What COPE does

COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) is a UK-registered charitable company limited by guarantee (Charity No 1123023, Company No 6389120) founded in 1997 and headquartered in Eastleigh, Hampshire. The organization provides leadership, expert guidance, education, and a collaborative community for publication ethics in scholarly research, serving journal editors, publishers, universities, research institutes, corporate organizations, and individuals involved in scholarly publishing.

The organization's core offerings are content-based and community-based rather than technology-based. COPE maintains a content library of 1,017 guidance documents (positions, guidelines, flowcharts, discussion documents) and a searchable database of 834 anonymized publication ethics cases with associated Council and member advice. Member-facing services include the eLearning programme (with a free introductory module for non-members), the COPE Forum for live case review, the COPE Digest newsletter, COPE Focus topic collections, events and webinars such as Publication Integrity Week, and member tools including the COPE Journal Audit checklist, template letters, and personalized member logos.

COPE operates a subscription-based membership model with five tiers (Journal, Publisher, Universities and Research Institutes, Corporate, Individual), each billed annually with reduced fees available for developing countries and applicants facing financial hardship. The organization has no parent company, no outside investors, and no proprietary technology platform; revenue derives entirely from membership subscriptions, and the organization is governed by a volunteer Trustee Board and Council. As of the most recent disclosures, COPE reports 14,500+ members across 97 countries and has launched a strategic plan covering 2025-2028 focused on integrity, education, collaboration, and diversity, equity, inclusivity and accessibility.

Name

COPE

Legal name

Committee on Publication Ethics

Website

https://publicationethics.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1997

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Short description

COPE is a UK-registered charitable membership organization that provides publication ethics guidance, education, and community resources to over 14,500 scholarly journal editors, publishers, universities, and researchers across 97 countries.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Product category

Publication Ethics Services

NAICS

Other Management Consulting Services (541618)

SIC

Services-Membership Organizations (8600)

akta.pro primary industry

Learning Content Bundling & Subscription Passes (All-Access Libraries) (MPACALAL)

akta.pro secondary industry

Course Bundle Subscriptions & Learning Membership Marketplaces (EDAFAIAI)

Keywords

• Publication ethics guidance
• Scholarly publishing standards
• Research integrity support
• Membership organization
• Editorial ethics education

Headquarters

HQ city

Eastleigh, Hampshire

HQ country

United Kingdom

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2B

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Technology or R&D, Marketing or Sales, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership subscription fees: COPE's income is derived mainly from membership subscription fees from its members - journal editors, publishers, universities and research institutes, and organisations and individuals involved in publication ethics. Membership subscription fees depend on the type of membership and COPE considers applications for reduced fees based on criteria supporting applicants from developing countries and those facing financial hardship.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels4 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

COPE is a membership organisation that provides guidance, education, and a collaborative community to support ethical practices in scholarly research and its publication. Its core deliverables include ethics guidance documents (positions, guidelines, flowcharts, discussion documents), a searchable database of anonymised publication ethics cases, an eLearning programme, the COPE Forum for live case review, events and webinars, and member tools such as journal audits and template letters. Revenue is derived mainly from annual membership subscription fees paid by journal editors, publishers, universities and research institutes, corporate organisations, and individuals.

Product overview

COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) is a membership organization providing a comprehensive suite of guidance, education, and community resources for publication ethics. The core offerings include guidance documents (positions, guidelines, flowcharts, discussion documents), a searchable case database of 834 anonymized cases, an eLearning programme, the COPE Forum for live case discussions, events and webinars including Publication Integrity Week, and the COPE Digest newsletter. COPE Focus provides curated topic collections, while member-specific tools include the journal audit checklist, template letters, and personalized logos. Together, these services support editors, publishers, universities, and researchers in maintaining ethical standards in scholarly publishing.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Guidance documents Advice and guidance on best practice for dealing with ethical issues in scholarly publishing, including positions, guidelines, flowcharts, and discussion documents for journal editors, publishers, and universities.
• Case database Searchable database of 834 anonymised publication ethics cases submitted by COPE members, with advice from COPE Council and community feedback.
• eLearning programme Online learning modules covering publication ethics topics including plagiarism, falsification, authorship, conflicts of interest, and reviewer misconduct. Includes free 'An Introduction to Publication Ethics' for non-members with full programme access for members.
• COPE Forum Online forum held throughout the year where COPE members can present publication ethics cases for review and advice from COPE Council and other members.
• Events and webinars Events including Publication Integrity Week, online forums, workshops, and webinars covering publication ethics topics. Features session recordings and transcripts.
• COPE Digest newsletter Monthly newsletter providing updates on new guidance, events, and Forum discussions to keep members informed of publication ethics developments.
• COPE Focus Curated collections of COPE's most important resources organized by topic, including artificial intelligence, paper mills, editorial independence, journal management, conflicts of interest, and post-publication review.
• COPE Journal audit A checklist tool designed to help members identify areas of their journal's policies and procedures that may need revision, ensuring robust documented processes.
• Template letters Template letters to help editors draft communications to authors or reviewers about potential misconduct.
• Topic discussions Online discussion forums where members and the wider community explore publication ethics issues and identify solutions, covering topics like citation integrity, AI use, and conflicts of interest.

