Research Ethics

The Journal of Community Health and Nursing (JCHN) adheres strictly to international ethical standards in research involving human participants, data collection, privacy, and publication. All manuscripts submitted for consideration must comply with the principles of respect, beneficence, and justice, in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, CIOMS, and COPE guidelines.

1. Ethical Approval

All research involving human participants, biological material, or sensitive data must obtain prior ethical clearancefrom a recognized Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee.

Authors must clearly state in their manuscript:

  • The name of the approving ethics committee

  • The approval number or reference

  • That ethical approval was obtained before the commencement of the study

If ethical approval was not required (e.g., certain public data studies), authors must provide justification and cite relevant regulations or exemption criteria.

2. Informed Consent

Authors must ensure that informed consent was obtained from all participants prior to participation. This includes:

  • Clear explanation of the study’s purpose, procedures, risks, and benefits

  • Voluntary participation and the right to withdraw at any time

  • Assurance of confidentiality and data protection

For studies involving minors, people with disabilities, or other vulnerable populations, consent must also be obtained from parents, guardians, or legally authorized representatives, and assent from the participant when appropriate.

Informed consent should be stated explicitly in the Methods section of the manuscript.

3. Confidentiality and Anonymity

Authors must protect the identity and privacy of participants by:

  • Removing all identifying information from published data

  • Using coded data or pseudonyms when presenting case studies or quotes

  • Avoiding the publication of photographs or personal data without written consent

Where identifiable information is essential (e.g., clinical photographs), authors must provide proof of explicit written consent for publication.

4. Research with Vulnerable Populations

Research involving children, pregnant women, persons with mental illness, elderly individuals, marginalized communities, or other vulnerable groups must demonstrate:

  • Additional protections in study design

  • Ethical justification for inclusion

  • Compliance with national and international ethical guidelines

5. Data Management and Integrity

Researchers are responsible for:

  • Collecting, analyzing, and reporting data honestly

  • Avoiding data fabrication, falsification, or selective reporting

  • Retaining raw data for at least 5 years and providing it upon editorial request

6. Ethical Considerations in Qualitative Research

For studies using interviews, focus groups, or observation:

  • Ensure participants are aware of audio/video recording

  • Describe how confidentiality will be maintained

  • Clarify how participants’ voices or narratives will be used

7. Declaration in Manuscript

All authors must include an Ethical Considerations subsection in the Methods section, containing:

  • Name of approving ethics committee and approval number

  • Statement of informed consent

  • Brief description of participant protection and confidentiality measures

Example:

This study received ethical approval from the Health Research Ethics Committee of Universitas Indonesia (Approval No. 120/EC/2025). All participants provided written informed consent prior to participation.

8. Misconduct and Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with research ethics standards may result in:

  • Rejection of the manuscript

  • Retraction of the published article

  • Notification to affiliated institutions or regulatory bodies

9. Alignment with International Guidelines

JCHN follows:

  • The Declaration of Helsinki (WMA)

  • International Ethical Guidelines for Health-related Research Involving Humans (CIOMS)

  • Singapore Statement on Research Integrity

  • Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)