Research published in the International Journal of Biological and Biomedical Research (IJBBR) must meet accepted ethical standards for work with human participants, human samples and animals. Authors must state in the manuscript how these standards were met. The editors may ask for approval letters or consent forms at any stage and may reject or retract work that does not comply.

1. Research Involving Human Participants or Human Samples

• Studies must follow the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki.
• The study must be approved by an institutional ethics committee or institutional review board before it begins. The manuscript must name the committee and give the approval number and date.
• This applies to clinical, case–control and laboratory studies that use blood, serum, tissue, swabs or other samples from patients or volunteers.

2. Informed Consent

• Written informed consent must be obtained from every participant. For children, or adults unable to consent, it must be obtained from a parent or legal guardian.
• Participants must be told the purpose, procedures, risks and benefits of the study, and that they may withdraw at any time without consequence.
• Personal identifiers (names, initials, hospital numbers, recognisable photographs) must be removed. Any identifiable image or case detail needs the person's separate written consent for publication.
• Case reports require written consent for publication from the patient or the patient's legal representative.
• If the ethics committee waived consent (for example, for fully anonymised archived samples or public datasets), the manuscript must say so and give the reason.

3. Research Involving Animals

• Animal studies must be approved by an institutional animal ethics committee (for example, an IAEC or IACUC). The manuscript must give the approval number.
• Studies should follow the 3Rs (replacement, reduction, refinement) and be reported in line with the ARRIVE guidelines.
• Species, strain, number, housing, anaesthesia, analgesia and method of euthanasia must be described.

4. Clinical Trials

Clinical trials must be registered in a public trial registry, such as a WHO primary registry or CTRI for India, before the first participant is enrolled. The registration number must appear in the abstract.

5. Microorganisms, Plants and Biosafety

Work with pathogenic microorganisms, genetically modified organisms or protected plant and animal species must follow national biosafety and biodiversity rules, and the necessary permits must be stated.

6. Ethics Statement in the Manuscript

Each research article must include a section titled “Ethical Approval and Consent”. It must give the name of the approving committee, the approval number and date, and how consent was obtained, or state “Not applicable” with a reason. Manuscripts without this statement are returned to the authors before peer review.