Informed Consent

Ethical Review and Approval

Research involving human participants must comply with applicable ethical principles and requirements in the jurisdiction where the research was conducted.

Where review or approval by an institutional review board, research ethics committee or equivalent authority is required, authors must obtain the necessary approval before conducting the relevant research.

Manuscripts should identify the approving committee or institution and provide the approval reference number where one was issued.

Where formal ethics review was not required or an exemption was granted, authors should briefly explain the applicable basis for that determination.

Approval by an ethics committee does not prevent the journal from independently assessing whether the reported research raises significant ethical concerns.

Consent to Participate in Research

Individuals capable of providing informed consent should ordinarily participate in research only after freely agreeing to do so.

Researchers should explain the study in language and a format appropriate to the participant's understanding and circumstances.

Relevant information should include the study's purpose, procedures, foreseeable risks, potential benefits, confidentiality arrangements and the voluntary nature of participation.

Participants should be informed of their right to decline participation or withdraw, subject to applicable limitations that have been clearly explained.

The method of obtaining and documenting consent should comply with applicable ethical, institutional and legal requirements.

Consent for Publication of Identifiable Information

Patients and research participants have a right to privacy and confidentiality.

Identifying information, including names, initials, hospital identification numbers, recognizable photographs or other details that may reveal an individual's identity, should not be published unless scientifically justified and supported by appropriate consent for publication.

Where an individual is identifiable, authors must obtain written informed consent for publication from the individual or, where appropriate, a legally authorized representative.

Consent to receive clinical care or participate in research does not automatically constitute consent to publish identifiable information.

Authors should ensure that the individual giving consent has an appropriate understanding of the information intended for publication, including its potential public availability.

Clinical Case Reports and Patient Photographs

Authors submitting case reports, clinical images or other patient-related scholarly material should carefully assess whether an individual could be identified.

Written consent for publication is required where identifiable patient information is included.

Removing names or masking the eye region of a photograph may not be sufficient to protect identity.

Authors should remove unnecessary identifying details and use appropriate anonymization or de-identification measures without altering the scientific meaning of the material.

Where uncertainty remains about identifiability, authors should seek appropriate consent or editorial guidance before publication.

Participants in Dependent Relationships

Additional care is required when prospective research participants are in dependent relationships with researchers or may feel pressured to participate.

Examples may include patients receiving treatment from an investigator, students, employees or individuals dependent on an institution or professional authority.

Where there is a meaningful risk of undue influence, consent should be sought by an appropriately qualified individual independent of the relationship, consistent with applicable ethical requirements.

Participation must not be obtained through coercion, inappropriate inducement or threats of disadvantage.

Children and Individuals Unable to Provide Consent

Research involving children or individuals who are unable to provide legally valid informed consent requires appropriate additional safeguards.

Consent must be obtained from a legally authorized representative where required by applicable ethical and legal standards.

Where individuals can express preferences or provide assent, their views should be respected as appropriate to their capacity and circumstances.

Individuals unable to consent should not be enrolled in research without a prospect of direct benefit unless the study meets applicable ethical conditions, including appropriate justification, safeguards and limitations on risk and burden.

For research without a prospect of direct benefit, the study should ordinarily be intended to promote the health of the group represented, be impracticable to perform with individuals capable of consenting, and involve only minimal risk and minimal burden, subject to applicable ethics approval and legal requirements.

Emergency Research and Exceptions to Prior Consent

Research involving individuals who cannot provide consent because of an emergency or a relevant physical or mental condition requires particularly careful ethical oversight.

Such research may be considered only where the inability to consent is a necessary characteristic of the research population and the study complies with applicable legal and ethical requirements.

Where prior consent cannot be obtained, researchers should seek consent from a legally authorized representative where available.

If no representative is available and the research cannot be delayed, an exception to prior consent may be permissible only where specifically justified in the research protocol and approved by the appropriate research ethics committee, in accordance with applicable law.

Consent for continued participation should be sought as soon as reasonably possible from the participant or legally authorized representative.

Human Biological Samples, Data and Biobanks

Research involving identifiable human biological materials, clinical records, personal data or information stored in biobanks and similar repositories must comply with applicable ethical, privacy and legal requirements.

Researchers should obtain appropriate consent for collection, storage and secondary use of identifiable materials or data where required.

Where obtaining consent is impossible or impracticable, research may proceed under an appropriate ethics-approved waiver or other lawful authorization, where permitted.

Authors should explain relevant ethical approvals, consent arrangements or authorized waivers in the manuscript.

Appropriate safeguards should be maintained for personal information and sensitive research data.

Consent Waivers and Exemptions

In certain circumstances, a research ethics committee or other competent authority may approve a waiver or modification of consent requirements where permitted by applicable standards.

Authors should clearly describe the basis and authorization for such arrangements.

A waiver of consent to participate in research does not automatically authorize publication of identifiable patient information.

The journal may request clarification where the scope or validity of an exemption or waiver is unclear.

Ethics and Consent Statements in Manuscripts

Manuscripts reporting new human-participant research should include an appropriate statement describing ethical approval and consent arrangements.

Depending on the study, this may include the approving ethics committee, approval number, method of obtaining consent, or details of an authorized waiver.

Manuscripts containing identifiable patient information should confirm that appropriate consent for publication has been obtained.

The editorial team may request supporting documentation where necessary to verify compliance or address a specific ethical concern.

Authors should retain relevant consent records securely in accordance with applicable requirements. Identifiable consent documents should not be included in publicly accessible manuscript materials.

Articles Not Involving New Human Research

Reviews, perspectives, commentaries, theoretical analyses and other articles that do not report new human-participant research or identifiable personal information generally do not require a research consent statement.

Authors should nevertheless acknowledge relevant sources and respect confidentiality, privacy and intellectual property obligations.

The GMS applies consent requirements according to the nature and content of the manuscript rather than imposing identical documentation requirements on every article type.

Editorial Assessment and Ethical Concerns

The GMS may seek clarification regarding ethical approval, informed consent, participant protection or the publication of identifiable information.

The editorial team may request revisions, additional documentation or expert advice where reasonably necessary.

Manuscripts involving serious unresolved ethical concerns, including research conducted without required approval or publication of identifiable information without necessary consent, may be declined.

Concerns identified after publication may require clarification, correction, removal of identifying information or other appropriate action under the journal's publication ethics procedures.

Ethical assessment and editorial decisions remain independent of publication charges, waiver requests and optional author services.