Compliance with Ethical Standards

To maintain research objectivity and transparency while adhering to ethical principles, authors should disclose funding sources, and potential conflicts of interest, obtain informed consent from human participants, and provide a statement regarding animal welfare if animals were involved in the study.

When submitting a manuscript, authors should include the following statements (if applicable) in a separate section before the References:

1. Disclosure of potential conflicts of interest: Authors should declare any potential conflicts of interest that could influence the research or its interpretation. This includes financial interests, relationships, or affiliations that may be perceived as influencing the work.

2. Indicate all sources of financial support for each author and the research team: Authors must indicate all sources of financial support for each author and the research team. This includes grants, funding agencies, institutions, or organizations that provide support for the research.

3. Include the statement of compliance with standards of research involving Humans: For studies involving human participants, include a statement affirming approval from the appropriate institutional and/or national research ethics committee. Confirm adherence to ethical standards outlined in WAME, the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki or its later amendments. Include the following statements in the text before the References section:

Ethical approval: All procedures involving human participants adhered to ethical standards set by the institutional and/or national research committee, and followed the principles of WAME, the 1964 Declaration of Helsinki or its later amendments.

For retrospective studies, add the below statement:

Ethical approval: informed consent is not required for this type of study.

4. Include the statement of compliance with standards of research involving Animals: Authors must prioritize the welfare of animals used in research. They should specify whether they followed international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for animal care and use. Additionally, authors should confirm approval from a research ethics committee at the relevant institution or practice. For studies involving animals, include the following statement before the References section:

Ethical approval: This study adheres to all relevant international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for animal care and use.

5. Include Informed consent: Authors should state that informed consent was obtained from all participants involved in the study. This ensures that participants were adequately informed about the research procedures, potential risks, benefits, and their rights as research subjects before agreeing to participate.

Ethical approval: This study adheres to all relevant international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for animal care and use.