Informed Consent and Ethics Approval Policy

JSMS requires that all research involving human or animal participants be conducted in accordance with recognised ethical standards. Studies involving human participants must obtain prior approval from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or equivalent ethics committee, and authors must include an explicit ethics approval statement in the manuscript. Authors are required to confirm that voluntary, informed consent was obtained from all human participants, with participants fully informed of the study’s purpose, procedures, risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw without penalty. For studies where ethical approval or informed consent was waived or deemed not applicable, a clear justification must be provided. Research involving surveys, interviews, or behavioural observations without sensitive data or interventions may be exempt from formal IRB approval but must still adhere to institutional ethical guidelines and protect participant privacy and confidentiality. For studies involving identifiable participants, authors must confirm that written consent for publication was obtained. Authors bear full responsibility for ensuring ethical compliance throughout the research process.