Research Ethics and Informed Consent

JGTSS expects research to respect the rights, welfare and reasonable expectations of the people and communities it studies. Ethical responsibility continues through analysis, publication and data sharing; it is not completed merely by obtaining a permission letter. Review is proportionate to the methods, context and potential harms of the particular social-science project.

Approval or justified exemption

Research involving human participants, identifiable personal information, experiments, interviews, focus groups or intrusive observation requires appropriate independent ethical review where that is required by applicable rules. Authors report the reviewing body, approval reference and relevant date. If formal review was not required or an exemption was granted, they identify the responsible basis and explain why, rather than entering a vague statement that ethics was not applicable.

Review should precede research activities for which it is required. Retrospective approval must not be described as prospective approval. If the work was conducted without a required review, authors disclose this at submission; the editor assesses the implications and may decline publication or seek institutional advice. Studies across institutions or jurisdictions explain how relevant responsibilities were coordinated.

Consent and privacy

Authors describe how participants were informed, how consent was recorded and how voluntariness was protected. An appropriate ethics body may authorize a justified alteration or waiver; the manuscript explains the basis without revealing participant identities. Oral consent may be appropriate in some field settings when documented and permitted. Consent from an organization or community gatekeeper does not replace individual consent when the individual’s participation requires it.

Researchers take particular care where employment, schooling, migration status, detention, dependency or power relations may constrain choice. Research involving children uses age-appropriate assent and necessary parental or representative consent, subject to ethically approved exceptions. Participation consent does not automatically authorize publication of an identifiable photograph, voice recording, quotation or personal narrative. Separate publication permission is obtained when identification is foreseeable, and unnecessary identifying details are removed.

Context and disclosure

The possibility of tracing an online quotation back to its author is considered before publication. Public availability alone does not remove obligations toward vulnerable users, private groups or sensitive topics. Authors explain how platform access, participant expectations, data protection and quotation practices were assessed. De-identification must account for combinations of indirect identifiers, not simply remove names.

Research using public documents, historical archives or aggregated datasets may not require participant consent, but authors still evaluate access conditions, intellectual property and risks to living people or communities. Editors may request relevant approval or consent evidence through a secure channel and should avoid collecting unnecessary identity documents. The article reports the ethical basis in a dedicated statement; underlying signed consent records remain with the responsible researchers or institution unless a justified review requires limited access. Unresolved participant-safety concerns can halt review or publication. Reports may be sent confidentially to jgtsseditorialoffice@jandoopress.com.

Last updated: 16 September 2026