Protection of Research Participants and Animal Welfare Policy
Open Veterinary Journal (OVJ) is committed to the ethical and responsible conduct and reporting of research involving human participants, animals, and animal-derived materials. The journal recognizes that the protection of human participants and the welfare of animals are fundamental responsibilities of researchers, institutions, editors, and publishers.
OVJ requires authors to comply with applicable national and international laws, regulations, institutional requirements, and recognized ethical standards governing their research. Manuscripts involving humans or animals must provide sufficient information about ethical oversight, consent, welfare safeguards, and regulatory compliance to allow appropriate editorial assessment.
1. Research Involving Human Participants
Although OVJ is primarily a veterinary journal, some studies may involve human participants, human biological materials, human clinical information, or identifiable human data. Such research must meet applicable ethical and legal requirements.
1.1 Ethical Principles
Research involving human participants should be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki, the Belmont Report, and applicable national and institutional regulations.
The principles of respect for persons, beneficence, non-maleficence, justice, privacy, and protection of participants should guide the design and conduct of research.
1.2 Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board Approval
Research involving human participants must receive approval, where required, from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Research Ethics Committee (REC), or equivalent independent ethics body before the research begins.
Authors must state in the manuscript:
the name of the approving ethics committee or institution;
the approval or protocol/reference number, where applicable; and
the date of approval, where required or available.
If formal ethical approval was not required, authors should provide a clear explanation and identify the institutional or regulatory basis for that determination.
OVJ may request documentation of ethical approval when necessary.
1.3 Informed Consent
Appropriate informed consent must be obtained from human participants before participation in research, unless a properly constituted ethics committee or applicable regulation has approved a waiver of consent.
Participants should receive appropriate information concerning the purpose and procedures of the research, foreseeable risks and benefits, confidentiality, voluntary participation, and their right to withdraw where applicable.
1.4 Research Involving Children and Other Vulnerable Participants
Research involving children or other individuals who may have limited capacity to provide informed consent requires additional safeguards.
Where applicable, consent or authorization must be obtained from a parent, legal guardian, or authorized representative, together with the participant's assent when appropriate and required.
Researchers must take particular care to minimize risks and protect the rights, dignity, privacy, and welfare of vulnerable participants.
1.5 Privacy, Confidentiality, and Identifiable Information
Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of human participants.
Identifying information should not be published unless it is scientifically necessary and the appropriate consent for publication has been obtained.
Clinical photographs, case descriptions, genetic information, medical records, and other potentially identifiable information must be handled in accordance with applicable privacy laws, institutional requirements, and ethical standards.
1.6 Human Biological Materials and Data
Studies using human biological specimens, medical records, databases, genetic information, or previously collected human data must comply with applicable ethical and regulatory requirements.
Where required, authors must obtain ethics approval and/or appropriate consent for the collection, use, storage, and secondary use of such materials or data.
2. Research Involving Animals
OVJ is committed to the humane treatment and welfare of animals used in research, teaching, clinical investigation, or other scientific activities.
Research involving animals must be scientifically justified, ethically reviewed where required, and conducted in accordance with applicable legislation, institutional requirements, and internationally recognized animal-welfare principles.
2.1 Ethical Approval and Institutional Oversight
Where required by applicable regulations or institutional policies, research involving animals must receive prior approval from an appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Animal Ethics Committee, Animal Welfare and Ethical Review Body, or equivalent competent authority.
Authors must state in the manuscript:
the name of the approving committee or institution;
the approval or protocol/reference number, where applicable; and
the date of approval, where required or available.
OVJ recognizes that ethical oversight requirements differ according to the type of research, animal species, jurisdiction, and institutional or national regulations.
If formal ethical approval was not required, authors must clearly state this and provide an appropriate justification based on the applicable institutional, national, or regulatory requirements.
2.2 The 3Rs Principle
Authors should apply the principles of:
Replacement — using non-animal methods or alternatives whenever scientifically appropriate;
Reduction — using the minimum number of animals necessary to achieve scientifically valid results; and
Refinement — modifying procedures and husbandry practices to minimize pain, suffering, distress, and lasting harm.
The scientific necessity of animal use should be clearly justified.
2.3 Animal Welfare and Humane Treatment
Animals must be handled responsibly and humanely throughout the study.
Authors must provide appropriate information regarding:
housing and husbandry conditions, where relevant;
feeding and environmental conditions;
anesthesia and analgesia;
procedures likely to cause pain or distress;
methods used to minimize pain, suffering, and distress;
monitoring of animal welfare; and
humane endpoints where applicable.
Painful or distressing procedures must be scientifically justified and conducted using appropriate measures to minimize suffering.
2.4 Anesthesia, Analgesia, and Euthanasia
Appropriate anesthesia and analgesia must be used whenever scientifically and ethically appropriate.
