Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information or animals should comply with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements and the relevant journal’s policy.
Human research
Authors should state the approving ethics committee or review body, approval/reference information where applicable, and the basis for informed consent or any justified waiver. Identifiable information should not be published without appropriate consent.
Animal research
Animal studies should report relevant ethical approval and describe humane care and procedures consistent with applicable institutional and regulatory requirements.
Clinical trials
Prospective registration should be provided where required by the journal or applicable reporting standards. Registration information should be accurate and linked to the reported trial.
Privacy
Manuscripts should avoid unnecessary participant-identifiable details. Consent for publication should be obtained when identification is possible.