Research Ethics Policy

Vestnik KazNMU publishes original research articles and systematic reviews, including systematic reviews and meta-analyses. The journal is committed to ensuring that all published research meets internationally recognized ethical standards and that all studies included in review-based manuscripts have been conducted and reported ethically.

1. Human Research

 

1.1 All original research involving human participants, identifiable human data, or human biological materials must have been conducted in accordance with internationally recognized ethical principles, including the Declaration of Helsinki, and must have received approval, exemption, or waiver from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review board, where required.


1.2 Manuscripts reporting human research must include a clear ethics statement identifying the approving committee or board and, where available, the approval number and date.


1.3 Authors must confirm that informed consent was obtained from participants or their legal representatives, where applicable. If consent was waived, this must be explained and justified in accordance with the decision of the relevant ethics body.


1.4 Manuscripts must not contain identifiable personal information unless publication is scientifically justified and explicit permission for publication has been obtained.

 

2. Clinical Trials and Clinical Studies

 

2.1 Prospective registration in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry is recommended for interventional clinical trials. The manuscript must include the name of the registry and the trial identification number.


2.2 Authors are expected to follow relevant reporting guidelines appropriate to the study design. These may include, where applicable:

  • CONSORT for randomized controlled trials;
  • STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies;
  • STROBE for observational studies;
  • MOOSE for meta-analyses of observational studies;
  • PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses;
  • ARRIVE for animal studies;
  • other relevant reporting standards listed by the EQUATOR Network.
     

2.3 Clinical studies must be reported transparently, accurately, and in sufficient detail to permit critical appraisal and interpretation.

3. Animal Research

 

3.1 Original research involving animals must comply with applicable animal welfare legislation, institutional requirements, and ethical standards. Where required, authors must report approval by an appropriate animal ethics committee or equivalent body.


3.2 Authors are expected to report animal research in accordance with recognized standards such as the ARRIVE Guidelines and other relevant national or international frameworks.


3.3 Manuscripts should describe measures taken to minimize animal suffering and to ensure appropriate care and humane treatment.

 

4. Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses

 

4.1 Systematic reviews and meta-analyses should include only studies that, according to the information available in the original publications, were conducted in accordance with appropriate ethical standards.


4.2 Registration of review protocols in PROSPERO or an equivalent registry is strongly encouraged, particularly for systematic reviews and meta-analyses addressing clinical questions, but is not mandatory unless otherwise specified by the journal.


4.3 Authors of systematic reviews and meta-analyses are expected to follow PRISMA and to describe their search strategy, eligibility criteria, data sources, and methods of synthesis in sufficient detail to ensure transparency and reproducibility.


4.4 For systematic reviews and meta-analyses based exclusively on published aggregate data and not involving new collection of identifiable personal data, formal ethics approval is generally not required.

 

5. Reproduced Material and Identifiable Content

5.1 If figures, tables, images, or other materials are reproduced from previously published sources, authors are responsible for obtaining permission from the copyright holder where required and for properly acknowledging the original source.
5.2 If reproduced materials include patient images, case details, or other potentially identifiable information, authors must ensure that the original publication obtained appropriate consent and that reuse is ethically and legally permissible.

6. Editorial Oversight

6.1 The editorial team reserves the right to request clarification, supporting documentation, or additional information regarding the ethical conduct or ethical approval of any study submitted to the journal.
6.2 Manuscripts may be rejected if the journal determines that the research was conducted, reported, or sourced without appropriate ethical oversight or in violation of recognized ethical standards.
6.3 Where serious ethical concerns arise after submission or publication, the journal may take appropriate editorial action in accordance with its Publication Ethics Policy and its Corrections, Retractions, and Expressions of Concern Policy.

7. Key International Resources

7.1 Declaration of Helsinki (World Medical Association)
7.2 ICMJE Recommendations on Clinical Trial Registration
7.3 WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform (ICTRP)
7.4 PROSPERO International Prospective Register of Systematic Reviews
7.5 CONSORT
7.6 STARD
7.7 STROBE
7.8 MOOSE
7.9 PRISMA
7.10 ARRIVE
7.11 EQUATOR Network