Ethical requirements for research involving human subjects

The Proceedings of the Kyiv Theological Academy, published by the Kyiv Orthodox Theological Academy, adheres to international standards of academic integrity and COPE guidelines in its ethical policy regarding research involving human subjects. The journal only considers manuscripts that comply with ethical protocols aimed at protecting the rights, safety, and dignity of research participants.

 

General Principles

Authors submitting manuscripts based on research involving human participants must ensure that the research complies with national legislation, ethical standards, and international bioethics conventions. All procedures must be transparent and well-founded and must not cause harm to participants.

 

Ethical Approval

All research involving human subjects must be pre-approved by the relevant institutional ethics committee or its equivalent.

Authors must provide the editorial board with clear documentation of ethical approval, including the approval number, date, and name of the issuing body.

Studies that do not require ethical approval under national law must be accompanied by appropriate justification from the authors.

 

Informed Consent

Authors must confirm that they have obtained voluntary and informed consent from all study participants.

When participants are unable to provide consent themselves (e.g., minors or individuals with impaired decision-making capacity), consent from their legal representatives is required.

Manuscripts must include a description of the consent procedure.

 

Confidentiality and Anonymity

All participants' personal data must be anonymized or presented in a de-identified form.

Authors are responsible for complying with laws regarding the protection of personal data and confidentiality.

Studies involving vulnerable groups (e.g., minors, the elderly, people with disabilities, and individuals in difficult life circumstances) must meet heightened standards of ethical oversight and safety.

 

Risks and Safety

Authors must describe potential risks to participants and the measures taken to minimize them. Studies that pose an unjustified risk are not eligible for publication.

 

Ethical Violations

If ethical requirements are violated, the journal will act in accordance with COPE recommendations. This may result in rejection of the manuscript, publication of a correction, or retraction of a published article.