COPE statement on external influence on editorial decisions

https://publicationethics.org/news-opinion/cope-statement-external-influence-editorial-decisions

“Some COPE Members have contacted the organisation voicing uncertainty about news of recent governmental actions, such as governmental agencies banning the use of selected words and research topics, as well as letters to some journal editors asking for details about their editorial processes.

“COPE wishes to express its strong support for and solidarity with authors in all disciplines, journal editors, and publishers and stress its unwavering belief that undue influence by any political, corporate or social entity is against the core ethical principles of editorial independence and academic freedom. We call upon all those involved in scholarly publishing to be guided by these principles when taking any action in response to external pressure.”

COPE has previously published our positions relevant to these concerns.

Editorial independence (2025)

• “COPE re-affirms the importance of editorial independence even in the context of the complex realities of contemporary scholarly publishing.”

Banned terms in scholarly publications and restrictions on researchers’ activities (2025)

• “COPE considers that authors and editors are best placed to determine the appropriate language to be used in their respective fields”

Handling censorship (2024)

• “Requests to censor material, or practices that do so, interfere with and restrict the communication and distribution of research, and are in conflict with these principles” (of academic freedom and editorial independence)

Dealing with geopolitical intrusions on editorial decisions (2024)

• “Publication choices should not be swayed by external governmental policies, unless compliance with applicable laws is at stake”.”