Research Ethics Policy

LJLS requires all research to be conducted in accordance with recognised ethical principles, applicable national regulations, and relevant international standards.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must receive prior approval from an appropriate research ethics committee or institutional review board before the study begins, where required by applicable regulations.

Such research must comply with applicable ethical principles and regulations, including the principles of the World Medical Association’s Declaration of Helsinki. Authors must provide details of ethical approval, including the name of the approving committee, approval reference number, and date, where applicable.

Informed consent must be obtained from participants before their involvement in research, where required. For participants who cannot provide consent independently, consent must be obtained from an appropriate legally authorised representative in accordance with applicable regulations. Additional safeguards must be applied when research involves children or other vulnerable populations.

Authors must protect participants’ privacy and confidentiality and ensure that identifiable personal information is not disclosed without appropriate consent and authorisation.

Animal Research

Research involving animals must receive prior approval from an appropriate institutional or national animal ethics committee, where required. Authors must report the relevant approval details and demonstrate that animal welfare was respected throughout the study.

Animal research must follow recognised animal welfare principles, including replacement, reduction, and refinement (the 3Rs). Manuscripts reporting animal experiments should comply with the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines, where applicable.

Human Biological Materials and Personal Data

Research involving human biological samples, medical records, or personal data must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements. Authors must provide evidence of appropriate ethical approval, informed consent, or a justified exemption, as applicable.

Ethical Exemptions

Where formal ethical approval is not required, authors must explain the basis for the exemption and provide supporting documentation when requested by the editorial office.

LJLS reserves the right to request ethical approval documents, consent statements, or additional clarification before reaching an editorial decision.