When euthanasia is required, it must be performed using an accepted humane method appropriate for the species, age, physiological condition, and experimental circumstances.
Authors should identify the euthanasia method used and provide an appropriate scientific or regulatory justification when necessary.
2.5 Veterinary Clinical Research and Privately Owned Animals
Research involving privately owned animals, veterinary patients, or animals receiving clinical interventions must protect animal welfare and must comply with applicable institutional and regulatory requirements.
Where appropriate, authors must obtain informed consent from the animal owner or legally authorized representative before enrollment or intervention.
The manuscript should indicate that owner consent was obtained when required and should describe any relevant ethical approval or oversight.
2.6 Field Studies and Wildlife Research
Research involving wildlife, free-ranging animals, field studies, trapping, capture, handling, marking, transport, sampling, or other interventions must comply with applicable wildlife-protection laws, permits, and institutional or national ethical requirements.
Authors should identify relevant permits and ethical approvals and explain measures taken to minimize disturbance, injury, stress, and mortality.
Research involving endangered or protected species must comply with all applicable conservation laws and permit requirements.
2.7 Laboratory, Farm, Zoo, and Aquatic Animals
Animal welfare requirements apply to research involving all relevant animal species and settings, including laboratory animals, livestock, companion animals, wildlife, zoo animals, and aquatic animals.
Authors must use husbandry, handling, housing, transport, restraint, sampling, and experimental procedures appropriate to the species and study design.
2.8 Animal-Derived Materials and Biological Samples
Studies using animal tissues, organs, blood, biological specimens, or other animal-derived materials must comply with applicable ethical, legal, and institutional requirements.
Where animals were specifically killed or euthanized for the purpose of obtaining biological material, authors should provide appropriate ethical justification and details of the procedures used.
3. Reporting of Ethical Approval
For manuscripts involving humans or animals, the ethical statement should normally appear in a clearly identifiable section of the manuscript, such as Ethics Approval, Ethical Statement, or Ethical Considerations.
The statement should provide sufficient information for editors and readers to understand the ethical oversight of the study.
Examples of appropriate declarations include:
"The study was approved by the [full name of committee] (approval/reference number: XXXXX)."
or, where formal approval was not required:
"Formal ethical approval was not required for this study according to the applicable institutional and national requirements because [brief justification]."
Authors must not claim ethical approval that was not actually obtained.
4. Compliance With Laws and Regulations
Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with all applicable:
national and local laws;
institutional regulations;
animal-welfare legislation;
wildlife and conservation requirements;
biosafety and laboratory regulations;
human-participant protection requirements; and
relevant permits and professional standards.
Where requirements differ between jurisdictions, the research must comply with the requirements applicable to the location in which the research was conducted, as well as any additional applicable requirements.
5. Editorial Assessment of Ethical Compliance
OVJ evaluates ethical statements and relevant information during the editorial and peer-review process.
Editors may request additional information or documentation when ethical compliance is unclear, including:
ethics committee approval letters;
protocol or approval numbers;
informed-consent documentation;
animal-use protocols;
wildlife or research permits;
owner-consent documentation; or
explanations regarding why formal ethical approval was not required.
If ethical concerns cannot be satisfactorily resolved, OVJ may decline to consider or publish the manuscript.
Ethical approval does not, by itself, guarantee acceptance. Editors and reviewers may also consider whether the research methods and reporting demonstrate appropriate protection of participants and animal welfare.
6. Ethical Concerns After Publication
If credible concerns regarding human-participant protection, animal welfare, ethical approval, informed consent, or regulatory compliance arise after publication, OVJ will investigate the matter in accordance with its Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice Policy and applicable publication-ethics guidance.
Depending on the findings, the journal may publish a correction or clarification, issue an Expression of Concern, retract the article, or take other appropriate action.
Where necessary, OVJ may contact the authors' institution, ethics committee, regulatory authority, funder, or other appropriate organization.
7. Authors' Responsibility
Authors are ultimately responsible for ensuring that their research has been conducted ethically and in compliance with applicable requirements.
Submission of a manuscript to OVJ constitutes an affirmation that:
the research was conducted in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements;
all required ethical approvals and permits were obtained before the research was conducted;
informed consent or owner consent was obtained where required;
animal welfare was appropriately considered and protected;
ethical approval information has been accurately reported; and
all information provided to the journal concerning ethical oversight is complete and truthful.
8. Commitment to Responsible Research
OVJ recognizes that ethical standards and regulatory requirements may vary according to research design, species, jurisdiction, and scientific context. The journal therefore assesses ethical compliance according to the circumstances of each study while maintaining high standards for the protection of human participants and animal welfare.
OVJ is committed to publishing veterinary research that is scientifically rigorous, ethically responsible, transparent, and respectful of the welfare and dignity of humans and animals.
