Ethical Research Involving Humans

The ethical policy of the journal “Shevchenko Studies” regarding research involving human participants is based on international standards of academic integrity, recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Elsevier Publishing House, the Civil Code of Ukraine, the Law of Ukraine “On Copyright and Related Rights”, the Law of Ukraine “On Education”, and the “Code of Ethics of the University Community” of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv. The publication accepts for consideration only those manuscripts that meet the requirements of ethical protocols aimed at protecting the rights, safety, and dignity of research participants.

The editorial board reserves the right to reject materials that do not meet the standards of the Ministry of Education and Science of Ukraine, as well as the requirements for publications in scientific periodicals registered in international scientometric databases.

General principles

Authors submitting manuscripts based on studies involving human subjects are required to ensure that such studies comply with national legislation, ethical standards, WAME (World Association of Medical Editors), international conventions on bioethics. All procedures should be transparent, reasonable and not cause harm to participants.

All studies involving human subjects should be conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki of the World Medical Association.

Ethical approval

• All studies involving human subjects must be previously approved by the relevant institutional ethics committee or its equivalent (Bioethics Committee of Taras Shevchenko National University of Kyiv).
• Authors should provide the editorial office with a clear reference to the ethical approval, including the permit number, date and name of the body that issued it.
• Studies that do not require ethical approval under national law should be accompanied by an appropriate justification from the authors.

Informed consent

• Authors should confirm that voluntary, informed consent has been obtained from all study participants.
• In cases where participants are unable to provide consent themselves (e.g. minors, persons with limited decision-making capacity), consent from their legal representatives is required.
• Manuscripts should include a description of the consent procedure.

Confidentiality and anonymity

• All personal data of participants should be anonymized or presented in a depersonalized form.
• The authors are responsible for compliance with legislation on personal data protection and confidentiality.

Vulnerable groups

Studies involving vulnerable groups (minors, elderly people, persons with disabilities, persons in difficult life circumstances, etc.) should meet increased standards of ethical control and safety.

Risks and Safety

Authors should describe potential risks to participants and measures taken to minimize them. Studies that pose an unjustified risk are not subject to publication.

Ethical Violations

If ethical violations are identified, the publication acts in accordance with COPE recommendations and may initiate rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, or retraction of an already published article.