Publication Ethics

Ethics and Consent
If applicable, make sure the necessary ethical approval/clearance or informed consent was obtained and is noted on in the manuscript. Please ensure that any patient identifiers are removed from the manuscript and images (see Figure section for more details). Please see ICMJE for more information regarding Protection of Research Participants.

Permissions
Before making a submission, authors are responsible for obtaining permission to publish any material included with the submission, such as photos, documents and datasets. All authors identified on the submission must consent to be identified as an author. Where appropriate, research should be approved by an appropriate ethics committee in accordance with the legal requirements of the study's country. 

If using previously published materials, upload permission to re-use the material obtained from the copyright holder with your submission as a supplementary Permission file. Also acknowledge the source in the legend of the reused material.

Human and Animal Dignity
SMART-MD expects all research involving humans or animals to meet widely accepted ethical standards centered on respect, safety, and fairness.
Human studies must be reviewed and approved by an appropriate ethics committee, and participants must provide informed consent. Researchers are expected to clearly explain the purpose of the study, its risks, and how data will be used. Personal information should be protected through anonymization or secure handling, and extra care is required when working with vulnerable populations.
Animal research must be justified, approved by an oversight body, and conducted in a way that minimizes harm. The use of animals should be limited to cases where no reasonable alternatives exist, and efforts should be made to reduce the number used and refine procedures to limit suffering.