This policy sets out the additional ethical requirements that apply to all research and clinical material involving infants, children, and adolescents published in SJPed. It complements, and should be read with, the journal's Publication Ethics and Malpractice Statement. Children are recognised as a vulnerable population requiring enhanced protection, consistent with the Declaration of Helsinki, the CIOMS international ethical guidelines, and the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Requirements at a Glance

1. Ethical Approval

All studies involving children must be approved by an appropriate research ethics committee or Institutional Review Board, conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki, and the approval number must be stated in the Methods. Editors may decline manuscripts for which adequate ethical clearance cannot be demonstrated.

2. Justification for Involving Children

Authors must justify the participation of children, demonstrating that the research question could not be equally addressed in adults, that risks and burdens were minimised, that pain and distress were avoided or alleviated, and that the research was consistent with the best interests of the child.

3. Parental/Guardian Consent

Written informed consent must be obtained from the parent(s) or legal guardian of every child participant. The consent process, including how information was provided to families, should be described in the Methods.

4. Child Assent

Age-appropriate assent must be sought from children who are capable of giving it, in addition to parental/guardian consent. The age and manner of obtaining assent, and the handling of a child's dissent, should be described. The willingness of a child to participate must be respected.

5. Consent for Publication of Identifiable Material

For any manuscript containing identifiable information or images of a child — including photographs of the face or other distinctive features, or identifiable clinical details — authors must obtain explicit written consent for publication from the parent or legal guardian, together with the assent of an older child where appropriate, using the SJPed Parental/Guardian Consent for Publication form. 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 family may decline without any prejudice to the child's care.

6. Privacy and Confidentiality

Authors and editors exercise strict confidentiality in handling children's data, particularly for sensitive conditions. Data sharing must comply with the protection of children's privacy and applicable law.

7. Neonates and Special Situations

For neonatal research and for situations in which a child cannot assent, parental/guardian consent applies, and additional safeguards appropriate to the vulnerability of the participants must be described.