Skip to main page content
U.S. flag

An official website of the United States government

Dot gov

The .gov means it’s official.
Federal government websites often end in .gov or .mil. Before sharing sensitive information, make sure you’re on a federal government site.

Https

The site is secure.
The https:// ensures that you are connecting to the official website and that any information you provide is encrypted and transmitted securely.

Access keys NCBI Homepage MyNCBI Homepage Main Content Main Navigation
Comparative Study
. 2024 Oct;19(4-5):238-249.
doi: 10.1177/15562646241276237. Epub 2024 Sep 2.

Comparison of Instructions to Authors and Reporting of Ethics Components in Selected African Biomedical Journals: 2008 and 2017

Isaac O Dipeolu  1   2   3 , Douglas R Wassenaar  3
Affiliations
Comparative Study

Comparison of Instructions to Authors and Reporting of Ethics Components in Selected African Biomedical Journals: 2008 and 2017

Isaac O Dipeolu et al. J Empir Res Hum Res Ethics. 2024 Oct.

Abstract

Journal editors instruct authors to describe human participant protections in original research reports. However, little is known about African biomedical journal authors' adherence to such journal editors' instructions. This study investigated changes in editors' instructions to authors and authors' reporting of research ethics information in selected African biomedical journals between 2008 and 2017. Twelve selected journal websites and online articles were reviewed in Eastern, Southern, and Western African [ESWA] countries. A pre-tested schema and a checklist were used to collect data from journal websites and articles published in 2008 and 2017, and the data were analysed using descriptive and inferential statistics. Half of the journals requested prospective authors to disclose ethics approval and related issues in their manuscripts between 2008 and 2017. There was a significant increase in instructions to authors regarding information on the protection of research participants within this period; more authors complied with these requirements in 2017 than in 2007.

Keywords: African biomedical journals; human participants protection; instruction to authors; publication ethics.

PubMed Disclaimer

Conflict of interest statement

Declaration of Conflicting InterestsThe second author is a member of the REC that reviewed this project for ethics exemption and declares that due to a declared conflict of interest, he had no part in the ethics review decision (exemption) granted to this study. As Editor-in-Chief of this journal, the second author declares that the review and final decision regarding this article was completely independently and confidentially conducted by an Associate Editor of the Journal.

Publication types

LinkOut - more resources