Publishers should:
• Define the relationship between publisher, editor and other parties in a contract
• Respect privacy (for example, for research participants, for authors, for peer reviewers)
• Protect intellectual property and copyright
• Foster editorial independence
Publishers should work with journal editors to:
• Set journal policies appropriately and aim to meet those policies, particularly with respect to:
– Editorial independence
– Research ethics, including confidentiality, consent, and the special requirements for human and animal research
– Authorship
– Transparency and integrity (for example, conflicts of interest, research funding, reporting standards
– Peer review and the role of the editorial team beyond that of the journal editor
– Appeals and complaints
• Communicate journal policies (for example, to authors, readers, peer reviewers)
• Review journal policies periodically, particularly with respect to new recommendations from the COPE
• Code of Conduct for Editors and the COPE Best Practice Guidelines
• Maintain the integrity of the academic record
• Assist the parties (for example, institutions, grant funders, governing bodies) responsible for the investigation of suspected research and publication misconduct and, where possible, facilitate in the resolution of these cases
• Publish corrections, clarifications, and retractions
• Publish content on a timely basis