Committee on Publication Ethics

The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) is a nonprofit organization whose mission is to define best practice in the ethics of scholarly publishing and to assist editor, publishers, etc. to achieve this.

Mission

COPE provides advice to editor and publisher on all aspects of publication ethics and, in particular, how to handle cases of research and publication misconduct. It also provides a forum for its members to discuss individual cases (meeting four times a year in the UK and once a year in North America). COPE does not investigate individual cases but encourages editors to ensure that cases are investigated by the appropriate authorities (usually a research institution or employer).

COPE also funds research on publication ethics, publishes a quarterly newsletter and organises annual seminars in the United Kingdom and the United States. Besides, COPE has created an audit tool for members to measure compliance with its Code of Conduct and Best Practice Guidelines.

Selected publications

History

COPE was established in 1997 by a small group of medical journal editors in the United Kingdom. Now it has over 6000 members worldwide, from all academic field. Membership is open to editors of academic journals and others interested in...
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