Ethical Guidelines for Animal Research

Institutional Approval:

Authors must include a statement in the "Methods" section of their manuscript indicating that they have received approval from the relevant institutional and/or licensing committee for their animal experiments. This statement should also include the name and address of the committee, as well as adherence to the U.S. Public Health Service's Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy).

Compliance with Guidelines:

All experiments involving animals must be conducted in accordance with the relevant guidelines and regulations of the approving committee. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with institutional, national, or international guidelines.

Client-Owned Animals:

If research involves animals owned by clients, authors must provide documentation from the client confirming that best practices in animal testing have been followed.

Field and Non-Experimental Research:

Field studies and other non-experimental research involving animals must adhere to institutional, national, or international guidelines and should, wherever possible, be approved by an appropriate ethics committee.

Ethical Guidelines for Human Research

Informed Consent:

Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all human participants and/or their legal guardians involved in the research. This ensures that participants are fully aware of and agree to the nature and purpose of the research.

Compliance with PHS Policy:

The U.S. Public Health Service's Policy on Humane Care and Use of Laboratory Animals (PHS Policy) and the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals provide comprehensive policies for the humane treatment of live vertebrate animals. Authors are expected to adhere to these policies to maintain high standards of animal care.

Editorial Review

The Editor-In-Chief evaluates all submitted manuscripts for adherence to animal and human rights standards. Manuscripts found to be inconsistent with commonly accepted norms for the ethical treatment of animal and human subjects may be rejected.

The Editor-In-Chief reserves the right to contact the approving committee for further clarification if necessary.

Moral Obligation

Researchers have a moral obligation to treat animals and human subjects with compassion and respect. When designing research projects, authors must consider the well-being of these subjects to ensure ethical and humane treatment.

Contact Information

For any questions regarding our policies on animal and human rights, or if you need guidance on compliance, please contact us at: info@rscope.org.