Bioethical security

The Sulaimani Journal for Engineering and Science (SJES) upholds rigorous standards of bioethical security to ensure the safety, dignity, and rights of human and animal subjects, as well as the integrity of biological research. All submissions must comply with national laws and internationally accepted ethical and biosafety guidelines.

 1. Human Subjects Research

• Studies involving human participants must include a statement confirming that ethical approval was obtained from an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee before research began.
• Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants or their legal guardians.
• For case reports or studies involving identifiable individuals, written consent for publication must be documented and submitted upon request.

 2. Animal Research

• Research involving animals must comply with institutional, national, and international guidelines for the care and use of animals (e.g., the ARRIVE Guidelines, OIE, or EU Directive 2010/63/EU).
• Authors must state that ethical approval was obtained from a recognized animal ethics committee, and that all efforts were made to minimize animal suffering.

 3. Laboratory Safety and Biosafety

• Studies involving biological agents, genetically modified organisms, or hazardous materials must follow biosafety standards approved by local and international regulatory bodies (e.g., WHO, NIH, or local biosafety committees).
• Authors must confirm that all laboratory procedures were conducted in certified facilities under appropriate biosafety levels (BSL-1 to BSL-4), where applicable.

4. Clinical Trial Registration

• Clinical trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry (e.g., ClinicalTrials.gov, ISRCTN, or WHO ICTRP) before enrollment of the first participant.
• The trial registration number must be clearly stated in the Methods section.

5. Data Protection and Participant Privacy

• Personal data must be handled according to national data protection laws and international standards (e.g., GDPR).
• Authors must ensure that any shared data is anonymized to protect participant identity unless explicit consent for identifiable disclosure has been obtained.

6. Dual-Use Research and Security

• Research with potential for dual-use (i.e., findings that could be misused to threaten public health, security, or the environment) must be declared and justified.
• Authors should proactively disclose any concerns regarding biosecurity risks, and the editorial team reserves the right to seek independent bioethical review before publication.