Effective Date: August 2026
Purpose and Scope
Scientific Publications is committed to protecting the rights, privacy, dignity, and welfare of individuals who participate in research reported in journals published by the organization.
This policy establishes publisher-wide principles for obtaining and documenting informed consent where required for research involving human participants, identifiable individuals, patient information, clinical material, images, or case information.
Individual journals may establish additional requirements according to their discipline, article types, and applicable ethical or regulatory standards.
Requirement for Informed Consent
Authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate informed consent from research participants where informed consent is required by applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements, laws, regulations, or the nature of the research.
Informed consent should be obtained before participation in research or before the collection, use, publication, or disclosure of information or materials that require consent.
Information Provided to Participants
Where informed consent is required, participants should receive sufficient information to make a voluntary and informed decision.
Depending on the nature of the research, participants should be informed about:
- the purpose and nature of the research;
- the procedures involved;
- potential risks and benefits;
- how information or biological material will be used;
- confidentiality and privacy arrangements;
- applicable data-sharing or publication arrangements;
- their voluntary participation and right to decline or withdraw where applicable; and
- relevant contact information for questions or concerns.
Voluntary Consent
Consent must be given voluntarily and without inappropriate coercion, undue influence, or pressure.
Participants should have adequate opportunity to consider the information provided and ask questions before providing consent.
Documentation of Consent
Authors should maintain appropriate documentation demonstrating that informed consent was obtained when required.
The form and method of documentation may depend on the nature of the research, applicable institutional requirements, and relevant ethical standards.
Journals may request confirmation of informed consent during manuscript assessment or publication.
Publication of Identifiable Information
Additional consent may be required when manuscripts contain information that could identify an individual, including:
- photographs;
- clinical images;
- detailed case descriptions;
- personal histories;
- identifiable demographic information;
- audio or video material; or
- other information that could reasonably permit identification.
Authors should obtain appropriate permission for publication where required.
Patient and Case Reports
For case reports and other publications involving identifiable individuals, authors should obtain informed consent for publication when required.
Where identifying information is unnecessary, authors should remove or minimize such information whenever reasonably possible.
Images and Multimedia
Authors must obtain appropriate consent for publication of identifiable photographs, images, videos, recordings, or other multimedia materials when required.
Consent should cover the intended publication and dissemination of the material through relevant journal and publisher platforms.
Children and Individuals Unable to Provide Consent
When participants are unable to provide informed consent because of age, legal status, or decision-making capacity, consent should be obtained from an appropriate parent, guardian, or legally authorized representative in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements.
Where appropriate, assent from the participant should also be obtained.
Research Ethics Approval and Consent
Informed consent is separate from research ethics approval.
Where research involving human participants requires institutional or independent ethics review, authors are responsible for obtaining the appropriate approval in addition to obtaining informed consent where required.
The relevant journal may require authors to provide information regarding ethics approval and informed consent in the manuscript.
Waiver or Alteration of Consent
In limited circumstances, informed consent may be waived or altered by a competent research ethics committee or other legally authorized body when permitted by applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.
Authors should clearly state in the manuscript when consent was waived and, where appropriate, provide the basis for the waiver.
Confidentiality and Privacy
Scientific Publications expects authors, editors, and reviewers to protect the confidentiality and privacy of research participants.
Personal information should not be disclosed unnecessarily.
Manuscripts should contain only the information necessary for the scholarly purpose of the publication, subject to applicable ethical and legal requirements.
Author Responsibility
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all required consent has been obtained before manuscript submission or publication.
Submission of a manuscript to a Scientific Publications journal represents the authors’ responsibility for compliance with applicable informed-consent requirements.
The publisher and journal may request clarification, supporting documentation, or confirmation where concerns arise.
Editorial and Publisher Responsibilities
Editors may require authors to demonstrate that informed consent requirements have been appropriately addressed.
Where there are credible concerns regarding consent, privacy, or the publication of identifiable information, the editorial team or publisher may seek clarification, delay publication, request appropriate corrective action, or take other measures consistent with publication-ethics procedures.
Retention and Verification
Authors should retain appropriate evidence of informed consent in accordance with applicable institutional, legal, and ethical requirements.
Consent documentation should generally not be submitted with the manuscript unless requested by the journal or publisher for verification.
Policy Review
Scientific Publications may periodically review and update this Informed Consent Policy to reflect changes in ethical standards, applicable laws, regulations, and responsible scholarly publishing practices.
The current version of this policy will be maintained on the Scientific Publications website.
Contact
Scientific Publications
Email: publisher@scientificpublications.org
Website: https://scientificpublications.org/
Last Updated: August 2026