ETHICS AND INFORMED CONSENT

Journal of Gender and Millennium Development Studies (JGMDS) upholds the highest ethical standards in the publication of research. Authors are required to ensure that their studies involving human participants, animals, or identifiable data are conducted ethically and in compliance with relevant institutional, national, and international regulations. All submitted manuscripts must include clear statements regarding ethical approval and informed consent, where applicable, as outlined below:

1. Human Subjects – With Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

Research involving human participants must have been reviewed and approved by an accredited Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee. A sample ethical statement is as follows:
“The study involving human participants was reviewed and approved by the Ethics Committee of ABC University (Approval No. XYZ). Written informed consent to participate in this study was provided by the participants or their legal guardian/next of kin.”

2. Animal Subjects – With Ethical Approval

Any study involving animals must follow institutional and national ethical guidelines for the care and use of animals in research. Authors must include an ethical statement such as:
“All animal care and experimental procedures were conducted following guidelines set by the ABC University Animal Research Ethics Board (Approval No. XYZ). Efforts were made to minimize animal suffering and reduce the number of animals used.”

3. Survey or Observational Study – With Informed Consent

For surveys or observational studies involving human participants, authors must confirm that the research was conducted in line with ethical standards such as the Declaration of Helsinki and that informed consent was obtained. For example:
“All procedures performed in this study involving human participants were conducted ethically according to the ethical standards of the Institutional and/or National Research Committee and with the 1964 Helsinki Declaration and its later amendments or comparable ethical standards. Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.”

4. Study Involving Identifiable Human Data or Samples – With Consent

When research includes the use of identifiable human data or biological samples, ethical clearance must be obtained, and participants must give consent for use of their data or samples. A sample statement:
“The research involving the use of human data/samples was approved by the Institutional Review Board of ABC University (Approval No. XYZ). Informed consent for the use of their data/samples was obtained from all participants.”

5. Research Involving Cell Lines or Non-identifiable Human Data/Samples

If the research uses cell lines or non-identifiable data or biological samples, authors must confirm that these materials were obtained ethically and that their use complies with the terms of the original ethics approval. A suggested statement:
“The cell lines/non-identifiable human data/samples used in this study were sourced ethically and their research use was in compliance with the terms of the original ethics approval of the Ethics Committee of ABC University (Approval No. XYZ).”