The journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of research integrity, ethical conduct, and protection of research participants, animals, and sensitive data.
Human Participants
Research involving living participants, identifiable health information, or human biological material must comply with applicable law and recognised ethical standards, must have been performed in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must identify the responsible ethics committee or review body, provide approval or exemption details, and describe the consent process where applicable. A statement detailing this, including the name of the ethics committee and the reference number where appropriate, must appear in all manuscripts reporting such research.
If approval or consent was not required, the manuscript must explain the legal and ethical basis. Editors may request protocols, ethics approvals, evidence of consent, or other supporting documentation. Any documentation provided must be appropriately redacted to protect personal data.
Animal Research
Research involving animals must comply with applicable legislation, institutional requirements, and recognized standards for animal welfare and ethical conduct.
Authors must provide details of ethical approval and identify the responsible oversight body. Reporting should follow relevant guidance, including the current ARRIVE guidelines where applicable.
Authors should demonstrate consideration of the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (3Rs) and describe measures taken to minimize animal suffering and distress wherever relevant.
Informed consent for publication
Consent to participate in research is distinct from consent to publish identifiable information. Authors must obtain appropriate consent for publication whenever a person could reasonably be identified from text, images, pedigrees, rare circumstances, or combined details.
Removing names is not always sufficient. Identifying information should be omitted unless scientifically essential and legally and ethically justified.
Deceased persons, human remains and medicolegal material
Manuscripts involving deceased persons, autopsy material, human remains, post-mortem imaging, or medicolegal case files must comply with applicable law, professional duties, institutional rules, and respect for dignity. Include only case details and images necessary for the scientific or educational purpose. Remove direct and indirect identifiers wherever possible. Consider whether tattoos, facial features, scars, licence plates, dates, locations, and unusual circumstances could permit identification. Document the legal and ethical basis for use and publication of the material. Use respectful language and presentation, avoiding sensationalism.
Editorial Oversight
The journal reserves the right to request additional documentation relating to ethical compliance at any stage of review or publication.
Where serious ethical concerns are identified, the journal may reject a manuscript, suspend editorial processing, publish an editorial notice, or take corrective action after publication in accordance with the journal’s ethics policies.