Protection of Research Participants (Statement on Human and Animal Rights)
The Journal of Artificial Intelligence in Medical and Veterinary Sciences (JAIMVS) is committed to the ethical and responsible conduct of research involving human participants, animals, and associated biological or personal data. The journal expects authors to respect the rights, dignity, privacy, safety, and welfare of research participants and animals and to comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements.
1. Human Research Participants
1.1. Ethical Framework
Research involving human participants should comply with internationally recognized ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki and other applicable national and international standards.
1.2. Ethical Approval
Research involving human participants must receive approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Research Ethics Committee, or equivalent authority, where required.
Authors must provide the name of the approving body and approval/reference number in the manuscript where applicable.
1.3. Informed Consent
Authors must obtain informed consent from human participants when required by the study design, applicable regulations, or the relevant ethics committee.
Participants should be appropriately informed about the purpose, procedures, potential risks and benefits, use of their data, confidentiality, and their right to withdraw where applicable.
1.4. Vulnerable Populations
Research involving children, individuals with impaired decision-making capacity, or other vulnerable populations must include appropriate additional safeguards. Consent from a legally authorized representative and assent from the participant should be obtained where applicable.
1.5. Privacy and Confidentiality
Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants. Identifiable personal, medical, genetic, or other sensitive information should not be published unless appropriate consent or another valid ethical or legal basis exists.
2. Artificial Intelligence and Human Data
Research involving artificial intelligence, machine learning, medical records, genomic information, imaging, or other sensitive human data must comply with applicable ethical, privacy, and data-protection requirements.
Authors should ensure that AI systems are developed and evaluated using appropriately governed data and that personal or confidential information is protected throughout data collection, processing, storage, analysis, and sharing.
Authors should also consider potential risks associated with algorithmic bias, discrimination, privacy, and unequal performance across different populations and report relevant limitations transparently.
3. Animal Research
3.1. Ethical Treatment and Animal Welfare
Research involving animals must comply with applicable national and international standards for animal welfare and humane treatment.
Authors should follow the principles of the 3Rs: Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement, and should take appropriate measures to minimize pain, suffering, distress, and unnecessary use of animals.
3.2. Ethical Approval
Where required, animal research must receive prior approval from an appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Animal Ethics Committee, or equivalent authority.
Authors should provide the name of the approving body and approval/reference number in the manuscript where applicable.
3.3. Humane Procedures
Authors must use appropriate methods to minimize pain, distress, and discomfort and should establish humane endpoints where applicable. Procedures involving significant potential harm must be scientifically justified and ethically approved.
3.4. Veterinary Clinical Research
Research involving client-owned animals must respect animal welfare and should obtain appropriate informed consent from the owner or legal representative where required.
4. Wildlife and Endangered Species
Research involving wildlife, endangered species, or protected animals must comply with applicable legislation, permits, conservation requirements, and ethical standards. Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions before conducting the research.
5. Ethical Reporting
Manuscripts involving human participants or animals must clearly describe relevant ethical approval, consent, welfare measures, and other applicable ethical safeguards.
Authors are responsible for ensuring that all statements concerning ethical approval and participant or animal protection are accurate and complete.
6. Editorial Action
JAIMVS reserves the right to request additional information or documentation concerning ethical approval, informed consent, animal welfare, data protection, or research procedures.
If serious ethical concerns are identified, the journal may reject the manuscript, suspend publication, initiate an investigation, issue a correction or Expression of Concern, or retract a published article in accordance with the journal's Correction and Retraction Policy.
JAIMVS is committed to promoting research that is scientifically rigorous, ethically responsible, transparent, and respectful of human participants, animals, and the wider principles of One Health.
