Ethical statements
The journal's policy on obtaining ethical approval for research involving humans, animals, their biomaterials, and confidential data is based on the current legislation of Ukraine specifically the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of Human Rights in Biomedical Research", the Law of Ukraine "On Personal Data Protection", and the Law of Ukraine "On the Protection of Animals from Cruelty" as well as international ethical guidelines (Declaration of Helsinki, ARRIVE guidelines, etc.). The journal recognises the priority of ethical norms and standards in scientific research involving humans, animals, and their biological materials, as well as in studies encompassing personal or other confidential data.
Authors are required to provide confirmation of a positive decision (ethical approval) from an authorised ethics committee in cases where the research:
- Involves human participants as research subjects.
- Includes work with human biomaterials.
- Uses animals or their biological objects.
- Involves the processing of personal, sensitive, or confidential data.
- Falls under special provisions of Ukrainian law or international regulations regarding bioethics and biosafety.
The ethical statement must clearly state:
- The full name of the institution that issued the permission.
- The date and protocol number.
- The forms of informed consent obtained (for research involving humans).
Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained voluntarily, without coercion, and in a format understandable to the participants.
It is strictly prohibited to publish personal data or visual materials that allow for the identification of an individual without their explicit written consent.
Research on animals must comply with the 3Rs principles (Replacement, Reduction, Refinement). Authors must provide information on housing conditions, the protocols used, and the measures taken to minimise animal suffering.
The processing of confidential and personal data must comply with the requirements of the Law of Ukraine "On Personal Data Protection" and the General Data Protection Regulation (GDPR). Data must be depersonalised or anonymised. Authors must describe the information protection mechanisms and access procedures utilised in their study.
The Editorial Board reserves the right to request copies of ethical approvals, informed consent forms, research protocols, or other documents to verify compliance with ethical standards. The journal may refuse to publish material in which ethical requirements have been violated or where information regarding compliance is incomplete.
If a violation of ethical norms is discovered after publication, the journal may take appropriate editorial actions, ranging from issuing corrections to retracting the article. Decisions will be made in accordance with COPE guidelines.
