AOSIS is proud to become a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), confirming its commitment to the highest standards of publication ethics.

Being a member of COPE signifies that all our journals uphold the highest ethical standards and that we follow COPE’s Code of Conduct and will take appropriate action in cases of possible misconduct.

About COPE
COPE promotes publishing ethics and transparent business practices around the world through a set of stringent criteria that all members must subscribe to. These criteria include having a peer review process, a governing body and a specialised editorial team, as well as being transparent about author fees, revenue sources, and journal ownership. This helps authors and reviewers to judge the legitimacy of the journals they work with.

Because AOSIS is now a member of COPE, all editors of our published journals have access to the following benefits:

• Bringing cases to the quarterly COPE Forum for advice (in person/by telephone/by webinar) or to the monthly eForum; minutes (including advice and follow-up information on all cases discussed) available via the website.
• A mechanism to obtain confidential advice on sensitive ethical issues between Forum meetings, from the COPE Council.
• Free attendance at annual seminars in the UK and worldwide (e.g. in the USA and Australia).
• Online distance learning course on publication ethics.
• The publication ethics audit tool.
• The members’ area of the website.
• Able to apply for COPE research grants.
• Able to stand for election to COPE Council.
• We encourage the public to access the resources on COPE’s website, which is available to both members and non-members, relating to COPE’s Code of Conduct, Guidelines, useful sample letters and flowcharts. You can peruse this here.

Find more information about COPE here.