Because much research in the neurosciences involves potentially vulnerable participants—including people with dementia, stroke, epilepsy, impaired consciousness, or other conditions affecting decision-making capacity, as well as children—SJN applies particularly careful standards to studies involving human subjects, consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki and COPE guidance.
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 | Where a vulnerable population is involved, authors must justify it—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 decision-making capacity is impaired, consent from a legally authorised representative, with the participant’s assent sought where possible and any dissent respected. |
| 4. Privacy & confidentiality | Protect participant identity; remove identifying details from text, tables, figures, and neuro-imaging unless essential and consented. |
Vulnerable Populations in Neurology
Studies enrolling participants who may lack capacity to consent (e.g. advanced dementia, acute stroke, status epilepticus, disorders of consciousness) must describe the safeguards used: capacity assessment, the role of legally authorised representatives, assent and dissent procedures, and how the burden and risk to participants were minimised.
Consent for Publication of Identifiable Material
Written consent for publication is required before any potentially identifiable material is submitted—including facial photographs, rare-disease details, and neuro-imaging (MRI/CT) or video (e.g. seizure or movement recordings) from which an individual could be identified. Consent must cover publication in print, online, and open-access reuse.
Sriwijaya Journal of Neurology (SJN)
Phlox Institute: Indonesian Medical Research Organization
Editor-in-Chief: Despian Januandri, PhD
Jl. Sirna Raga No. 99, Delapan Ilir, Ilir Timur Tiga, Palembang, South Sumatera, Indonesia
E-mail: sriwijayajournalneurology@gmail.com · Phone: +62 877-8809-0173 · e-ISSN 2987-1425
Licensed under CC BY-NC-SA 4.0.