Research Ethics and Ethical Approval Policy

The journal is committed to promoting responsible, ethical, and transparent research practices and to protecting the rights, dignity, privacy, safety, and well-being of research participants.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that the research reported in their manuscripts has been conducted in accordance with applicable ethical principles, institutional requirements, professional standards, and relevant laws and regulations.

The requirements described in this policy apply where relevant to the nature and design of the research.

 

Ethical Approval

Research involving human participants, interventions, experiments, surveys, interviews, observations, personal or sensitive data, biological materials, vulnerable populations, or other activities requiring ethical oversight should obtain approval from an appropriate Research Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board, or other authorized ethics body where such approval is required.

Authors should provide information regarding ethical approval in the manuscript or during the submission process when applicable.

The information may include:

• the name of the ethics committee or institutional review board;
• the approval or reference number, where available;
• the date of approval, where relevant; and
• other information necessary to demonstrate compliance with applicable ethical requirements.

The journal does not require this information to appear under a specific section or heading in the manuscript. It may be included in the Methods section, a declaration section, acknowledgements.

Where necessary, editors may request additional information or supporting documentation regarding ethical approval.

 

Research Not Requiring Formal Ethical Approval

Not all research requires formal approval from a research ethics committee.

Studies involving publicly available data, literature reviews, conceptual studies, document analysis, certain forms of secondary data analysis, or other research activities may not require formal ethical approval, depending on applicable institutional and national regulations.

Where ethical approval is not required, authors should ensure that the research nevertheless complies with appropriate ethical standards.

If necessary, the editor may request clarification from the authors regarding why formal ethical approval was not required.

 

Informed Consent

Where required, researchers should obtain appropriate informed consent from research participants before participation.

Participants should receive sufficient information about the purpose of the research, procedures, potential risks and benefits, confidentiality, use of data, voluntary participation, and their right to withdraw, where applicable.

Where identifiable personal information, images, quotations, case descriptions, or other materials that could reveal a participant's identity are included in a publication, appropriate consent for publication should be obtained where required.

 

Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors must respect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants and other individuals whose information is used in the research.

Personally identifiable or sensitive information should not be disclosed unless it is essential for scholarly purposes and appropriate permission or consent has been obtained.

Authors should take reasonable measures to protect confidential information during data collection, storage, analysis, reporting, and publication.

 

Vulnerable Participants

Research involving children, persons with disabilities, individuals with limited decision-making capacity, economically or socially vulnerable populations, or other groups requiring additional protection should apply appropriate ethical safeguards.

Where required, consent or permission should be obtained from parents, guardians, legally authorized representatives, or other appropriate parties in addition to the participant's own assent or consent.

 

Research Involving Animals

Where research involves animals, authors should ensure that the study complies with applicable institutional, national, and professional standards concerning animal welfare and research ethics.

Ethical approval from an appropriate committee should be obtained where required.

 

Research Integrity

Authors must conduct and report research honestly, accurately, and transparently.

The journal does not tolerate practices including, but not limited to:

• fabrication of data;
• falsification or manipulation of research findings;
• plagiarism;
• inappropriate manipulation of images or data;
• unethical treatment of research participants;
• unauthorized use of confidential or sensitive information;
• misrepresentation of ethical approval;
• false statements concerning informed consent; or
• other conduct that may compromise the integrity of the research or scholarly record.

 

Editorial Review of Ethical Issues

Editors may request clarification or supporting documentation concerning ethical approval, informed consent, participant protection, data use, confidentiality, or other ethical matters at any stage of the editorial process.

Where concerns arise regarding the ethical conduct of research, the journal may:

1. request clarification or additional documentation from the authors;
2. suspend the editorial process while the matter is reviewed;
3. consult relevant experts or institutional authorities where appropriate;
4. reject the manuscript if ethical requirements have not been adequately addressed;
5. request corrections or additional disclosures; or
6. take appropriate post-publication action if ethical concerns are identified after publication.

Such actions should be carried out in accordance with the journal's applicable publication ethics, research misconduct, correction, and retraction policies.

 

Author Responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring that all statements concerning ethical approval, informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, participant protection, and research integrity are accurate and appropriate to the research reported.

Providing false, misleading, or incomplete information regarding research ethics or ethical approval may be considered a violation of publication ethics.

 

Flexibility of Manuscript Format

The journal recognizes that manuscript structures and reporting conventions vary across disciplines and article types.

Therefore, a separate section entitled “Research Ethics,” “Ethical Approval,” or similar wording is not mandatory.

Where ethical information is applicable, authors may report it in an appropriate section of the manuscript or through the journal's submission and declaration process.

The absence of a dedicated ethical approval section in the manuscript template does not exempt authors from complying with applicable ethical requirements.