International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health

Research Ethics

International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health (IJAPH)
Published by PT Inovasi Multi Guna, Indonesia

The International Journal of Adolescent and Pediatric Health (IJAPH) is committed to promoting ethical, responsible, transparent, and scientifically sound research involving human participants, children and adolescents, vulnerable populations, human biological materials, identifiable health data, and, where applicable, animals.

Research submitted to IJAPH must comply with applicable institutional, national, and international ethical principles and regulations.

1. Ethical Approval for Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants, identifiable human materials, or identifiable personal or health data must be conducted in accordance with recognized ethical principles, including the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2024, and applicable national and institutional requirements.

Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate and independent Research Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board (IRB), or equivalent ethics review body before commencing research when such approval is required.

The manuscript must clearly state, where applicable:

  • the name of the approving ethics committee or review board;
  • the ethics approval or reference number;
  • the date or relevant details of approval; and
  • confirmation that the study was conducted in accordance with applicable ethical standards.

Authors must be prepared to provide documentation of ethical approval to the Editorial Office upon request.

If a study has been formally determined by an authorized ethics committee or other competent authority to be exempt from formal ethical review, the manuscript should state the relevant body and the basis for the exemption.

2. Informed Consent

Researchers must obtain informed consent from participants before participation where required by applicable ethical and legal standards.

For participants who cannot legally provide independent consent, permission must be obtained from a parent, legal guardian, or other legally authorized representative as appropriate.

Where an ethics committee has formally approved a waiver or modification of informed consent, this must be disclosed in the manuscript together with the relevant ethical justification.

Claims that ethical approval or informed consent was not required should be supported by an appropriate ethics review body, institutional determination, or applicable regulation where such determination is required.

3. Research Involving Children and Adolescents

Because IJAPH focuses substantially on child and adolescent health, special ethical safeguards are required when research involves minors.

Researchers must ensure that:

  • parental or legal guardian permission is obtained where required;
  • age- and developmentally appropriate assent is obtained from children or adolescents where applicable;
  • participants receive information in a form they can reasonably understand;
  • recruitment procedures are free from inappropriate coercion or undue influence;
  • risks are minimized and proportionate to the potential scientific, clinical, or public health value of the research;
  • appropriate safeguards are implemented for vulnerable participants; and
  • privacy, dignity, safety, and confidentiality are protected throughout the study.

The level of acceptable risk must be justified in the research protocol and reviewed by the appropriate ethics body where required.

4. Ethical Statement in the Manuscript

Manuscripts involving human participants should contain a clearly identifiable Ethics Approval, Ethical Considerations, or equivalent section.

The statement should include, as applicable:

  • name of the ethics committee or Institutional Review Board;
  • ethics approval/reference number;
  • confirmation of informed consent;
  • confirmation of parental or guardian permission;
  • confirmation of assent from minors where applicable; and
  • details of any ethics-approved waiver or modification of consent.

Example:

This study was approved by the Research Ethics Committee of [Institution Name] (Approval No. XXX/2026). Written informed consent was obtained from participants or their legal guardians, and age-appropriate assent was obtained from participating minors where applicable.

Authors must adapt the statement to accurately reflect the ethical procedures actually used in their research.

5. Privacy, Confidentiality, and Identifiable Information

IJAPH requires authors to protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants.

Personally identifiable information should not be published unless it is scientifically necessary and appropriate consent for publication has been obtained from the participant, parent, legal guardian, or legally authorized representative, as applicable.

This includes identifiable:

  • names or initials;
  • photographs;
  • videos;
  • clinical images;
  • case descriptions;
  • pedigrees;
  • medical record information; and
  • other information from which an individual could reasonably be identified.

Non-essential identifying information should be removed.

For identifiable patient information, appropriate documentation of consent for publication must be maintained.

6. Secondary Data, Medical Records, Databases, Registries, and Biobanks

Research using medical records, administrative databases, registries, stored biological materials, biobanks, or previously collected human data must comply with applicable ethical, privacy, and data-protection requirements.

