Ethical Approvals & Human/Animal Rights
Surgical Research (SR) 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 clinical trials, observational studies, case reports, and studies using surgical or radiographic imaging — 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 case reports or studies including identifiable patient information, intraoperative images, or radiographs, documentation of specific patient consent for publication
Animal Research
Studies involving animal subjects — including surgical technique validation studies using animal models — 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 retrospective case-series reviews using fully de-identified data), the manuscript must explicitly state this and identify the body that granted the exemption.
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).
