RSYN board members follow the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). This page applies them to board work.
Confidentiality
- Treat every manuscript, review and decision as confidential.
- Do not use unpublished data or ideas from a manuscript in your own work.
- Do not contact authors directly about a manuscript under review.
- Do not upload manuscripts or reviewer reports to public AI chatbots, translation services or similar tools. If you used a tool for language editing of your own report, say so to the editor.
Conflict of interest
Decline an assignment and tell the editor if the manuscript is by someone who is or was:
- a co-author or collaborator in the last 3 years
- a student, supervisor or colleague at your own institution
- a family member or close friend, or a competitor or personal opponent
- in a situation where you have a financial interest in the outcome
If you are not sure, ask the secretariat.
Fair review
- Judge the work on its scientific merit. Do not let the authors' nationality, gender, institution or career stage influence you.
- Give specific, courteous and constructive comments. Avoid personal remarks.
- Support criticism with evidence or references.
Misconduct
Report to the secretariat any suspicion of plagiarism, fabricated or manipulated data or images, duplicate submission, citation manipulation, fake reviewers or authorship disputes. Do not investigate on your own or accuse the authors. RSYN will follow its process.
Your own conduct
- Do not promise acceptance or ask authors for citations to your own work.
- Do not use your board role for advertising or to seek payment from authors.
- Do not use the RSYN name outside your stated role.
Breach of this code may lead to removal from the boards. See the Board Member Agreement. To report a concern: contact the secretariat.