COPE Guidelines

JARH adheres to and applies the guidelines and policies of COPE to maintain the quality of research and its process. 

 

Principles of Transparency

Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing

Journal content

1. Name of journal

The journal’s name should:

• Be unique and not be one that is easily confused with another journal.
• Not mislead potential authors and readers about the journal's origin, scope, or association with other journals and organizations.

2. Website

• Websites should be properly supported and maintained, with particular attention given to security aspects that help protect users from viruses and malware. As a minimum, websites should use https and not http, and all traffic should be redirected through https.
• Those responsible for the website should apply web standards and best ethical practices to the website's content, presentation, and application.
• The website should not contain information that might mislead readers or authors.
• The website should not copy another journal/publisher’s site, design, or logo.
• If any text is copied from another website, an acknowledgment of the source website should be declared.

In addition to the requirements outlined below, the following items should be displayed:

• Aims and scope.
• The target readership of the journal.
• The types of manuscripts the journal will consider for publication (for example, multiple or redundant publication is not allowed).
• Authorship criteria.
• ISSNs (separate for print and electronic versions).

3. Publishing schedule

A journal’s publishing frequency should be clearly described, and the journal must keep to its publishing schedule unless there are exceptional circumstances.

4. Archiving

A journal's plan for electronic backup and long-term digital preservation of the journal content, if the journal and/or publisher stops operating, should be indicated. Examples include PMC and those listed in the Keepers Registry.

5. Copyright

• The copyright terms for published content should be clearly stated on the website and in the content.
• The copyright terms should be separate and distinct from the copyright of the website.
• The copyright holder should be named on the full text of all published articles (HTML and PDF).
• If the copyright terms are described in a separate form, this should be easy to find on the website and available to all.

6. Licensing

• Licensing information should be clearly described on the website.
• Licensing terms should be indicated in the full text of all published articles (HTML and PDF).
• Content designated as Open Access must use an open license.
• Licensing policies about the posting of author manuscripts and published articles in third-party repositories should be clearly stated.

If Creative Commons licenses are used, then the terms of that license should also link to the correct license on the Creative Commons website.

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Journal practices

7. Publication ethics and related editorial policies 

A journal should have policies on publication ethics (for example, COPE's Core Practice guidance).

These should be visible on its website, and should refer to:

• Journal’s policies on authorship and contributorship.
• How the journal will handle complaints and appeals.
• How the journal will handle allegations of research misconduct.
• Journal’s policies on conflicts of interest.
• Journal’s policies on data sharing and reproducibility.
• Journal's policy on ethical oversight.
• Journal's policy on intellectual property.
• Journal's options for post-publication discussions.
• Journal’s policies on corrections and retractions.

Editors and publishers are responsible for ensuring the integrity of the scholarly literature in their journals and should ensure they outline their policies and procedures for handling such issues when they arise. These issues include plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification/fabrication, among others. Neither the journal’s policies nor the statements of its editors should encourage such misconduct, or knowingly allow such misconduct to take place. If a journal's editors or publisher are made aware of any allegation of research misconduct relating to a submitted or published article in their journal, the editor or publisher should follow COPE's guidance (or equivalent) in dealing with allegations.

8. Peer review

Peer review is defined as obtaining advice on manuscripts from reviewers/experts in the manuscript’s subject area. Those individuals should not be part of the journal's editorial team. However, the specific elements of peer review may differ by journal and discipline, so the following should be clearly stated on the website:

• Whether or not the content is peer-reviewed.
• Who conducts the peer review, for example, external experts or editorial board members?
• The type of peer review process(es) used
• Any policies related to the peer review procedures, for example:
• Use of author-recommended reviewers.
• Any masking of identities, and if so who is masked and to whom.
• Whether or not supplementary material is subjected to peer review.
• Whether or not reviews are posted with articles.
• Whether or not reviews are signed or anonymous.
• How a decision about a manuscript is ultimately made and who is involved.
• Any exceptions to the peer review process, such as specific article types that do not undergo peer review.

If an article's peer review is an exception to the usual policy, the article should state what review it received.

Journals should not guarantee acceptance of initial manuscript submissions. Statements of peer review times should be supported by published timeframes on accepted papers. In the event of delays, authors should be informed of the reason for the delay and allowed to withdraw their manuscript if they wish.

The date of publication should be published with all published research. Dates of submission and acceptance are preferred as well.

9. Access

If any of the online content is not freely accessible to everyone, the method of gaining access (for example, registration, subscription, or pay-per-view fees) should be clearly described. If offline versions (for example, print) are available, this should be clearly described along with any associated charges.

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Organization

10. Ownership and management

• Information about the ownership and management of a journal should be indicated on the journal's website.
• Organizational names should not be used in a way that could mislead potential authors and editors about the nature of the journal's owner.
• If a journal is affiliated with a society, institution, or sponsor, links to their website(s) should be provided where available.

11. Advisory Body

Journals should have editorial boards or other advisory bodies whose members are recognized experts in the subject areas stated in the journal's aims and scope.

• The full names and affiliations of the members should be provided on the journal's website.
• The list should be up to date, and members must agree to serve.
• To avoid being associated with predatory or deceptive journals, journals should periodically review their board to ensure it is still relevant and appropriate.

12. Editorial team/contact information

Journals should provide the full names and affiliations of their editors as well as contact information for the editorial office, including a full mailing address, on the journal’s website.

