Human and Animal Research Ethics Policy

Purpose

Verdant Legacy Publications is committed to promoting ethical research practices and ensuring the protection, dignity, welfare, and rights of human participants and animals involved in research. This policy establishes the ethical requirements for studies involving human participants, animals, biological materials, personal data, and related research activities submitted to journals published by Verdant Legacy Publications.

General Ethical Principles

Research submitted to Verdant Legacy Publications must be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards and applicable institutional, national, and international regulations. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all necessary ethical approvals, permissions, and consents have been obtained before conducting research.

Editors reserve the right to request supporting documentation at any stage of the review or publication process.

Human Research Ethics

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with recognized ethical principles, including:

• Respect for persons.
• Beneficence.
• Non-maleficence.
• Justice.
• Protection of privacy and confidentiality.

Authors must ensure that research complies with applicable ethical regulations and institutional requirements.

Ethical Approval

Studies involving human participants must receive prior approval from an appropriate ethics committee, institutional review board (IRB), or equivalent authority.

Manuscripts should include:

• Name of the approving ethics committee.
• Approval or protocol number (where applicable).
• Date of approval (if available).

Example Statement

“This study was approved by the Institutional Review Board of XYZ University (Approval No. 2026-001).”

Editors may request copies of ethical approval documents when necessary.

Informed Consent

Authors must obtain informed consent from all participants involved in research.

Participants should be informed regarding:

• Study objectives.
• Procedures involved.
• Potential risks and benefits.
• Voluntary participation.
• Right to withdraw.

Where written informed consent is obtained, this should be stated within the manuscript.

Example Statement

“Written informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation in the study.”

Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors must protect participant privacy and confidentiality.

Personal information should not be disclosed unless:

• Explicit consent has been obtained.
• Disclosure is scientifically justified and ethically permissible.

Identifiable information should be anonymized whenever possible.

Vulnerable Populations

Additional protections must be implemented when research involves vulnerable populations, including:

• Children and minors.
• Individuals with impaired decision-making capacity.
• Economically disadvantaged groups.
• Patients in dependent relationships.
• Other vulnerable communities.

Authors should demonstrate that appropriate safeguards were applied.

Publication of Identifiable Information

Photographs, videos, case descriptions, or other identifiable materials may only be published when:

• Explicit written consent has been obtained.
• Publication is scientifically justified.
• Ethical requirements have been satisfied.

Editors may request evidence of consent before publication.

Animal Research Ethics

Research involving animals must be conducted in accordance with accepted standards of animal welfare and ethical treatment.

Authors must demonstrate that animal use was scientifically justified and conducted responsibly.

Ethical Approval for Animal Studies

Studies involving animals should receive prior approval from an appropriate institutional animal ethics committee or equivalent authority.

Manuscripts should include:

• Name of approving committee.
• Approval number (where applicable).
• Ethical review details.

Example Statement

“Animal experiments were approved by the Animal Ethics Committee of XYZ University (Approval No. AEC-2026-015).”

Animal Welfare Requirements

Researchers must make every reasonable effort to:

• Minimize pain and suffering.
• Reduce stress and distress.
• Use the minimum number of animals necessary.
• Apply humane experimental procedures.

The principles of the 3Rs should be followed:

Replacement

Use non-animal alternatives whenever scientifically feasible.

Reduction

Use the minimum number of animals required to achieve valid scientific results.

Refinement

Modify procedures to minimize pain, suffering, and distress.

Field Research and Wildlife Studies

Research involving wildlife, endangered species, or field collections must comply with:

• National regulations.
• Institutional requirements.
• Conservation laws.
• Permit requirements.

Authors should provide permit information where applicable.

Plant Research and Biological Materials

Studies involving plants, seeds, germ plasm, fungi, microorganisms, and other biological materials must comply with relevant institutional, national, and international regulations.

Authors should ensure that collection, handling, and use of biological materials are conducted legally and ethically.

Where permits or permissions are required, these should be documented in the manuscript.

Research Misconduct Related to Ethics

The following practices are considered serious ethical violations:

• Conducting research without required ethical approval.
• Failure to obtain informed consent.
• Falsification of ethical approval information.
• Misrepresentation of participant consent.
• Animal welfare violations.
• Unauthorized collection of biological materials.

Such violations may result in:

• Manuscript rejection.
• Publication correction.
• Retraction.
• Notification of institutions or regulatory authorities.

Editorial Assessment

Editors may request:

• Ethical approval documents.
• Consent forms.
• Permit documentation.
• Additional ethical explanations.

Failure to provide requested documentation may result in suspension of review or rejection of the manuscript.

Compliance with International Standards

This policy aligns with principles and recommendations from:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• Declaration of Helsinki
• International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS)
• ARRIVE Guidelines
• Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ)
• Institutional Review Board (IRB) standards

Policy Review

This policy may be revised periodically to reflect evolving ethical standards, legal requirements, and best practices in research governance.

Contact Information

Questions regarding human research ethics, animal welfare requirements, ethical approvals, or participant protections may be directed to:

Verdant Legacy Publications Email: editorial@verdantlegacy.org

Website: https://verdantlegacy.com