The Role of COPE in Research and Publication Ethics
COPE was established as a registered charity in the United Kingdom in October 2007, after a decade of growth from an informal gathering of concerned editors in 1997. It is funded…
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Publishing Research
Increase your knowledge of the publication cycle and handling of journal rejection
Retraction Watch: Reports on Retractions of Scientific Papers
Retraction: A Sanction of Last Resort
When an academic journal formally retracts an article, it is considered one of the most serious acts that can be taken against an author or…
Why Would Anyone Want to Be a Peer Reviewer?
Contributing to the Academic Community
Advocates argue that the contribution made by the peer review process to academic publishing is chronically undervalued.
Leveraging the…
How Rare is Scientific Misconduct?
Assessing how rare scientific misconduct might be within the broader scientific research community would be virtually impossible. A scientific misconduct cannot be identified until…
Organic Change in Academic Research
Consistency is the Mantra!
The Scientific Method is built upon the assumption that no matter how far outside the box an observation may seem, the assessment can always be…
Scientific Misconduct: Why Do Researchers Cheat?
How Do Scientists Cheat?
Academic fraud can be broken down into three categories:
Plagiarism – the use of a colleague’s work without clear attribution and citation.…
Should Peer Review Be Transparent?
The anonymity of the peer review process has always been regarded as a key tenet of the quality and integrity of academic publishing. The freedom to comment openly and without fear…
The Consequences of Flawed Research
Flawed research, as opposed to deliberately fraudulent research, can be looked at from several angles:
The original identification of the topic can be based on a poor…
Facing Journal Rejection: What to Do When You Don’t Succeed at First
As a new researcher, eager to build a track record and climb the academic rank ladder, receiving a rejection notice from an academic journal can be devastating.
You look back on…
When Science Gets Misused
Only a Representative Sample
Students of research methodology and statistical analysis are very familiar with the importance of working with a study sample that can claim to be…
What is the Best Way to Rank Academic Journals?
All Ranking is Relative
If we are to discuss a better way to rank academic journals, we must first address who will be benefiting from that ranking system. As the industry stands…
The Future of Peer Review
The process of peer review in academic publishing is relatively straightforward. When a journal editor likes the look of a submitted article or research paper, it is sent out for…