We are thrilled to announce the election of our Editor-in-Chief, Dr. James Kigera, as a trustee for The Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).
Founded in 1997 in the UK, COPE is a non-profit organization established in response to mounting concerns about the integrity of submissions to medical journals. These concerns included issues such as plagiarism, redundant publication, attempts to pass off fraudulent data, unethical research, and breaches of confidentiality.
COPE's mission is to educate and support editors, publishers, universities, research institutes, and individuals involved in publication ethics, aiming to establish and maintain a publication culture where ethical practices are the norm.
With a global membership exceeding 13,500 organizations across various academic fields, our journal, The Annals of African Surgery, is an integral part of this network.
As part of COPE, members gain access to valuable resources like:
Forum: COPE hosts quarterly forums where members can discuss and seek advice on individual cases in publication ethics, providing a platform for sharing and addressing challenging issues.
Flowcharts: COPE offers a series of step-by-step process flowcharts to guide editors in handling diverse publication ethics issues. With 30 flowcharts available in multiple languages, editors can navigate through a range of typical situations they may encounter.
Cases Database: All of the integrity and ethics cases brought to COPE forums for discussion from 1997 onwards have been entered into a searchable database for members to browse. This database contains over 500 cases along with the advice given by COPE members and information on the outcomes.
eLearning: COPE provides ten eLearning modules designed for editors and publishers, offering insights into publication ethics, including topics such as plagiarism, conflicts of interest, and authorship.
COPE’s Audit Tool: COPE has created a journal audit tool designed to assist editors in ensuring their journals adhere to current best practices in publication ethics.
Sample Letters: COPE offers a series of sample letters to assist editors in communicating with authors or reviewers about potential misconduct, recognizing the challenges of such correspondence.
Webinars: COPE hosts webinars on emerging issues in publishing ethics, providing members with up-to-date information and insights.
The COPE Trustee Board consists of officers (Chair, Chair-elect, Vice-chair, Secretary, and Treasurer), along with the immediate Past Chair, elected members, and co-opted members. These Officers and the Trustee Board members are elected by the Constitutional Members.
In his capacity as an elected trustee, our Editor-in-Chief now holds a position on the current Trustee Board, which consists of 12 trustees. Remarkably, he stands as the only African in the board.
We extend our heartfelt congratulations to our Editor-in-Chief on this significant achievement and eagerly anticipate the positive impact of his contributions to COPE.
For further details on his appointment, click here.