Protection of Research Participants and Statement on Human and Animal Rights

The Journal of Microbiology and Infectious Diseases (JMID) is committed to ensuring that research involving human participants and animals is conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles and applicable laws, regulations, and institutional requirements.

JMID expects authors to protect the rights, dignity, privacy, safety, and welfare of human research participants and to ensure the humane treatment of animals used in research.

Authors are responsible for obtaining appropriate ethical approval and complying with the ethical requirements applicable to their research before submitting a manuscript to JMID.

1. Research Involving Human Participants

1.1 Ethical Principles

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements and should follow internationally recognized principles for the protection of research participants.

JMID supports the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association, as revised in 2024, where applicable to research involving human participants.

Authors should ensure that research is conducted with respect for human dignity, autonomy, privacy, safety, and welfare.

1.2 Ethics Committee or Institutional Review Board Approval

Research involving human participants must receive approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Research Ethics Committee (REC), Ethics Committee, or equivalent independent ethical oversight body, where required by applicable regulations or institutional policies.

The manuscript must identify the approving body and provide the relevant approval or protocol number, where applicable.

If formal ethical approval was not required, authors should provide an appropriate explanation in the manuscript.

JMID may request documentation of ethical approval or an exemption determination during the editorial process.

1.3 Informed Consent

Where informed consent is required, authors must obtain informed consent from participants before their participation in the research.

The informed-consent process should provide participants with appropriate information concerning the purpose of the research, procedures, potential risks and benefits, confidentiality, and the voluntary nature of participation.

Participants should be informed of their right to withdraw from participation where applicable and in accordance with the approved research protocol.

Where an ethics committee or competent authority has formally approved a waiver or modification of informed consent, authors must clearly state this in the manuscript and provide the relevant justification or approval information where appropriate.

1.4 Research Involving Children and Other Vulnerable Participants

Research involving children or other individuals who may have limited capacity to provide informed consent must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements and include appropriate additional safeguards.

Where required, consent must be obtained from a legally authorized representative, together with the participant's assent when appropriate and feasible.

Authors should ensure that the inclusion of vulnerable populations is scientifically and ethically justified and that additional risks are minimized.

1.5 Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors must protect the privacy and confidentiality of research participants.

Personally identifiable information should not be included in manuscripts unless it is scientifically necessary and appropriate consent has been obtained.

Authors should take reasonable measures to ensure that participants cannot be identified from photographs, clinical information, genetic information, case descriptions, or other potentially identifying material.

2. Consent for Publication

In addition to informed consent to participate in research, specific consent for publication may be required when a manuscript contains information, images, photographs, videos, clinical details, or other material that could identify an individual.

Where applicable, authors must confirm that appropriate consent for publication has been obtained.

Consent for publication should be obtained in accordance with applicable ethical and legal requirements and retained by the authors or their institution. Personal identifying information should not be included in the manuscript unless necessary and appropriately authorized.

3. Clinical Trials and Human Intervention Studies

Where applicable, clinical trials and other interventional studies involving human participants should be registered in a recognized public clinical-trial registry in accordance with applicable international standards and journal requirements.

Authors must provide the trial registration number and registry name in the manuscript where registration is required.

JMID may request evidence of prospective registration where applicable.

4. Research Involving Animals

4.1 Ethical Treatment of Animals

JMID is committed to the humane and responsible use of animals in research.

Authors must ensure that animal research complies with applicable national and institutional requirements and recognized standards for the ethical care and use of animals in research.

Researchers should follow the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement (the 3Rs) and use animals only when scientifically justified and when appropriate alternatives are unavailable.

4.2 Ethical Approval and Oversight

Research involving animals must receive approval from an appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC), Animal Ethics Committee, Research Ethics Committee, or equivalent institutional or independent ethical oversight body, where required.

The manuscript should identify the approving institution or committee and provide the relevant approval or protocol number.

If formal ethical approval was not required under the applicable regulations or institutional policies, authors should provide an appropriate explanation.

JMID may request documentation of ethical approval or an exemption determination.

4.3 Animal Welfare and Humane Procedures

Authors must take appropriate measures to minimize pain, suffering, distress, and discomfort.

Animal studies should include appropriate:

• anesthesia and analgesia where necessary;

• humane handling and housing;

• monitoring of animal welfare;

• humane endpoints;

• euthanasia procedures; and

• measures to minimize unnecessary animal use.

Any potentially painful or distressing procedure must be scientifically justified and conducted using appropriate methods to minimize suffering.

4.4 Reporting of Animal Research

Authors should provide sufficient information about the animals, experimental procedures, housing and care conditions, interventions, and ethical safeguards to allow readers to assess the scientific and ethical quality of the study.

Where applicable, authors are encouraged to follow recognized reporting standards for animal research, including the ARRIVE guidelines.

5. Research Using Human Biological Materials or Data

Research involving human biological materials, identifiable human data, medical records, genetic information, or other human-derived materials must comply with applicable ethical, legal, privacy, and institutional requirements.

Where required, appropriate ethics approval and consent must be obtained.

Authors should clearly describe the source of the materials or data and the ethical oversight under which they were obtained.

6. Ethical Compliance and Editorial Assessment

Ethical approval by an institutional or independent ethics committee does not automatically guarantee publication in JMID.

The journal may evaluate the ethical aspects of submitted research as part of its editorial assessment and may request additional information or documentation when necessary.

JMID reserves the right to seek clarification from authors, institutions, ethics committees, or other appropriate authorities when concerns arise regarding the ethical conduct of research.

Manuscripts may be rejected where the journal determines that the research does not meet appropriate ethical standards.

7. Ethical Concerns Identified After Publication

If credible concerns arise after publication regarding the ethical conduct of research involving human participants or animals, JMID may investigate the matter in accordance with its Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement.

Depending on the findings, the journal may publish a correction, expression of concern, retraction, or other appropriate post-publication notice.

Where necessary, JMID may contact the relevant institution, ethics committee, regulatory authority, or other appropriate body.

8. Authors' Responsibility

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with all applicable ethical requirements before submission.

Submission of a manuscript to JMID constitutes an expectation that:

• appropriate ethical approval has been obtained where required;

• informed consent has been obtained where required;

• consent for publication has been obtained where necessary;

• human participants' privacy and confidentiality have been protected;

• animals have been treated humanely and responsibly; and

• all relevant ethical approvals, registration information, and declarations have been accurately reported.

False, misleading, or incomplete statements concerning ethical approval or participant consent may be considered a publication-ethics concern.

9. Policy Review

JMID periodically reviews this policy to ensure continued alignment with developments in research ethics, biomedical publishing, animal welfare, and internationally recognized standards.

The journal may update the policy when necessary to maintain high standards of ethical and responsible research publication.