1. Purpose of This Policy
Zoological Records and Reviews (ZRR) is committed to the ethical treatment of animal subjects and, where applicable, human participants involved in research published in the journal. This policy sets out the ethical approval, consent, and welfare requirements that all such submissions must meet.
2. Research Involving Animals
For any manuscript reporting research involving live animals, whether in the field or in controlled settings, authors must confirm that:
- The study received prior approval from an appropriate institutional animal care and use committee (IACUC), animal ethics committee, or equivalent national/institutional body, with the approving body's name and approval reference number stated in the manuscript.
- The research was conducted in accordance with the ARRIVE guidelines (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments) for reporting animal research, where applicable.
- All reasonable steps were taken to minimize pain, stress, and suffering, and non-lethal or minimally invasive methods were used wherever scientifically appropriate.
- Field research involving capture, handling, marking, tagging, or sampling of wild animals complied with the journal's Collection Permits Policy, including all applicable wildlife protection laws and permits.
3. Observational and Non-Invasive Field Research
Where research is purely observational (e.g., behavioral observation without capture or handling), formal ethics committee approval may not be required. In such cases, authors must explicitly state this and confirm that the research caused no disturbance to the animals or their habitat beyond standard, minimally invasive field observation practices.
4. Research Involving Endangered or Protected Species
Research involving threatened, endangered, or legally protected species is subject to heightened scrutiny. Authors must demonstrate that the research design minimizes risk to the population and complies with relevant conservation frameworks, per the journal's Collection Permits Policy. The editorial team may seek additional expert consultation for such submissions.
5. Research Involving Human Participants
Where a manuscript involves human participants — for example, ethnozoological research, human-wildlife conflict studies, or surveys of conservation practitioners or local communities — authors must confirm that:
- The study was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.
- The study received approval from an appropriate institutional review board (IRB) or research ethics committee, with the approving body and reference number stated.
- Informed consent was obtained from all participants, including consent for publication where identifiable information is included.
- Particular care was taken where research involves indigenous or local communities, including respect for traditional ecological knowledge and any applicable consent or benefit-sharing protocols.
6. Reporting Requirements
All ethical approval and consent statements must be included in the manuscript's Methods section or a dedicated Ethical Approval statement, not merely asserted in a cover letter. Manuscripts lacking required ethical statements will be returned to the authors before proceeding to peer review.
7. Non-Compliance
Manuscripts found, at any stage, to have been conducted without appropriate ethical approval or in violation of animal welfare or human research ethics standards may be rejected, and published articles found to have this issue may be corrected or retracted, in accordance with the journal's Ethics and Malpractice Statement and COPE guidelines.
8. Policy Review
This Human/Animal Ethics Policy is reviewed periodically to ensure alignment with evolving international ethical standards, animal welfare science, and indexing requirements.