COPE-Aligned Publishing: Structuring Automated Integrity Checks

The Role of Technology in Ethical Governance

Software cannot replace editorial judgement, but it can provide editors with the data required to uphold COPE core practices consistently.

Automated similarity detection, AI-text indicators, and Crossref reference validation give desk editors objective screening metrics before manuscripts enter the peer review pipeline.

Crucially, automated tools must remain advisory. As COPE guidelines emphasize, editorial decisions must remain in the hands of qualified human scholars.

Key Integrity Checkpoints in Manna Manuscript

• Declaration & Conflict of Interest Tracking: Authors must complete mandatory financial disclosure and competing interest declarations during intake.

• Blinded Peer Review Protocols: File metadata, author headers, and institutional references are automatically stripped in double-blind review tracks.

• Retraction Watch Cross-Referencing: Manna checks manuscript reference lists against the Retraction Watch database, alerting editors if a cited paper has been retracted.

• Auditable Editorial History: Every timestamped action—from initial submission to reviewer invitation and EIC sign-off—is permanently logged in an immutable audit trail.