Research Ethics

Research involving human participants or animals must be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards and applicable regulatory requirements. Advances in BioScience requires documented ethical approval, informed consent where applicable, and full transparency to ensure the protection of participants, animal welfare, and the integrity of the scientific record.

Human Research Ethics

All studies involving human participants, human tissue, or human data must comply with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and must have received prior approval from a duly constituted Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee. Manuscripts must include a statement confirming that the research protocol was reviewed and approved, specifying the name of the committee, the approval reference number (if applicable), and the date of approval. If ethical approval or consent was deemed unnecessary, authors must provide a clear justification supported by relevant legislation or institutional policies. Manuscripts lacking an explicit ethical statement will not be considered for publication.

Animal Research Ethics

All research involving animals must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards for animal welfare, such as the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (U.S. National Research Council), the EU Directive 2010/63/EU, the ARRIVE guidelines, or equivalent national regulations. Authors must confirm that the study protocol was reviewed and approved by an appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent body. Manuscripts must include the name of the approving committee, the approval code or number (if applicable), and the approval date. Authors must justify the use of animals, describe measures taken to minimize suffering, outline housing and care conditions, and confirm that the minimum number of animals necessary to achieve scientific objectives was used. Manuscripts without a valid ethical statement will not be considered for publication.

Informed Consent Requirements

Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants before inclusion in the study. Participants should have been fully informed about the study’s purpose, procedures, potential risks and benefits, their right to withdraw at any time, and how confidentiality and privacy were protected. Special consideration must be given to vulnerable populations, such as minors or individuals with cognitive impairments, for whom consent should be obtained from a parent, guardian, or legally authorized representative. If identifying information (e.g., photographs or case details) is included, explicit consent for publication must be obtained and documented. The manuscript must include a statement describing how informed consent was obtained and recorded. If written consent was not possible, authors must justify the alternative procedure used.

Ethical Guidelines for Research

To ensure ethical research practices, Advances in BioScience requires all authors to comply with the following international guidelines: