The journal is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research and publication. All submitted manuscripts must demonstrate compliance with established national and international ethical guidelines governing research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, and sensitive data. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their studies have been conducted with integrity, respect, and transparency at every stage of the research process.
Ethical Approval and Oversight
Research involving human participants, human data, or biological samples must receive prior approval from an accredited institutional review board or ethics committee. The name of the committee, approval number, and date of approval must be clearly stated in the manuscript. Authors must confirm that their study conforms to the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki and any applicable national or institutional standards.
For studies involving animals, authors must confirm that all procedures were performed in accordance with institutional and international guidelines for the care and use of laboratory animals. The name of the relevant ethics committee or governing authority must be included in the manuscript, along with an assurance that all reasonable efforts were made to minimize animal suffering.
Informed Consent and Participant Privacy
Authors must obtain written informed consent from all human participants prior to their inclusion in a study. If participants are minors or otherwise incapable of providing consent, permission must be obtained from their parents or legal guardians.
When publishing identifiable information—such as photographs, case details, or clinical data—authors must secure explicit consent for publication. A statement confirming informed consent must be included in the manuscript. The journal reserves the right to request copies of consent forms if necessary.
Participant privacy and confidentiality must always be protected. Personal identifiers should be removed or anonymized unless essential to the research purpose and consent has been obtained. Data sharing must comply with relevant privacy laws and institutional requirements.
Research Involving Biological Materials and Heritage Samples
Collection and use of biological specimens (including cultivated or wild samples, fossils, or genetic material) must comply with institutional, national, and international regulations. Authors must obtain and document all necessary permissions or licenses for field studies, sample collection, and material transfer. For fossil, archaeological, or heritage materials, authors must demonstrate adherence to applicable laws governing the protection and ownership of cultural and natural resources.
Clinical Trials Registration and Reporting
Although ESTUSCIENCE-SE generally does not publish clinical or biomedical research, authors submitting any work involving human participants, medical interventions, or clinical data must follow recognized international standards. Such studies must be registered in a public trials registry before participant recruitment, and the registration number must be included in the manuscript.
Use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and Automated Technologies
If AI or AI-assisted tools are used in research design, data analysis, or manuscript preparation, this must be transparently disclosed in the Methods or Acknowledgments section. Authors must retain full responsibility for the integrity and validity of any results generated with AI support.
Ethical Data Management and Sharing
Authors must ensure that research data are collected and managed ethically. Data should be stored securely, made available for verification when appropriate, and shared responsibly in accordance with privacy and consent restrictions. When datasets are published or deposited in repositories, proper citation and documentation must be provided.
All submissions must include a Data-Availability Statement indicating where the supporting data can be accessed or explaining any justified restrictions (e.g., privacy, confidentiality, or proprietary limitations). Editors may request access to data for verification during peer review.
Compliance Verification and Ethical Accountability
The Editorial Office may request additional documentation—such as ethics approval letters or consent forms—to verify compliance. Failure to meet research ethics standards may result in rejection, correction, or retraction of the article. Authors, editors, and reviewers are jointly responsible for reporting and addressing any ethical concerns identified before or after publication.