Ethical Consideration

Ethical integrity is a fundamental requirement for all submissions to the Celebes Nursing Journal (CNJ). Authors must ensure that any research involving human participants, animals, biological materials, identifiable data, or sensitive information complies with internationally recognized ethical standards. Ethical approval, informed consent, participant protection, and transparency in research conduct are mandatory.
This Ethical Considerations section applies to all manuscript types and complements the journal’s overarching Publication Ethics & Malpractice Statement (PEMS).

1. Ethics Approval
All studies involving human participants, human tissues, biological samples, or animals must receive prior approval from a formally recognized Ethics Committee, Institutional Review Board (IRB), or equivalent authority.
The manuscript must clearly state:

The name of the ethics committee or institution granting approval
The approval number/code
Confirmation that the study complied with national regulations, institutional policies, and the Declaration of Helsinki

For research involving animals, authors must provide a statement confirming adherence to internationally accepted standards for animal care and welfare.
If ethics approval was not required, authors must provide:

A clear justification
A citation of relevant institutional or national policy supporting the exemption
Documentation from the institution (if applicable)

Studies lacking mandatory ethical approval will be rejected.

2. Informed Consent
Written informed consent is required for studies involving:

Human participants
Clinical procedures or interventions
Case reports or case series
Photographs, videos, or any identifiable personal data
Sensitive personal or medical information

Authors must report:

That informed consent was obtained
The type of consent (written/verbal with justification)
How consent documents are stored
That participants were informed about confidentiality, voluntary participation, and the right to withdraw

For case reports, consent must be obtained from the participant or legal guardian.
If consent cannot be obtained (e.g., deceased patient, archival material), authors must provide appropriate ethical justification and IRB authorization.

3. Confidentiality & Data Protection
Authors must ensure the protection of participants’ privacy and data confidentiality by:

Removing or encoding all personal identifiers
Reporting data in aggregate form whenever possible
Anonymizing sensitive variables
Ensuring secure handling, storage, and transfer of data

CNJ prohibits the publication of identifiable data (names, patient IDs, facial photographs, etc.) unless explicit written permission for publication has been obtained.

4. Research Conduct & Scientific Integrity
Authors are expected to adhere to principles of responsible research conduct, including:

Accurate and honest reporting of data
Proper data management and reproducibility
Transparent description of methods, limitations, and potential biases
Avoidance of data fabrication, falsification, and manipulation
Ethical engagement with vulnerable populations

Any concerns raised during peer review regarding ethical or scientific integrity must be addressed thoroughly and transparently.

5. Plagiarism & Originality
CNJ enforces a strict zero-tolerance policy toward plagiarism and unethical text or data reuse.
All submissions are screened using similarity detection software (e.g., Turnitin, iThenticate).
Forms of plagiarism include:

Direct copying
Mosaic or patchwork plagiarism
Self-plagiarism (duplicate or redundant publication)
Unattributed use of data, tables, or images

Manuscripts with substantial similarity or unethical reuse may be rejected, corrected, or retracted following COPE guidelines.
Full details are provided in the Plagiarism & Similarity Policy (POLICIES menu).

6. Conflict of Interest Disclosure
All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial conflicts of interest. Authors may be required to complete the ICMJE COI Disclosure Form

Example statement for the manuscript: “All authors have completed the ICMJE disclosure form. The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”
See full requirements in the Conflict of Interest Policy (POLICIES menu).

7. International Ethical Frameworks
All research submitted to CNJ must comply with internationally recognized ethical guidelines, including: