Ethical Oversight

Research submitted to Al-Muhafidz must comply with the applicable ethical and legal requirements, and must respect the dignity, welfare, rights, and legitimate interests of participants and affected communities. The specific requirements depend on the research design, setting, and jurisdiction.

1. Approval, Exemption, and Research Permissions
Where required, obtain ethics review and approval before the research begins. Report the approving body, the approval number if one was issued, and other relevant approval details. Obtain any separate permission needed from a research site, archive, community, or other authority.

If an exemption or waiver applies, identify the authority or legal basis for it and explain its scope. If formal review was not required, state why, with reference to the relevant institutional or national framework. Do not invent an approval number, and do not imply that approval was obtained after the research was carried out.

Ethical approval does not automatically make a manuscript suitable for publication. The editor may request clarification or supporting documents, and may assess any concerns that remain even when formal approval has been granted.

2. Informed Consent
Where consent is required, obtain it freely and with full information, using a process suited to the participants and the research context. Describe the consent arrangements, or the waiver that was authorized.

Consent to participate does not automatically cover the publication of identifiable quotations, photographs, recordings, or personal information. Obtain specific consent for publication where required, or establish another valid ethical and legal basis.

Describe any consent to identifiable open-access publication accurately. Do not promise participants that material published under CC BY 4.0 can later be fully withdrawn, or that its reuse can be restricted to non-commercial purposes.

3. Privacy, Vulnerability, and Community Interests
Limit the disclosure of personal and sensitive information. Consider how readers might identify individuals from a combination of contextual details, especially in small communities. Pseudonyms alone may not provide adequate protection.

Research involving children, dependent relationships, or people with limited capacity requires appropriate safeguards, permissions, and assent where applicable. Explain how coercion and unequal power relationships were addressed.

Ethnographic, digital, and community-based research should take into account the privacy expectations of its context, cultural sensitivities, and any relevant community protocols. Material that is publicly accessible online does not, on that basis alone, remove ethical responsibilities.

4. Other Research Contexts and Documentation
Where relevant and within the journal’s scope, health-related research must follow the applicable standards for research involving humans. Animal research must meet the applicable welfare and approval requirements. Research with foreseeable risks to communities, cultural heritage, or the environment should describe the safeguards in place.

Include the ethics and consent statements required by the [Author Guidelines]. Do not routinely upload identifiable consent forms or sensitive participant records. If supporting evidence is needed, the editor may request it through a confidential channel.

Unresolved ethical concerns may prevent a manuscript from being considered further. Formal allegations and investigations are handled under the [Allegation of Research Misconduct] policy and the [Integrity Investigation] procedure.