Human Participants, Animal Treatment and Dual-Use

    Articles will be accepted based on scientific merit and only if they are considered ethically sound in the judgment of the editors. Referees are asked to express any ethical concerns regarding human studies, potential risk of misuse or maltreatment of animals, and conservation or environmental issues.

 

1. Human Subjects

    For experiments involving human subjects, the committee approving the experiments should be identified, along with all relevant project or license numbers. The research must be conducted in accordance with the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki. The authors should confirm that informed consent was obtained from all subjects or their representatives, or explain why this was not done. Normally, we require permission to share datasets and associated metadata with reviewers in a confidential manner. However, if this is not possible, please consult the editorial office—in some cases, metadata alone may be sufficient for reviewers to assess a paper. We recognize three different scenarios for human data:

1. The simplest case is when the dataset has already been published by another research group and is available for download. In this case, all that is needed is a clear statement explaining how the data can be accessed.
2. The dataset has been used for several publications but it is held by a third party (e.g., NIH), which only provides access following a very strict protocol. It is necessary to apply to the dataset owner to gain access to it. If this is not permitted contact the editorial office.
3. The dataset is entirely new but contains sensitive information, and its access is therefore restricted in compliance with international or national laws. This represents the most challenging case. The data owners must be clearly identified by the authors, and we would generally expect them to be a national or international agency, institution, or consortium with which the authors are affiliated. An official responsible for data access must provide a statement explaining why the data cannot be shared with reviewers.

    For published papers, if data are restricted (e.g., for ethical or legal reasons), they should be made available to readers upon request to a Data Access Committee or Ethics Committee. Authors should specify the reason for the restriction (e.g., identifiable patient data), provide the name of the Data Access Committee or Ethics Committee, and include contact details for the point of contact. Researchers undertaking cross-cultural behavioral studies should follow best-practice guidelines  and include clear details within the paper where relevant. Human articles must clearly specify the sample and context in which the study was done in the title or abstract (for example, geographical location, ethnicity of population, etc.).

 

2. Animal Subjects

    All research involving animals should be conducted with a high regard for animal welfare. Authors must provide details about the animals used in their study, including welfare standards (such as, but not limited to, species, number, sex, age, weight, housing conditions, welfare measures, animal training, and the fate of the animals at the end of the experiment). Additionally, relevant steps taken to minimize suffering should be clearly described. These details must be included in the Methods section of the article.

    Authors are expected to comply with the 'Animal Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments' (ARRIVE) guidelines. These improvements raise the standards of reporting, ensuring that data from animal experiments can be thoroughly scrutinized and utilized. Relevant information should be included in the appropriate section of the article, as specified in the ARRIVE guidelines.

    All research involving animals must be reviewed and approved by an ethics committee before the study begins and must be conducted in compliance with relevant institutional and national guidelines and regulations. A statement identifying the institutional or licensing committee that approved the experiments (including the approval or license number(s)) must be included in the ethics statement within the submission system and in the article. If the study is exempt from ethics approval, authors must provide the reasons for the exemption. Additionally, the procedures used must be clearly described.

    Any interaction with the animals that might cause them to change their typical behavior must get full ethical approval, both from the institution where the work was conducted and from the researcher's home institution. Permission is also required for studies where food or apparatus are provided. Additionally, any possible adverse consequences of the work for ecosystems, populations or individual organisms must be carefully weighed against the possible gains in knowledge and its practical applications.

    Research relating to animal behavior and fieldwork studies should follow the advice provided by the Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour (ASAB) / Ethical Animal Research and Teaching: Guidelines for the ethical treatment of nonhuman animals in behavioural research and teaching, ASAB Ethical Committee/ABS Animal Care Committee (Animal Behaviour, 2023, Vol. 195, pp. I-XI). 

   The Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES) reserves the right to ask authors for all ethical documentation related to their study and to contact the authors' institution for more information. 

 

3. Dual Use and Biosecurity

    The Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES) evaluates potential dual-use concerns on a case-by-case basis. The World Health Organization (WHO) defines this as:

Dual-use research of concern (DURC) describes research that is intended to provide a clear benefit, but which could easily be misapplied to do harm. It usually refers to work in the life sciences, but the principles are also applicable to other fields including engineering and information technology. It encompasses everything from information to specific products that have the potential to create negative consequences for health and safety, agriculture, the environment or national security.

    Authors should highlight the potential risk of misuse in their cover letter. This will be assessed alongside the technical review.

    Authors who use DNA from commercial DNA providers should get their DNA from a company that screens against misuse. They should choose a provider which is a member of the International Gene Synthesis Consortium (IGSC), and they should disclose the name of the company they purchased DNA from to the editors.

 

Other ethical issues

    We endorse the guidance of the Society of Vertebrate Paleontology by not publishing work resulting from unethically sourced Burmese amber and where fossil samples (i.e., the “data”) are not publicly available. Upon submission of a manuscript, we expect authors to provide evidence that the data are permanently curated in an accessible collection, including specimen number(s).

 

4. Policy on Institutional/Regional Review Board (IRB) Approval for Research Involving Human Participants

   The Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES)  is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research involving human participants. This policy outlines the requirements and procedures for obtaining and documenting Institutional or Regional Review Board (IRB) approval, ensuring compliance with international ethical guidelines, and protecting the rights and welfare of participants. All research involving human participants submitted to the Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES) must obtain approval from an appropriate Institutional or Regional Review Board (IRB) or an equivalent ethics committee. This requirement applies to studies that involve direct interaction with participants, such as surveys, interviews, or experiments, as well as studies using identifiable human data. Research involving human participants must adhere to the ethical principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki and other relevant international guidelines. Authors must ensure that their study design and procedures prioritize participant safety, privacy, and informed consent. For studies that qualify for exemption from IRB review under applicable regulations, authors must provide a clear explanation of the exemption criteria and confirm that the research adheres to ethical standards despite the exemption.

    Studies conducted without prior IRB approval (e.g., retrospective analyses) must seek retrospective approval or exemption from an IRB or ethics committee before submission to the Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES). Even for studies that involve human participants indirectly (e.g., surveys, interviews, or observational studies), ethical oversight and IRB approval are mandatory to ensure participant protection.

    During submission, authors must upload a copy of the IRB approval letter or exemption documentation as part of the supplementary materials. Failure to provide this documentation may result in the manuscript being rejected or returned for further clarification. The Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES) adheres to international standards for ethical research, including the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) guidelines and the Common Rule for federally funded research. Authors from countries without formal IRB systems must seek approval from an equivalent ethical review body. Authors are encouraged to consult the Instructions for Authors of the Caspian Journal of Environmental Sciences (CJES) for detailed submission guidelines and ethical requirements. For studies involving vulnerable populations (e.g., children, prisoners, or indigenous communities), additional ethical considerations and documentation may be required. Authors must include the following information in their manuscript:

- The name of the approving IRB or ethics committee.

- The approval number or reference.

- The date of approval.

- A statement confirming that the study was conducted in accordance with ethical guidelines.