Research Ethics & Consent

Research published in EJAS must meet recognised ethical and safety standards appropriate to the applied and natural sciences. The requirements below apply according to the nature of the study, and authors must include a statement addressing each relevant item, or explain why it does not apply.

Human participants

Research involving people — including surveys, human-performance studies, and clinical or bioequivalence research — must comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and with all applicable national and institutional requirements. Authors must obtain approval from a research ethics committee or institutional review board where required, report the approving body and reference number, and obtain informed consent to participate and, where individuals are identifiable, to publish. Clinical studies should be conducted, and where relevant registered, in accordance with recognised standards.

Animal research

Research involving animals must comply with relevant welfare legislation and institutional approval, which must be stated, and should be reported in line with the ARRIVE guidelines. Authors should describe the species, housing, procedures and measures taken to reduce, refine and replace animal use.

Field, environmental and collection research

For field studies and the collection of biological or geological specimens, authors must confirm that they held any necessary permits, land-access approvals and permissions, and complied with biodiversity, conservation and access-and-benefit-sharing requirements. Studies with environmental impact should describe the safeguards adopted.

Biosafety and hazardous materials

Work involving biological agents, chemicals, radiation or other hazards must follow appropriate biosafety and safe-handling procedures and hold the necessary approvals, which should be stated.

Dual-use and biosecurity

Authors must consider whether their findings could be misused and, where relevant, describe the risk-management measures taken. The journal may seek additional review where a manuscript raises dual-use or biosecurity concerns.

Confidentiality and declarations

Personal and identifiable data must be protected and handled in line with data-protection law (see the Privacy Policy). Each manuscript must include an Ethics, Consent and Safety statement covering the relevant approvals and consents, and the journal may request supporting documentation and may decline or retract work that does not meet these standards.