editorial decisions

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1. An enquiry about arbitrating reviewers

   11-12 Under certain circumstances, the editors of journal A use ‘arbitrating’ reviewers. These reviewers advise an editor where, for example, an editor has split reviewer reports or a rebuttal to a decision that was based on split ...

2. WAME case

   11-06 This case was posted on the WAME (World Association of Medical Editors) list-serv and the editor (from India) asked whether COPE could provide guidance. ...

3. Possible conflict of interest

   11-04 Our journal is attempting to encourage the adoption of a uniform standard for the reporting of population genetics data. As part of this, one of the editors of our journal has submitted a proposal requiring authors to submit their ...

4. Submissions from members of the editorial board

   10-33 You can listen to the podcast of this case from the menu on the right ...

5. Is it unethical to reject unregistered (or late-registered) trials?

   10-17 We would like other editors’ opinions as to whether adhering to the journal’s policy on trial registration may contribute towards the non-publication of trial results (and thus bias in the literature). ...

6. Author non-disclosure by editor in chief

   10-10 Please note, this case is being submitted by the Publishing Director of the journal based on the advice of a senior COPE member because it relates to the conduct of the editor in chief of the journal. The editor in chief of the ...

7. Anonymous peer review – author requesting manuscript file

   08-17 Two manuscripts were submitted, reviewed as sister manuscripts by the journal, and rejected on the basis of negative reviews. ...

8. Personal remarks within a post-publication literature forum

   08-13 We publish an online service in which faculty members (well reputed clinicians and researchers) select, rate and evaluate influential articles of their choice. Members of the faculty can submit “dissents” to evaluations: dissents ...

9. Developing a procedure to deal with retractions

   08-09 We have recently been alerted to the fact that an article which has been reviewed as part of our service has been retracted. This is the first time this has happened and we are currently developing a guideline on how to deal with ...

10. Ethical dilemma involving religious beliefs

    07-36 The editor and co-editors of a book have a query concerning an ethical dilemma involving possible authors for a book chapter. ...

11. Author trap/fabrication detection

    07-21 This is how I dealt with an author who submitted a fabricated manuscript to my journal. ...

12. Declaration of contributorship

    07-07 An online post-publication literature evaluation service, aiming to highlight the best articles in medicine, received an evaluation of an article whose authors were based at the same institution as the evaluator. The editor asked ...

13. Editorial misconduct

    07-01 An associate editor received a letter claiming harassment (from an author from another country) by the editor. The author submitted a manuscript which was repeatedly sent back for changes in format but not rejected. Eventually, the ...

14. Competing interests question

    06-36 An online post-publication literature evaluation service aiming to highlight the best papers in medicine, received an evaluation of a basic science study funded by an NIHM grant. The evaluator declared in his/her competing ...

15. Ethics approval for audit 3

    06-17 In this case, an international organisation wished to study the use of various regimens for medical termination of pregnancy in a developing world setting where termination of pregnancy is not supported by the state. They have ...

16. Ethics approval for audit 1

    06-15 A group in a developing country decided to do a survey of maternal mortality in relation to the available local facilities in the various regions of their country. They set up a small committee to look at the incidence and causes. ...

17. Request for a retraction of a retraction

    06-14 In October 2000, a journal published a retraction of a February 2000 publication of a research paper. In the same issue the dean of the corresponding author’s medical school reported the findings of an investigational committee ...

18. Editor as author in own journal

    05-22 This journal specialises in one form of treatment. It is the only Medline listed journal that is widely accessed in Europe by people who use this form of treatment. No international journals provide a suitable alternative. In the ...

19. Using annual reviews to massage the impact factor

    04-36 The editor in chief of Journal A is also on the editorial board of Journal B. Journal B publishes “annual reviews” that purport to describe recent advances in the field, but only do this by discussing and citing their own content. ...

20. Massaging the impact factor

    04-35 The editor in chief of a journal started insisting that authors include references from the journal in their articles. S/he provided examples of acceptance letters from several other journals in the field, which insist that their ...

21. Interactive case report of a patient with ongoing health problems

    04-31 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 ...

22. Palestinian refugee conditions

    04-26 A journal received a simple, cross-sectional survey of Palestinian refugees. The author was a Palestinian, employed by a charity and undertaking research based at a university overseas. The study contained new data and within the ...

23. The disgraced author

    03-24 An editorial was commissioned from a distinguished doctor who was subsequently found guilty of research misconduct overseas. There was a lack of consensus in the journal’s country as to whether this judgment was correct. The author ...

24. A highly critical obituary

    03-21 A journal published a highly critical obituary, which provoked uproar and prompted the deceased’s family to complain to the national body responsible for regulating the media. The journal believed that the basis of the criticisms ...

25. A problematic obituary

    03-18 A short obituary for a recently deceased doctor was received. Just before the issue went to print, one of the editors recognised the deceased as having been at the centre of disciplinary proceedings for having had a sexual ...

26. An accusation of racism

    03-15 An article on the community based diagnosis of a common disease was submitted. The journal had never received a paper from this particular country before. The diagnostic test used in the study is known to have a low sensitivity and ...