Informed Consent Policy, IJMJ
 

1. Purpose

The International Journal of Medical Justice (IJMJ) is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research publication. This policy outlines the journal’s requirements for obtaining and reporting informed consent in all manuscripts involving human subjects, clinical case reports, images, or identifiable personal data.

2. Scope

This policy applies to all types of submissions to IJMJ that include:

·         Clinical studies involving human participants

·         Case reports and case series

·         Images, videos, or audio recordings of patients

·         Personal data that may identify individuals (e.g., age, location, diagnosis)

3. Policy Requirements

a. Mandatory Informed Consent

Authors must ensure that written informed consent is obtained from all individuals (or their legal guardians) whose personal data, images, or case details are presented in the manuscript. This applies even when the information is anonymized but may still be identifiable to the subject.

b. Content of the Consent

Informed consent must clearly explain:

·         The purpose of publication

·         The extent of information to be disclosed

·         Any potential risks or implications

·         The subject's right to anonymity and withdrawal of consent

·         The fact that publication may be online and accessible internationally

4. Anonymity and Privacy

Authors must take all reasonable steps to protect patient confidentiality. Identifying details such as names, initials, facial features, hospital numbers, or any unique identifiers must be omitted or anonymized unless explicit consent has been obtained to publish such data.

5. Reporting Consent in the Manuscript

All manuscripts must include a statement of informed consent in the Ethics or Acknowledgments section, such as:

“Written informed consent was obtained from the patient(s) for publication of this case report and accompanying images.”

Or, for research studies:

“Written informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.”

If consent could not be obtained (e.g., deceased patients), this must be justified to the Editorial Board and may be considered on a case-by-case basis.

6. Institutional Ethics Approval

For studies involving human participants, authors must also provide documentation of Institutional Review Board (IRB)/Ethics Committee approval, where applicable. A statement like the following must be included:

“The study was approved by the Institutional Ethics Committee of [Name of Institution], and informed consent was obtained from all participants.”

7. Documentation and Confidentiality

IJMJ does not require authors to submit the signed informed consent forms along with the manuscript unless specifically requested. However, authors must confirm that such documentation is securely retained and available upon request by the Editor or relevant authorities.

8. Exceptions

Informed consent is not required for:

·         Studies using publicly available datasets with no personal identifiers

·         Systematic reviews or meta-analyses that do not involve new patient data

·         Editorials, commentaries, or narrative reviews without personal case details

9. Non-Compliance

Failure to comply with this policy may result in:

·         Rejection of the manuscript

·         Retraction of the published article

·         Notification to the author’s institution or funding agency

10. Alignment with International Standards

This policy aligns with recommendations and requirements from:

·         International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE)

·         Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)

·         World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki

·         Scopus, DOAJ, and other indexing agencies' ethical publishing standards

11. Policy Review

This policy is reviewed periodically by the Editorial Board and Governing Council to ensure compliance with evolving international ethical guidelines.

Correspondence:

Editor-in-Chief/Editor

International Journal of Medical Justice

Head office Address: G-1, Ground Floor, City Center, Medical Road, Aligarh 202002 India    

E-Mail: editor@ijmj.net  Journal Web:  https://journal.ijmj.net Publisher:              www.glafims.org