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Business practices

13. Author fees

• If author fees are charged (such as article processing charges, page charges, editorial processing charges, language editing fees, color charges, submission fees, membership fees, or other supplementary charges), then the fees should be clearly stated on the website.
• If there are no such fees, this should be clearly stated.
• Author fee information should be easy to find and presented as early in the submission process as possible.
• If the journal is likely to implement author charges in the future, this should be stated.
• If waivers are available for author fees, this information should be stated clearly.
• Waiver information should include:
• Who is eligible for a waiver?
• Which author(s) of the group must be eligible for the waiver to apply?
• When and how to apply for a waiver.
• Author fees or waiver status should not influence editorial decision-making, and this should be clearly stated.

14. Other revenue

Business models or revenue sources should be clearly stated on the journal's website.

Examples include author fees (see section 13), subscriptions, sponsorships and subsidies, advertising (see section 15), reprints, supplements, or special issues.

Business models or revenue sources (for example, reprint income, supplements, special issues, and sponsorships) should not influence editorial decision-making.

15. Advertising

Journals should state whether they accept advertising. If they do, they should state their advertising policy, including:

• Which types of advertisements will be considered?
• Who makes decisions regarding accepting advertisements?
• Whether they are linked to content or reader behavior or are displayed at random.

Advertisements should not be related in any way to editorial decision-making and should be kept separate from the published content.

16. Direct marketing

Any direct marketing activities, including solicitation of manuscripts, that are conducted on behalf of the journal should be appropriate, well-targeted, and unobtrusive. Information provided about the publisher or journal should be truthful and not misleading for readers or authors.

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Core practices

The Core Practices were developed in 2017, replacing the Code of Conduct. They apply to all involved in publishing scholarly literature: editors and their journals, publishers, and institutions. The Core Practices should be considered alongside specific national and international codes of conduct for research and are not intended to replace these.

Journals and publishers should have robust and well-described, publicly documented practices in all of the following areas for their journals:

Allegations of misconduct

Journals should have a clearly described process for handling allegations, however, they are brought to the journal's or publisher’s attention. Journals must take seriously allegations of misconduct pre-publication and post-publication. Policies should include how to handle allegations from whistleblowers.

Latest resources

• The suspicion(Case)
• Handling a case of misconduct(Resource)
• Introduction to publication ethics and the COPE ethics toolkit(Resource)

Authorship and contributorship

Clear policies (that allow for transparency around who contributed to the work and in what capacity) should be in place for requirements for authorship and contributorship as well as processes for managing potential disputes

Latest resources

• Request for removal from author list for reasons of religious belief(Case)
• Claiming institutional affiliations(Resource)
• Post-publication corrections(Resource)

Complaints and appeals

Journals should have a clearly described process for handling complaints against the journal, its staff, editorial board, or publisher

Latest resources

• Potential image integrity flags on 15-year-old published papers(Case)
• Post-publication corrections(Resource)
• Introduction to publication ethics and the COPE ethics toolkit(Resource)

Conflicts of interest / Competing interests

There must be clear definitions of conflicts of interest and processes for handling conflicts of interest of authors, reviewers, editors, journals, and publishers, whether identified before or after publication

Latest resources

• Introduction to publication ethics and the COPE ethics toolkit(Resource)
• Handling undisclosed peer reviewer conflict(Case)
• Complaint over protocol used in special issue(Case)

Data and reproducibility

Journals should include policies on data availability and encourage the use of reporting guidelines and registration of clinical trials and other study designs according to standard practice in their discipline

Latest resources

• Potential image integrity flags on 15-year-old published papers(Case)
• Image manipulation(Resource)
• Author retracts request to be removed from author list(Case)

Ethical oversight

Ethical oversight should include, but is not limited to, policies on consent to publication, publication on vulnerable populations, ethical conduct of research using animals, ethical conduct of research using human subjects, handling confidential data, and ethical business/marketing practices

Latest resources

• The suspicion(Case)
• Inclusive language: policing or progressive?(Resource)
• Caste and publishing: an ethics gap?(Resource)

Intellectual property

All policies on intellectual property, including copyright and publishing licenses, should be clearly described. In addition, any costs associated with publishing should be obvious to authors and readers. Policies should be clear on what counts as prepublication that will preclude consideration. What constitutes plagiarism and redundant/overlapping publication should be specified

Latest resources

• Plagiarism by a possible predatory journal(Case)
• Legal and regulatory restrictions of published data: dealing with concerns(Resource)
• Legal and regulatory restrictions of unpublished data: dealing with concerns(Resource)

Journal management

A well-described and implemented infrastructure is essential, including the business model, policies, processes, and software for the efficient running of an editorially independent journal, as well as the efficient management and training of editorial boards and editorial and publishing staff

Latest resources

• Plagiarism by a possible predatory journal(Case)
• Claiming institutional affiliations(Resource)
• Image manipulation(Resource)

Peer review processes

All peer review processes must be transparently described and well managed. Journals should provide training for editors and reviewers and have policies on diverse aspects of peer review, especially concerning adoption of appropriate models of review and processes for handling conflicts of interest, appeals, and disputes that may arise in peer review

Latest resources

• Where next in peer review? Part 2: COPE commentary(News)
• Where next in peer review? Part 1: COPE commentary(News)
• Publication ethics, research integrity, and climbing mountains(Resource)

Post-publication discussions and corrections

Journals must allow debate post publication either on their site, through letters to the editor, or on an external moderated site, such as PubPeer. They must have mechanisms for correcting, revising, or retracting articles after publication

Latest resources

• Plagiarism by a possible predatory journal(Case)
• Potential image integrity flags on 15-year-old published papers(Case)
• Post-publication critiques(Resource)