Research Ethics

The Journal of Complementary Therapies in Midwifery and Nursing (JCTMN) is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity and ethics. All research involving human participants, animals, or sensitive data must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards and national regulations.

1. Ethical Approval

All manuscripts reporting research involving human subjects, human material, human data, or animals must:

  • Include a clear statement of ethical approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Ethics Committee, or equivalent authority.

  • Provide the name of the approving institution, the approval number (if applicable), and the date of approval in the Methods section.

Authors must confirm that the study was conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki or relevant national/international guidelines (e.g., CIOMS, Belmont Report).

2. Informed Consent

For studies involving human participants:

  • Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants (or legal guardians for minors or those unable to consent).

  • Where applicable, consent for publication of anonymized data, images, or case details must be explicitly stated.

3. Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors are responsible for ensuring that individuals' privacy rights are not infringed. Identifiable personal information should not be published unless essential for scientific purposes and written informed consent has been obtained.

4. Animal Research

For research involving animals:

  • Authors must follow the guidelines of the International Association of Veterinary Editors (IAVE) or local animal care regulations.

  • Authors must include the name of the ethics committee and approval number and describe efforts to minimize animal suffering.

5. Data Integrity and Transparency

Authors should ensure that:

  • Data are honestly and accurately reported.

  • No fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate data manipulation has occurred.

  • Raw data may be requested by the editorial team for verification purposes.

6. Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial, institutional, or personal relationships that might influence the objectivity or integrity of their work.

7. Research Misconduct

JCTMN adheres to COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines in handling allegations of research misconduct, including:

  • Plagiarism

  • Data fabrication/falsification

  • Ethical breaches

  • Redundant publication

Suspected misconduct will be thoroughly investigated and may result in retraction, institutional notification, or publication bans.