Ethical Approvals & Human/Animal Rights
Advances in Food Technology and Nutrition Sciences (AFTNS) requires that all research involving human participants or animal subjects be conducted and reported in accordance with internationally recognized ethical standards, consistent with the journal's broader Publication Ethics commitments.
Human Subjects Research
Studies involving human participants — including dietary intervention trials, sensory evaluation panels, and product acceptability studies — must have been conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki. Manuscripts must include:
- A statement confirming that the study was approved by an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Institutional Ethics Committee (IEC), or equivalent oversight body, including the name of the approving body and the approval reference number
- A statement confirming that informed consent was obtained from all participants, or, where applicable, from a legal guardian or representative, consistent with ICMJE's guidance on protection of research participants
- For studies involving specific populations (such as obese adults in product-acceptability studies), documentation confirming appropriate ethical safeguards were followed
Animal Research
Studies involving animal subjects — including aquaculture, fish health, and animal nutrition research — must demonstrate compliance with applicable institutional, national, and international guidelines for the ethical treatment of animals in research, including approval from an appropriate Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) or equivalent ethics body. Manuscripts must state the name of the approving body and confirm that the study adhered to the ARRIVE guidelines for reporting animal research, where applicable.
Retrospective and Exempted Studies
Where a study has been granted an exemption from formal ethics review (such as certain food-composition or laboratory-based analytical studies not involving human or animal subjects), the manuscript must explicitly state this and confirm the exemption is genuinely applicable.
Verification
The editorial office reserves the right to request copies of ethical approval documentation at any stage of the review or post-publication process, consistent with the journal's Peer Review Process. Manuscripts lacking adequate ethical approval documentation, where such approval would reasonably be required, will not proceed through peer review.
Non-Compliance
Failure to provide adequate ethical documentation, or evidence that research was conducted without appropriate ethical oversight, will result in manuscript rejection and may result in retraction if discovered after publication (see Corrections & Retractions and Research Misconduct & Sanctions).
