At the 2026 COPE China Seminar, jointly organized by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the Society of China University Journals (CUJS), a new initiative aimed at strengthening research integrity through a shared pre-submission screening platform drew significant attention. The platform, called 24hreview, is designed as a standardized integrity safeguard layer for publishers, operating before manuscripts enter the formal submission process.
The seminar, held in Beijing, focused on academic publishing ecosystem governance in the context of AI, collaborative prevention of research misconduct, and publication ethics standards. During the session titled "Ecosystem Panel: Research Integrity Practices in China," a case study on 24hreview was presented, showcasing its role as a public infrastructure asset in the academic integrity sphere.
COPE Chair Nancy Chescheir reaffirmed the organization's mission to uphold the integrity of the scholarly record through collaborative discussion and professional leadership. She expressed appreciation for innovative explorations in research integrity and publication ethics, particularly from China's publishing and research communities.
The 24hreview initiative emerged from a CUJS survey of 1,036 Chinese researchers, which found that only 19.64% of authors were familiar with COPE policies, yet 86.7% supported pre-submission checks. The survey identified three structural gaps in the current publication ethics safeguarding system: late-stage screening (18.6%), limited capacity of individual journals (18.3%), and a lack of shared mechanisms and self-check tools (16.1%). The case report emphasized that these gaps are systemic and require industry-wide solutions.
24hreview is positioned not as an author self-check tool but as a dedicated integrity safeguard layer for publishers. It works at the pre-submission stage to ensure that every manuscript entering the publisher's workflow has passed standardized academic integrity checks. Its core features include standardized screening dimensions, integration with existing submission systems, and completion of front-end checks within 24 hours.
Launched in 2024 under CUJS, the platform initially piloted with Wiley, a leading global publisher. The number of participating journals has grown from 8 to about 80. The pilot demonstrated that the model is straightforward to implement, integrates smoothly with existing workflows, and reliably verifies manuscript integrity at the pre-submission stage.
The seminar highlighted the need for coordinated industry governance to address complex research integrity challenges. Multiple presentations converged on the direction that individual journals or publishers cannot tackle these challenges alone. Instead, building a shared infrastructure like 24hreview is essential. The platform's ability to provide front-end screening within 24 hours while supporting publishing efficiency makes it a promising tool for the global academic community.
For more information, the original source URL is https://www.cujs.org.cn/site/content/8650.html. Additional details about Chuanlink Innovations can be found at http://chuanlink-innovations.com.
