Ethical Approvals and Informed Consent

IJASVM holds research involving people and animals to high ethical standards. This page sets out exactly what authors need to confirm and include.

Research Involving People

For any study involving human participants, including clinical studies, case reports and work using patient blood, tissue or genomic samples, authors must confirm that:

• The study followed the ethical principles of the current revision of the Declaration of Helsinki
• It was approved by an appropriate institutional review board or independent ethics committee, named in the manuscript together with the approval reference number
• Informed consent was obtained from every participant, or from a parent, guardian or legal representative, including specific consent for publication where identifiable details or images appear
• Participants' confidentiality and privacy were protected throughout

Confidentiality of Participants

Identifying details in published research can expose participants to stigma, discrimination or other harm. Manuscripts must not include names, initials, hospital numbers, exact dates, precise locations or photographs that could identify a participant unless that person has given written consent for their publication. Where adolescents are involved, authors should describe how consent or assent was obtained in line with local law.

Case Reports

Case reports must state that written informed consent for publication was obtained from the patient, or from their guardian or representative. Please do not send us the signed consent form itself, because that would breach the patient's confidentiality.

Research Involving Animals

For animal studies, including SIV models in non-human primates and humanised mouse models, authors must confirm that:

• The work followed institutional, national or international animal welfare guidelines, such as the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals
• It was approved by an institutional animal care and use committee or equivalent body, with the approval reference given in the manuscript
• Every reasonable step was taken to minimise suffering and use the fewest animals needed for valid results

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials should be registered in a publicly accessible registry, and the registration number must appear in the manuscript. Randomised trials should be reported according to CONSORT 2010.

Non-Compliance

Manuscripts missing the required ethics and consent statements are returned to the authors before peer review. IJASVM may reject or retract an article at any stage if serious ethical concerns about human or animal research come to light, in line with COPE guidance.