Authors should disclose:

  • the source of the data or materials;
  • whether ethics approval was required;
  • the relevant ethics approval or exemption where applicable;
  • whether informed consent was obtained or formally waived; and
  • measures taken to protect privacy and confidentiality.

The use of de-identified or anonymized data does not automatically exempt a study from ethical oversight where institutional or national regulations require review.

7. Clinical Trials

Clinical trials submitted to IJAPH must be prospectively registered in an appropriate publicly accessible clinical trial registry where such registration is applicable.

For trials falling within recognized clinical trial definitions, registration should occur at or before the time of first participant consent or enrollment.

The trial registration number should be included in the manuscript, preferably in the abstract and Methods section where appropriate.

Appropriate registries may include recognized public registries meeting applicable international registration standards, including primary registries of the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP) and ClinicalTrials.gov.

Ethics approval does not replace clinical trial registration when registration is required.

8. Data Fabrication, Falsification, and Research Misconduct

IJAPH does not tolerate:

  • fabrication of data;
  • falsification or inappropriate manipulation of results;
  • selective alteration of research records;
  • misleading image manipulation;
  • undisclosed duplication of data;
  • intentional misrepresentation of research procedures; or
  • other forms of serious research misconduct.

Suspected misconduct will be evaluated based on available evidence and applicable publication ethics procedures.

Depending on the circumstances, IJAPH may:

  • request clarification or supporting data;
  • reject a manuscript;
  • issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction;
  • contact the authors' institution or appropriate authority where serious misconduct is reasonably established; or
  • take other proportionate editorial action.

Editorial actions will not be based solely on an allegation without appropriate assessment.

9. Animal Research

If animal research is relevant to the journal's scope and is considered for publication, authors must demonstrate compliance with applicable institutional and national standards for animal welfare, care, and use.

Authors must obtain approval from an appropriate animal ethics committee or institutional animal care and use committee where required.

The manuscript should state:

  • the approving committee;
  • approval or reference number where available;
  • relevant animal welfare standards followed; and
  • procedures used to minimize unnecessary pain, distress, or suffering.

10. Conflicts of Interest and Funding

Authors must disclose all relevant financial and non-financial conflicts of interest that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the research.

Authors should also identify:

  • research funding sources;
  • grant numbers where applicable;
  • the role of the funder in study design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, manuscript preparation, or publication decisions; and
  • relevant relationships with commercial, governmental, institutional, or other organizations.

Funding or sponsorship must not compromise researcher independence or the integrity of reported findings.

11. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • the research was conducted ethically;
  • all required approvals were obtained at the appropriate stage;
  • informed consent or approved waivers were properly documented;
  • participant privacy and confidentiality were protected;
  • data and results are accurately reported;
  • all authors meet the journal's authorship requirements;
  • all authors approve the final submitted manuscript;
  • conflicts of interest and funding are disclosed; and
  • relevant ethical concerns are communicated transparently to the Editorial Office.

12. Ethical Concerns and Investigations

IJAPH takes credible allegations of unethical research conduct seriously.

Concerns may include:

  • lack of required ethics approval;
  • inappropriate consent procedures;
  • participant harm;
  • privacy or confidentiality violations;
  • inappropriate research involving vulnerable populations;
  • fabrication or falsification;
  • unethical clinical research; or
  • other serious ethical concerns.

The editorial team may request supporting documentation and clarification from authors.

Where appropriate, IJAPH may consult relevant ethics committees, institutions, or other responsible authorities.

Editorial actions will be proportionate to the available evidence and seriousness of the issue and will be guided by recognized principles of publication ethics.

Contact

For questions regarding research ethics requirements, please contact:

Publisher: PT Inovasi Multi Guna
Publisher Email: hello@img.co.id
Editorial Email: editorialijaph@img.co.id
Phone/WhatsApp: +62 851 2131 1860
Publisher Website: https://img.co.id
Journal Website: https://journal.img.co.id/index.php/ijaph