COPE :Committee of Publication Ethics
COPE is a non-government organization that provides guidelines and resources on ethical practices in research publications. It advises the editor, and publisher to strengthen the publishing culture. COPE primarily focuses on maintaining the integrity
COPE was founded in 1997. A medical journal group had taken the initiatives to establish COPE in the UK. Its primary focus was to avoid misconduct, and plagiarism in publication. To increase the scope of innovation it is essential to avoid misconduct in publication. Many researchers refer and study the literature. Researchers research work uses the literature to improve and innovate their research. If misconduct was done in publication then it indirectly influences the outcome of research. It limits the scope for innovation in new research.
Purpose or Mission of COPE
Education: it provides the standard of ethical publication through educational material. educational publication must follow ethical standards to improve the quality of education.
Handling misconduct cases:
COPE provides the appropriate and standardized guidelines to handle misconduct cases.
Support: COPE organization supports its members to solve all types of issues regarding publications specifically in research work.
Collaboration: COPE always makes the collaborates to strengthen the publication culture. It focuses on the broader understanding of publication ethics which maintains integrity.
Key functions and services
Guidelines and best practices
COPE provides a broader approach of guidelines to cover all ethical issues such as authorship disputes, plagiarism, etc. The COPE provides the code of conduct for best practices in publication. It gives the standards for editors and publishers to follow and maintain integrity.
Advisory and support
COPE provides advising and consulting to solve specific cases of publication ethics via online resources and direct consultation. COPE provides the flowchart of solving specific cases of publication ethics issues.
Education and training
COPE conducts various workshops and training session in order to train the editors, publishers to make them capable of implementing ethical standards and handle all the ethical issues.
COPE provides educational material that provides the information regarding ethical standards and how to handle ethical issues. It also provides the case studies that gives practical knowledge regarding how to handle the ethical issues.
Maintain Case database
COPE provides the variety of educational modules along with case studies from the case database. It maintains comprehensive database of number of ethical issue related cases which act as best educational material that guide to resolve ethical issues.
Members of COPE can solve their ethical issues with the help of COPE expertise.
Research and Support
COPE deals with the research work to make innovations and development in publication ethics. It makes significant contribution in the knowledge of ethics in publication. Research work in this field addresses many issues and find the appropriate solutions. Research work by COPE determines the innovative and appropriate guidelines to solve ethical issues.
If the Publishers or editors or members of COPE faces any issues which has not solved by COPE in history then it is very essential to make innovations. These innovations can be implemented through the research. Research efforts taken by the COPE provides unique and innovative solutions to the ethical issues of publications. It is imperative necessity for the cope to solve each and every ethical issues of publications to maintain integrity in ethical publications.
Ethical Issues the COPE address and Handle
Plagiarism
Various technical tools provide a platform to evaluate the publications to avoid plagiarism. This is the common issue faced by all the institutes across the globe. Many academic researchers are trying to bypass the ethical practice while writing the thesis of their research work. Sometimes the tools of evaluating plagiarism cannot identify the plagiarism used due to the paraphrase tools used by the researchers. It is becoming the quite difficult to find out such type of the plagiarism material in the research work. It is very essential to make the innovations in the tools of evaluating plagiarism specifically academic research.
Contribution and authorship
COPE provides the framework of standard that direct the authorship and contribution. It determines who qualifies the authorship and contribution. If authors are not following the standards or framework of COPE will be handled by specific way of COPE.
It has also been found that the authorships of the research work may be done by copying efforts of other efforts using the various tools. It is the responsibility of COPE to conduct the research and find out the effective methods to avoid unethical practices that promotes plagiarism and duplicate authorship.
Redundant publication
This types of issues created due to plagiarism or duplication publication. Publishers and editors need to verify the material to ensure it is plagiarism free. It help to maintain the integrity.
Membership and governance
Provides access to become the member to the publishers journals institutions. To become the members publishers journals and instructions are required to adhere the ethical standards in publication culture. It is mandatory to every member to follow the standard set by the cope so that the integrity can be maintained in the publications.
Cope implement its governance by electing the council from the members. This Council is responsible for the providing the strategic direction, policies and ethical standards. It contributes significantly to maintain integrity in ethical publication.
Publication resources
COPE provides the official documents that indicates the ethical practices publishers, editors need to follow. COPE makes the flowcharts that guide the step by step process which help to solve all the ethical issues. Publication resources of cope consist of blue charts that increase the easiness of solving the ethical issues or problems the publishers or editor face.
Records of various issues solved by the code maintained by cope in order to provide these examples to solve the live issues. Every case is or issues solved by code recorded as the case study material and this case study material helps publishers and editors while solving new ethical issues.
Publication resources of consist of e-learning modules which provides a platform to the publishers and editors to be capable of serving political issues. COPE’s E- E-learning modules can act as a training programs or sessions to aware every member to maintain integrity in ethical publication.
Annual reports prepared by COPE helps every member publisher editors to know what activities the COPE implements. His annual reports increase the transparency among the members of the COOE