Query

1. What is the main reason for COPE rejection? (Summary)

COPE did not say that the journal is bad, but they said that:

The journal's website does not have ethics & policies that are clear, detailed, and transparent enough. 

2.  The first and most important improvement: 

Mandatory Policies on the Journal Website (in DETAIL) 

COPE requires the following policies to be on separate dedicated pages (one-paragraph is not enough). 

(A) Authorship Policy (Authorship Criteria & Responsibilities)

It should be clearly stated on the website:

• Who can become an author?

• Responsibilities of the corresponding author

• Gift / Ghost authorship is not allowed

• How will author order be changed? 

(B) Plagiarism Policy (Plagiarism & Similarity Policy)

• Definition of plagiarism 

• Similarity % limit (e.g. <15%)

• Software used (Turnitin / iThenticate)

• What action to take if plagiarism is found? 

(C) Data Fabrication / Falsification Policy (Research Misconduct: Data Fabrication & Falsification)

• Fake data and manipulated figures are not allowed. 

• If editors have suspicions, an investigation process is followed. 

• There is a retraction/correction policy.

(D) Conflict of Interest (Conflict of Interest Policy - COI)

• Authors, reviewers, editors – everyone must disclose  

• Examples of financial/personal conflicts  

• Disclosure statement is mandatory

(E) Complaints & Appeals Policy (VERY IMPORTANT) (Complaints and Appeals Handling Policy)

COPE specifically looks at this matter:

• Where to submit an author complaint?

• How to appeal against an editorial decision?

• Timeline (e.g., 30 days)

• Mention of independent review

(F) Long-term Digital Preservation (Digital Archiving & Preservation Policy)

COPE has specifically mentioned a point. 

It should be written on the website: 

• How will journal papers remain safe in the long term?

• Example:

  • LOCKSS / CLOCKSS

  • Institutional repository

  • National library backup

3. Clear website confusion (VERY IMPORTANT)

COPE has clearly stated: Journal appears to have two websites

What you need to do:

• Keep ONLY ONE official journal website

• If there are two domains:

• Keep one main domain

• Redirect the other domain with a 301 redirect

4. Add COPE & Transparency statement

Add a page on the website: “Publication Ethics & Transparency Statement”

Write on this page:

• The journal follows:

  • • COPE Core Practices

    • Principles of Transparency & Best Practice

• Editors are independent

• Peer review type (double blind / single blind)

• Roles of the editorial board 

5. Update editorial board details

COPE also subtly assesses this.

Ensure:

• Full name

• Affiliation

• Country

• ORCID (optional but recommended)

• Clear role (Editor-in-Chief, Associate Editor) 

6. FINAL CHECKLIST before Re-application

Make sure before applying:

✔ All policies are on separate pages

✔ Policies are detailed (not copied, not 2-3 lines)

✔ Only one single website

✔ Clear navigation menu

✔ Ethics pages easily accessible

✔ No contradictions anywhere 

7. When and how to re-apply?

Only after 12 months. Use the same journal name + mention the reference