Ethical Approval of Studies (EAS) Policy

All research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with recognized ethical standards and applicable institutional or legal requirements.

1.1 Requirement for Ethical Clearance

Authors must clearly state within their manuscript:

·        The name of the approving ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB);

·        The approval or reference number, where applicable;

·        Confirmation that informed consent was obtained for studies involving human participants.

1.2 Informed Consent and Participant Rights

Authors are responsible for ensuring that participants’ rights, dignity, privacy, and well-being are fully respected. For case studies or research involving identifiable information, written informed consent must be obtained from participants or their legal guardians.

1.3 Animal Research

For studies involving animals, authors must confirm compliance with internationally recognized standards (such as the ARRIVE Guidelines) and relevant institutional or national regulations governing animal care and use.

1.4 Ethical Justification

Where ethical approval is not required (e.g., theoretical research, methodological papers, or analyses of publicly available datasets), authors must provide a clear and reasoned justification within the manuscript.

1.5 Author Responsibility and Non-Compliance

Authors retain full responsibility for the ethical conduct of their research, the accuracy of all ethical statements, and compliance with applicable laws and institutional requirements. The journal evaluates submissions based on information provided by the authors and does not assume responsibility for undisclosed ethical violations.

Failure to comply with these policies may result in manuscript rejection, publication of a correction or expression of concern, or retraction of the article, depending on the nature and severity of the issue.

 

Post-Publication Ethical Concerns and Claims

In the event that ethical concerns or claims are raised after publication, the journal will conduct an assessment in accordance with its ethical framework and the SEIPID standards. Authors are expected to cooperate fully with any inquiry and provide supporting documentation where required.

Corrective actions may include clarification notices, corrections, expressions of concern, or retraction. Final decisions rest with the editorial leadership and are guided by principles of transparency, fairness, and academic integrity.