This policy sets out the additional ethical requirements that apply to all research and clinical material involving human participants published in SJIM. It complements, and should be read with, the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. Certain adults — the critically ill or unconscious, those lacking decision-making capacity, the frail elderly, pregnant women, and people with stigmatising conditions — are recognised as vulnerable populations requiring enhanced protection, consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki and the CIOMS international ethical guidelines.
Requirements at a Glance
| Requirement | What authors must do |
|---|---|
| 1. Ethical approval | Approval by an appropriate IRB/ethics committee, compliance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the approval number stated in the Methods. |
| 2. Justification | Justify involving a vulnerable population, showing the question could not be equally addressed otherwise and that risks, pain, and distress were minimised. |
| 3. Informed consent | Written consent from every participant; where capacity is lacking, consent from a legally authorised representative, with the participant's assent sought where possible and dissent respected. |
| 4. Clinical trial registration | Prospective registration in a recognised public registry before first enrolment; registration number in the abstract (ICMJE). |
| 5. Consent for identifiable material | Written consent for publication of any identifiable images or details via the SJIM Patient Consent for Publication form; identifiers omitted unless essential and consented; features masked. |
| 6. Privacy for sensitive conditions | Strict confidentiality, with particular care for HIV, viral hepatitis, tuberculosis, and mental-health comorbidity; data sharing complies with privacy law. |
| 7. Emergency & special situations | For emergency research without prior consent, the ethics-committee-approved safeguards (e.g., deferred consent where permitted) must be described. |
Consent for Publication of Identifiable Material
For any manuscript containing identifiable information or images of a patient — including photographs of the face or other distinctive features, or identifiable clinical details — authors must obtain explicit written consent for publication from the patient (or a legally authorised representative), and must state that such consent was obtained. Identifying details (names, initials, record numbers, dates) must be omitted unless essential and covered by consent; identifying features in images should be masked unless specifically consented otherwise. Consent for publication may not be inferred from consent to treatment, and a patient may decline without any prejudice to their care.
Sriwijaya Journal of Internal Medicine (SJIM)
Phlox Institute: Indonesian Medical Research Organization
Jl. Sirnaraga, 8 Ilir, Ilir Timur III, Palembang, South Sumatra, Indonesia
E-mail: sjim.editor@gmail.com · Phone: +62 877-8809-0173 · e-ISSN 2988-3237
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.