COPE brings together all those involved in scholarly research and its publication to strengthen the network of support, education and debate in publication ethics
COPE Officers statement on identifying fake journals clarifies that authors and institutions should treat lists of predatory journals with the same degree of scrutiny as they do with the journals themselves.
Our core practices
Core practices are the policies and practices journals and publishers need, to reach the highest standards in publication ethics. We include cases with advice, guidance for day-to-day practice, education modules and events on topical issues, to support journals and publishers fulfil their policies.
Share your experience of the publication ethics issues you come across in your job, and the guidance and advice you need to tackle them. Your feedback is important and will help us to further develop and expand on the service COPE provides to members.
Identify potential fraudulent activity and use the flowcharts when handling suspected manipulation.
Two new cases discussed at the March COPE Forum are now available to read, with the advice given by other COPE Members: a request for a retraction from a pharmaceutical company, and multiple complainants for a single article that may be personal.
Publishers Learning & Community Exchange (PLACE) is a new collaborative space for publishers with limited resources, whether that is time, money or experience. An online forum where publishers can access information from multiple organisations in one place.
Guidance & discussion
New guidance with practical steps for editors and publishers dealing with paper mills, empowering decision-making at batch level and supporting timely investigations.
What does the development of AI tools, such as ChatGPT, mean for publication ethics and authorship?
Editors share their experience of a chatbot being included in an author list, and how they view the challenges of AI for journal editors.
Some of the key themes and questions around using artificial intelligence in writing are starting to emerge in the flurry of news, and we offer a brief overview of current discussions.