Quantifiable outcome

• 28 years of advancing publication ethics globally
• +1 more outcomes

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles4 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Partnerships

Four partnerships are on record, tiered core.

• DOAJ (Directory of Open Access Journals)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOPE collaborates with DOAJ on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, now in its fourth version. This joint initiative establishes standards for best practice in scholarly publishing and is a key resource for journals worldwide.
• OASPA (Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerOASPA co-produced the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing with COPE, DOAJ, and WAME. This collaborative effort provides essential guidance for scholarly publishing ethics.
• WAME (World Association of Medical Editors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerWAME partnered with COPE, DOAJ, and OASPA to develop the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, ensuring comprehensive coverage of editorial best practices across medical and broader scholarly publishing.
• ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)coreStrategic or Co-development PartnerCOPE recommendations align with ICMJE recommendations on clinical trial registration and other publishing ethics standards. ICMJE standards are referenced in COPE guidance on various ethics topics.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves2 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE): ICMJE develops recommendations for medical journal editors on publication ethics and clinical trial registration. COPE explicitly references ICMJE recommendations in its guidance, and the two organizations operate in the same publication ethics space with overlapping member audiences in medical and biomedical publishing.
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ): DOAJ is a community-curated online directory that indexes high-quality, peer-reviewed open access journals. DOAJ is a strategic partner with COPE on the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing, and both organizations serve scholarly publishers with overlapping standards and membership audiences.
• World Association of Medical Editors (WAME): WAME is a global association of medical editors that co-developed the Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing with COPE, DOAJ, and OASPA. WAME serves editors of medical journals worldwide and shares COPE's focus on editorial best practices and publication ethics.
• Council of Science Editors (CSE): CSE is a US-based membership organization that supports editorial professionals in the sciences. Like COPE, CSE provides education, resources, and best practice guidance for editors and publishers, serving a comparable audience with similar services including publications, training, and editorial standards.
• Open Access Scholarly Publishers Association (OASPA): OASPA represents the interests of open access journal publishers globally and co-developed the Principles of Transparency with COPE, DOAJ, and WAME. OASPA's membership base of open access publishers significantly overlaps with COPE's publisher members, making it a directly comparable peer in scholarly publishing standards.

Regional players

• European Association of Science Editors (EASE): EASE is an European-based association of science editors providing training, resources, and editorial standards. While it has global membership, EASE's primary geographic focus is Europe, and it serves a comparable audience to COPE with similar membership-driven services for editors and publishers.

Emerging players

• EQUATOR Network: EQUATOR Network focuses on improving the reliability and value of health research literature through reporting guidelines (e.g., CONSORT, PRISMA). EQUATOR overlaps with COPE's mission of research integrity and serves scholarly publishers and editors seeking guidance on publication quality, though its scope is narrower (reporting guidelines vs. broader ethics).
• International Society of Managing and Technical Editors (ISMTE): ISMTE focuses specifically on managing and technical editors in scholarly publishing. While more niche than COPE, ISMTE serves a partially overlapping audience with shared interests in editorial best practices and publication standards, making it an adjacent comparable in publication ethics education and community.

Broad incumbents

• STM (International Association of Scientific, Technical and Medical Publishers): STM is a major global trade association representing academic and professional publishers. While STM operates across the entire scholarly publishing value chain and not solely on ethics, its publisher members overlap significantly with COPE's publisher tier, making it a broad comparable in the scholarly publishing standards space.
• Society for Scholarly Publishing (SSP): SSP is a broader industry association serving the scholarly publishing community across multiple functions (editing, publishing, librarianship, technology). SSP operates as a wider industry body overlapping with COPE's audience but with a broader scope than publication ethics specifically.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat6 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xtwitter.com/COPEtouch
• YouTubeyoutube.com/channel/UCdGWWd7ToYQJ2ThP6lVLB5w
• Facebookfacebook.com/COPEtouch
• LinkedInlinkedin.com/company/cope-publication-ethics

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles4 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

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M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about COPE