing for new editors
…editorial office COPE guidance COPE Audit, available to COPE members only COPE Core Practices Flowcharts, COPE guidance Retractions, COPE guidelines - Case
Author accused of sexual harassment
…="https://web.archive.org/web/20211105032210/https://retractionwatch.com/2021/08/04/should-journals-retract-when-an-author-is-sent-to-prison-for-a-crime-unrelated-to-their-work/">similar issue on Retraction Watch: Discussions on how to handle this and similar cases touch on the frequent lack of definite evidence or the fact that formal cases may still be open or being appealed. Those accused, whether formally or informally, may… - Flowcharts
Addressing concerns about systematic manipulation of the publication process
…href="https://www.stm-assoc.org/stm-integrity-hub/"> STM Integrity Hub). The management of cases collectively rather than on a case-by-case basis. Transparency in retraction notices related to manipulation of the publication process. Editorial decision making based on all evidence (including circumstantial) relevant to the batch-level concerns, and empowering editors to use judgement on whether primary data or other… - Discussion documents
Guest edited collections best practice
…="https://publicationethics.org/resources/flowcharts/what-do-if-you-suspect-peer-review-manipulation-0">Peer review manipulation suspected during the peer review process COPE flowchart Peer review manipulation suspected after publication COPE flowchart Retraction guidelines COPE guidelines… - Case
Sloppiness or deception?
_ The authors should have come back to the editorial team about the problem. _ Such a change warranted at least an erratum in the journal and the editor should go back to the authors and ask for an explanation. _ The editor felt that the authors should publicly apologise for their actions but felt that these probably did not constitute a serious enough breach to retract the paper. _ The editor… - Case
Author impersonating corresponding author without knowledge of coauthors
…COPE Forum• If the article is scientifically sound, and therefore does not warrant retraction to protect the accuracy of the scientific record, what action should the editor take to address the claims made by author B regarding author A’s actions?… - Case
Allegations related to multiple papers and journals
…whether there are unlikely patterns in the data. Communication with other editors might be fruitful where there are duplications among different papers in different journals across publications. Otherwise, the editor should try to respect confidentiality. The editor should look at their own journal independently of other journals. It is not appropriate to correct or retract a paper just because…