In 2022, Ohio State became a member (U&RI0006) of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This membership demonstrates the university’s commitment to adhering to COPE guidelines for the highest standards of publication ethics.
The university was first a member of a pilot program in 2018 to determine the feasibility of COPE’s institutional membership program and has now joined a select group of universities and research institutes as the first institutional cohort. COPE is committed to educating and supporting editors, publishers and those involved in publication ethics with the aim of moving the culture of publishing towards one where ethical practices become a normal part of the publishing culture. Their approach is firmly in the direction of influencing through education, resources and support of their members, alongside the fostering of professional debate in the wider community. Institutional membership in COPE is a critical way to improve collaboration between institutions and journal/publishers to more efficiently both manage ethical concerns in publication and research misconduct issues.