Protection of Research Participants (Statement on Human and Animal Rights)

The Journal of Research in Agriculture and Food Sciences (JRAFS) adheres to the ethical principles outlined in the ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals
(ICMJE Statement on the Protection of Research Participants).

1. Research Involving Human Participants

When reporting research that involves human participants, authors must confirm that:

• The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical standards of the institutional and/or national research committee overseeing human experimentation,

• And, where applicable, it complied with the Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2008.

If no formal ethics committee exists, authors must clearly explain how ethical principles were followed and provide evidence of institutional or organizational approval.
If any aspect of the research raises doubt regarding compliance with the Helsinki Declaration, authors must justify their approach and include documentation of ethics committee approval for those aspects.

2. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Informed Consent

• Participants’ right to privacy must always be respected.

• Identifying information—such as names, initials, photographs, hospital numbers, or identifiable data—should not be published unless essential for scientific purposes and written informed consent has been obtained from the participant (or their legal guardian).

• The informed consent process requires that the participant review the manuscript intended for publication and explicitly consent to the inclusion of any identifiable material.

• Authors must inform participants that their data may be accessible both in print and online once published.

Written informed consent should be obtained, documented, and archived by the authors (or by the journal, as per applicable regulations). The article should include a statement confirming that informed consent was obtained.

If there is any doubt that anonymity can be preserved, informed consent must be obtained.
For example, masking the eye region in patient photographs does not guarantee anonymity. Authors must ensure that any de-identification does not distort scientific meaning.

3. Research Involving Animals

When reporting studies involving animals, authors must confirm that:

• All institutional and national guidelines for the care and use of laboratory or experimental animals were strictly followed, and

• The research complied with relevant ethical standards and welfare regulations.

Further guidance on ethical standards for animal research is available from the International Association of Veterinary Editors (IAVE) Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare.

Authors should include an Ethical Approval Statement in their manuscripts specifying the institutional or national ethics committee that approved the study and the relevant approval or permit number (if applicable).

4. Ethical Approval and Reporting

All manuscripts describing studies involving humans or animals must include an explicit statement within the Materials and Methods section detailing:

• The name of the ethics committee or institutional review board that approved the study, and

• The approval code or reference number and date of approval.

If ethical approval was not required, the manuscript must include a clear explanation and justification.