Research involving humans, identifiable human material or data must comply with applicable law and accepted ethical principles and must have approval, or a documented exemption, from an appropriately constituted ethics committee or institutional review board. The manuscript must name the body and provide the approval reference and date where available.
Prospective informed consent must be obtained when required. Vulnerable populations require appropriate safeguards. The journal may request protocols, consent forms or ethics documentation and may reject work where ethical approval is absent, retrospective approval is inappropriate, or participant protections are inadequate.
Animal research must have appropriate institutional approval and comply with relevant welfare standards. Authors should report measures to minimize suffering, justify species and sample size, and follow applicable reporting guidance such as ARRIVE.