Ethical Policy

Indus Journal of Science (IJS) is a peer-reviewed, open-access journal published by the Indus Education and Research Network, Pakistan. IJS is committed to maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity and ethical conduct in the publication process, ensuring that all research meets the highest standards of scientific rigor and transparency.

 

1. Research Involving Human Subjects

All research involving human participants, human material, or human data must have been performed in accordance with the principles stated in the Declaration of Helsinki [1].

 

1.1. Ethical Approval and Consent

• Mandatory Approval: All research involving human participants must be approved by an institutional review board (IRB) or ethics committee before the research began.
• Informed Consent: Authors must include a statement in the manuscript indicating that informed consent was obtained from participants.
• Manuscript Statement: The manuscript must include a statement confirming that the study was approved by the relevant body.

 

2. Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must comply with ethical guidelines for the use and care of animals in research.

 

• Mandatory Approval: Authors must provide evidence of ethical approval from an animal ethics committee or equivalent body.
• Reporting: The manuscript must include a statement confirming compliance with ethical standards for animal welfare.

 

3. Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors must ensure that the data presented in their manuscripts is accurate, reliable, and has not been falsified or manipulated. If errors are identified in the data after publication, authors must promptly report these errors and work with the editorial office to correct them.

 

4. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses must be registered in a publicly accessible database (e.g., PROSPERO) prior to commencing the review. Furthermore, the reporting of these studies must strictly follow the Preferred Reporting Items for Systematic reviews and Meta-Analyses (PRISMA) guidelines [2] to ensure transparency and completeness in the methodology and findings.

 

5. Authorship and Conflicts of Interest

IJS adheres to the guidelines set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). All authors listed must have made significant contributions to the research, and any financial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the manuscript’s content must be disclosed.

 

References

[1] World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki [2] PRISMA Statement [3] Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) [4] International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)