Human and Animal Ethics Statement

Human and Animal Ethics Statement

Last updated: June 2, 2026

This policy follows the Declaration of Helsinki (WMA, 2013), the 3Rs principles for animal research, and guidelines from the ICMJE on protection of research participants.

1. Human Participants

Research involving human participants must have been approved by an appropriate institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee. Manuscripts must include a statement that:

• Names the approving ethics committee or IRB
• Provides the ethics reference or approval number
• Confirms that all participants provided informed consent, or explains why consent was waived

Research conducted in the EU/EEA must also comply with GDPR. Authors must ensure that participant data is anonymised unless consent to publish identifiable data has been obtained in writing.

2. Animal Research

Research involving animals must comply with applicable national and institutional regulations. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming compliance with the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines and that all procedures were approved by the relevant institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC). The 3Rs (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement) must be addressed.

3. Clinical Trials

Clinical trials must be registered in an approved registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, WHO ICTRP, ISRCTN) before participant enrolment. The trial registration number must be reported in the manuscript.