Human and Animal Rights

Human and Animal Rights

Research Involving Human Participants

All studies involving human participants must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards, including the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national and institutional guidelines. Authors must ensure that the study has been reviewed and approved by an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee prior to commencement. The name of the approving body and approval number (where applicable) must be stated in the manuscript.

Informed Consent

Informed consent must be obtained from all participants or their legal guardians before inclusion in the study. The manuscript must include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained. For studies involving identifiable personal data, images, or clinical details, explicit written consent for publication must be obtained.

Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of all participants. Personal identifiers such as names, initials, hospital numbers, or identifiable images should not be published unless essential and accompanied by written consent.

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry (such as ClinicalTrials.gov or other WHO-recognized registries) prior to participant enrollment. The trial registration number must be included in the manuscript.

Research Involving Vulnerable Populations

Special care must be taken when conducting research involving vulnerable groups, including minors, elderly individuals, or economically disadvantaged populations. Ethical approval and appropriate consent procedures must be clearly documented.

Research Involving Animals

Studies involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals (such as CPCSEA, ARRIVE guidelines, or equivalent standards). Authors must confirm that ethical approval was obtained and that all efforts were made to minimize animal suffering.

Ethical Statement in Manuscript

All manuscripts reporting research involving humans or animals must include a clear ethical statement in the Methods section specifying:

  • Approval from an ethics committee or review board

  • Informed consent (for human studies)

  • Compliance with relevant ethical guidelines

Data Integrity and Reporting Standards

Authors must ensure accurate reporting of data and adherence to relevant reporting guidelines such as CONSORT (for clinical trials), STROBE (for observational studies), and ARRIVE (for animal research), where applicable.

Non-Compliance and Ethical Misconduct

Manuscripts that fail to meet ethical requirements, lack proper approval, or violate ethical standards will be rejected. If ethical concerns arise after publication, appropriate actions such as correction or retraction will be taken in accordance with COPE guidelines.