Research Ethic

Humanbeing Research

Authors must ensure research involving human subjects complies with the Declaration of Helsinki . Authors must include a statement that consent has been obtained from each patient after full explanation of the purpose and nature of all procedures used. For research requiring ethics committee approval, please include a statement to this effect in the manuscript. We will be unable to accept research papers without this statement.

Animal Studies

Experiments with animals must be performed in accordance with international, national and institutional requirements. Include a statement that investigations have been approved by the local ethical committee, along with the following: (1) Give the full binomial Latin names for all experimental animals other than common laboratory animals; (2) State the breed or strain and source of animals, and give details of age, weight, sex and housing; (3) Detail the procedures and anesthetics used, including doses given.
Articles will only be considered if the procedures used are clearly described and conformed with the international and national legal and ethical requirements, as well as the requirements outlined by the institution in which the work took place. A statement identifying the committee approving the study must also be included in the Methods section. Authors are encouraged to refer to the ARRIVE Guidelines , and in particular the checklist within them, when preparing manuscripts detailing animal experiments.

Cell Lines

In general, studies that are based on observations performed in a single cell line will not be considered for publication if other lines of the same general lineage and characteristics are available. If at all possible, observations should be replicated in multiple cell lines.
We require that all cell lines are authenticated for correct origin. Specifically, the author should include the following information supporting the authentication of lines: (1) Source of cell lines. Gifts of cell lines from individuals will not be acceptable; (2) Please state what the method of authentication is; (3) State the passage number(s) of cell lines used for the experiments described in the submission. Unless the research is specifically about senescence, lines >35 passages would not be acceptable.

Plant

Experimental research on plants (either cultivated or wild), including collection of plant material, must comply with institutional, national, or international guidelines. Field studies should be conducted in accordance with local legislation, and the manuscript should include a statement specifying the appropriate permissions and/or licenses. We recommend that authors comply with the IUCN Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of Extinction and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora .
Specimens must be deposited in a public herbarium or other public collection providing access to deposited material. Information on the voucher specimen and who identified it must be included in the manuscript.