Informed Consent Policy

1. Requirement for Informed Consent

Authors are responsible for obtaining informed consent from participants whenever research involves human subjects or identifiable personal information.

Informed consent is required for research involving:

• Human participants or volunteers
• Clinical studies and medical interventions
• Surveys, interviews, and behavioral studies
• Case reports containing personal information
• Images, photographs, videos, or identifiable materials
• Human biological samples or genetic information

2. Ethical Approval and Consent Documentation

Research involving human participants should receive approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board before the study begins.

Manuscripts should include:

• Name of the ethics committee or institutional review board
• Approval number (where applicable)
• Date of approval
• Statement confirming informed consent was obtained

3. Publication of Identifiable Information

Authors must obtain explicit permission before publishing identifiable information, including:

• Names, initials, or personal identifiers
• Facial images or photographs
• Videos or recordings
• Medical information or case details
• Genetic or personal health information

Whenever possible, identifying information should be removed or anonymized to protect participant privacy.

4. Case Reports and Individual Information

For case reports or studies involving individual participants, authors must obtain consent for publication from the participant or an authorized representative.

If the participant is unable to provide consent, appropriate permission must be obtained according to applicable ethical and legal requirements.

5. Research Involving Children and Vulnerable Groups

Special protection must be provided for children, individuals lacking decision-making capacity, and vulnerable populations.

• Consent must be obtained from parents, guardians, or legally authorized representatives.
• Participant assent should be obtained whenever appropriate.
• Researchers must follow relevant institutional and national ethical regulations.

6. Confidentiality and Data Protection

7. Waiver of Informed Consent

A waiver of informed consent may be acceptable only when approved by an appropriate ethics committee and when research involves:

• Publicly available information
• Fully anonymized datasets
• Research where consent is not feasible and a waiver is ethically justified

The manuscript should clearly state the reason for the waiver.

8. Animal Research

Informed consent is not applicable to animal studies. However, authors must provide evidence of ethical approval and compliance with relevant animal welfare guidelines.

Example:

9. Editorial Review and Compliance

Editors may request evidence of informed consent or ethical approval during manuscript evaluation or after publication if concerns arise.

Manuscripts that fail to meet informed consent requirements may be rejected, corrected, or retracted depending on the severity of the issue.

10. Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

• Appropriate informed consent has been obtained.
• Ethical requirements have been followed.
• Participant privacy has been protected.
• Consent documentation can be provided upon request.

11. Compliance with International Ethical Standards

ISTP follows internationally recognized principles of ethical publishing and research conduct, including recommendations from:

• Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE)
• World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki
• Relevant institutional and national research ethics guidelines