Research Ethics

Research Ethics

Dirasat: Human and Social Sciences is committed to ensuring that all published research is conducted in accordance with recognized ethical principles and applicable institutional, national, and international regulations. Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with all relevant ethical requirements and standards prior to submission.

Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants, personal data, interviews, surveys, questionnaires, focus groups, observations, case studies, human material, human tissues, or human data must be conducted in accordance with applicable ethical principles and regulatory requirements.

Where required, authors must obtain approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Research Ethics Committee (REC), or equivalent ethics body before conducting the research. The name of the approving body and the approval reference number (where applicable) must be reported in the manuscript.

Authors must ensure that informed consent has been obtained from participants whenever required and that participants’ privacy, confidentiality, dignity, rights, and welfare have been protected throughout the research process.

For studies involving vulnerable populations, including children or other individuals requiring additional protections, authors must demonstrate that appropriate ethical safeguards were implemented.

Where ethical approval is not required under applicable institutional or national regulations, authors should provide a statement explaining the basis for the exemption. The Editorial Office may request supporting documentation where necessary.

Research involving human participants should be conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles, including the World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki.

Research Involving Personal Data

Authors must ensure that the collection, processing, storage, use, and reporting of personal data comply with all applicable data protection, privacy, confidentiality, and security requirements.

Personally identifiable information must not be disclosed unless explicit permission has been obtained from the individuals concerned and publication is ethically and legally justified.

Authors must ensure that the use of artificial intelligence (AI) tools, automated systems, or third-party platforms does not compromise the privacy, confidentiality, security, or protection of personal data collected during the research process.

Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must be conducted in accordance with applicable institutional, national, and international regulations and recognized guidelines governing the ethical treatment and welfare of animals used in research.

Authors should ensure that appropriate ethical approval has been obtained before conducting the research and that approval details are reported in the manuscript where applicable.

The journal supports the internationally recognized principles of the 3Rs:

  • Replacement: Using alternatives to animals whenever possible.
  • Reduction: Minimizing the number of animals used.
  • Refinement: Improving procedures and conditions to minimize pain, suffering, and distress.

Authors conducting research involving animals are encouraged to consult internationally recognized guidelines and standards relating to animal welfare and ethical research practices, including:

Ethical Approval and Documentation

The Editorial Office may request evidence of ethical approval, informed consent documentation, participant information sheets, permissions, or any other relevant documentation at any stage of the editorial process, peer review, or post-publication investigation.

Failure to provide appropriate ethical documentation may result in rejection of the manuscript or other editorial action where appropriate.

Ethical Standards and Guidance

Authors are expected to comply with all applicable institutional, national, and international ethical standards governing research involving human participants, personal data, and animals.

For further guidance, authors may refer to:

The journal reserves the right to request additional information or documentation relating to ethical compliance whenever necessary to support the evaluation, verification, integrity, or reproducibility of the research submitted for publication.