Afarand journals publish only research that has been conducted ethically, and ask authors to show it.
Research with human participants. Studies must comply with the current Declaration of Helsinki, with national and institutional regulations, and with data protection law. Articles state the name of the approving ethics committee and the approval number, or explain why approval was not required (an exemption must be granted by the committee, not decided by the authors). Informed consent is reported for participants, and for any publication of identifiable details, images or case information.
Clinical trials. Trials are registered in a WHO-recognized registry before the first participant is enrolled, and the registration number appears in the abstract. Trial reports follow CONSORT, and protocols follow SPIRIT.
Research with animals. Studies report ethical approval and follow ARRIVE 2.0 and applicable national and institutional guidelines on animal welfare.
Vulnerable populations and fair participation. Research with children, prisoners, patients unable to consent, or other vulnerable groups, and research conducted in communities or countries other than the authors' own, must show appropriate safeguards, local approval and fair benefit-sharing where relevant.
Sex, gender and diversity. Authors report sex and gender and, where relevant, ethnicity or ancestry appropriately and justify any exclusions (for example by following the SAGER guidelines). Language in articles must be accurate and respectful.
Biosafety and dual use. Authors identify unusual hazards in chemicals, procedures, equipment, pathogens or technologies, and any potential for dual use.
Retrospective approval and non-compliance. Articles without proper ethical approval or consent are not published. When a problem is found after submission or publication, editors follow the COPE flowcharts and may contact the authors' institution or the approving committee.
This page is part of the Afarand Best Practice Statement, which contains the complete text of all sections.