Protection of Research Participants

Ethical Principles and Participant Protection

The European Journal of Medical Case Reports (EJMCR), published by Discover STM Publishing Ltd, is committed to protecting the rights, dignity, safety, privacy and confidentiality of patients and research participants. Manuscripts involving human participants, patient information or clinical material must comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements and relevant internationally accepted standards, including the principles of the 2024 World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki where applicable. EJMCR considers research-ethics compliance and patient confidentiality during editorial assessment.

Research Ethics Approval and Oversight

Research involving human participants requires appropriate independent ethics review and approval where applicable. Authors must report the approving Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Research Ethics Committee (REC), institution, approval reference or protocol number, and date when relevant. If a study was exempted or formal approval was not required, authors should explain the basis accurately and provide supporting information when requested; an unsupported declaration is not conclusive where doubts remain. Editors may independently assess ethical acceptability despite committee approval, applying relevant local requirements and international principles without arbitrarily imposing another country’s regulatory procedures.

Prospective Approval and Retrospective Research

Required ethics approval should ordinarily be obtained before research begins. Approval obtained retrospectively does not automatically remedy work undertaken without required prior approval. If approval was required but not obtained, authors must explain the circumstances; editors assess the explanation, institutional requirements and evidence without substituting a journal decision for a required institutional determination. Retrospective studies are not automatically exempt: review of existing records, identifiable data or stored biological material may require ethics review, an exemption determination or an authorised consent waiver under applicable rules. Any waiver of research-participation consent must have an appropriate ethical and regulatory basis.

Case Reports, Case Series and Reviews

An individual case report describing clinical care may not require formal research ethics approval, depending on the institution and jurisdiction; confidentiality and consent for publication still require assessment. For case series, ethics-review requirements depend on study design, systematic data collection, interventions and applicable institutional classification, not a fixed patient count. Authors must accurately state the approval or exemption status; a case series constituting human-participants research follows the applicable research-ethics requirements. A review based only on published literature does not normally need new participant ethics approval, although analysis of unpublished identifiable data may. See the CARE reporting guidance for applicable case reports.

Informed Consent to Participate in Research

For applicable research, investigators must meet informed-consent requirements for participation. Participants should receive appropriate information about the study and its implications, and consent must be voluntary and obtained under applicable ethical and legal requirements. An appropriately authorised waiver may apply where permitted. Consent to receive clinical treatment does not itself constitute consent to participate in research, and a retrospective design does not invariably require individual consent when a legitimate waiver applies.

Consent for Publication of Clinical Information

Consent for publication is separate from consent for medical treatment, research participation and access to records. For identifiable patients, authors must obtain written informed consent for publication in accordance with EJMCR requirements. The patient, or an appropriate authorised representative where applicable, should be able to review the manuscript or relevant material intended for publication and understand that it may be accessible online and in other formats. Authors must state in the manuscript whether publication consent was obtained. Nonessential identifiers must be omitted; removing names or hospital numbers alone may not establish anonymity. Where there is reasonable doubt that a patient can remain anonymous, informed consent for publication should be obtained. A signed research-consent form does not automatically authorise publication of identifiable details.

Children, Incapacity and Deceased Patients

When a patient cannot give valid consent, authors must follow applicable law and institutional requirements concerning a parent, guardian or legally authorised representative. A child’s or other person’s wishes and assent should be respected as appropriate to their circumstances. For deceased patients, continuing confidentiality obligations and applicable legal and institutional provisions must be considered; being a relative does not by itself establish authority to consent. If valid consent cannot be obtained, EJMCR will assess the circumstances under its policies and seek suitable ethical or legal advice where needed. Publication without consent is not an ordinary alternative, and no blanket exception applies simply because a patient has died, lacks capacity or cannot be contacted.

Privacy, Confidentiality and Clinical Images

Authors must protect patient confidentiality in case descriptions, tables, photographs, scans and videos. Names, initials, record numbers, facial features, distinctive characteristics, unnecessary exact dates or locations, and combinations of clinical details may permit identification. Masking only the eyes in a facial photograph is insufficient. Images must represent findings accurately; material alterations should be disclosed and must not distort clinical meaning. EJMCR may request evidence of publication consent or original, de-identified source images where verification is needed, consistent with the Guide for Authors. Authors should supply sensitive material through confidential editorial processes, not publish signed consent forms or identifiable records openly. Consent documents are not routinely sent to reviewers.

Animal Research

Manuscripts reporting animal research must comply with applicable institutional, national and relevant internationally accepted animal-welfare standards. Authors must report appropriate ethical oversight or approval where required and describe applicable standards for animal care and use. Human publication-consent requirements and the Declaration of Helsinki do not govern animal experiments.

Ethical Concerns and Editorial Action

When editors or reviewers identify possible concerns about ethics approval, informed consent, confidentiality or research conduct, EJMCR may request clarification and relevant documentation from the authors. Editors assess the evidence, journal policy and publication-ethics guidance; an allegation is not a confirmed violation. Depending on the concern, EJMCR may request revision or further assessment, reject a manuscript, or take appropriate post-publication action. Serious concerns may warrant consultation with Discover STM Publishing Ltd, an institution or another responsible authority. An established, unremedied serious breach of required approval or consent may justify rejection. Suspected violations do not automatically trigger rejection or institutional notification. Applicable clinical trials must meet EJMCR and publisher registration requirements described in the Editorial and Publishing Policies.

Last reviewed: October 2026
Policy responsibility: EJMCR Editorial Office, in accordance with Discover STM Publishing Ltd policies.