Ethical Clearance

Research involving humans

Authors must state that the research was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and relevant national regulations. The manuscript must include a statement of ethical approval that gives the name of the ethics committee that approved the study, the approval number, and the date. If the study was exempt from review, the authors must say so and give the reason.

Informed consent

Participants have a right to privacy. Identifying details must be left out unless they are essential, and written informed consent must be obtained whenever there is any doubt. Case reports, and any manuscript with images or details that could identify a person, require written consent for publication from the person, or from a parent or legal guardian for children. The journal may ask to see the consent form at any stage.

Research involving animals

Studies on animals must include a statement of approval by an animal ethics committee and must describe the steps taken to avoid suffering.

The editors may reject manuscripts that do not meet these requirements. If your manuscript does not need any of these statements, write "Not applicable" in the ethical approval section.