Animals and Biological Material

The Uzbek Scientific Journal of Internal Diseases is committed to ensuring the welfare of animals used in research, education, and testing. Authors must adhere to ethical guidelines and regulations when conducting research involving animals, their data, or biological material. This policy outlines the necessary ethical considerations, approvals, and responsibilities of authors conducting animal-based research.

Research Involving Animals and Their Data or Biological Material

Authors must respect the welfare of animals (vertebrates and higher invertebrates) used in scientific research. Detailed information on the ethical treatment of animals must be provided in the manuscript submission. Authors are encouraged to use the ARRIVE checklist when submitting manuscripts that describe animal research, as it ensures that key ethical aspects of animal research are reported.

  • Ethical Guidelines: We recommend authors follow the American Veterinary Medical Association (AVMA) Guidelines for the Euthanasia of Animals (2020) for guidance on veterinary best practices, particularly concerning the anesthesia and euthanasia of animals.
  • Client-Owned Animals: In research involving client-owned animals, authors must ensure that informed consent is obtained from the animal owner or client and that the animals receive a high standard of veterinary care throughout the study.
  • Endangered Species: Authors conducting research involving species at risk of extinction should consult the International Union for Conservation of Nature (IUCN) Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of Extinction, as well as the IUCN Red List of threatened species and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora (CITES).

Ethics Approval

For all studies involving animals, authors must confirm that the research was approved by an institutional or national research ethics committee. The following information should be included:

  • Ethics Committee Approval: Authors must provide the name of the ethics committee that granted approval and the relevant permit or approval number.
  • Compliance with Legal Requirements: Authors should confirm that all legal requirements or guidelines for the care and use of animals, as mandated by the country or region in which the research was conducted, have been followed.
  • Exemption from Ethics Approval: If the study did not require ethics approval, authors must explain why this was the case and provide a justification for why ethics approval was not necessary.

Retrospective Ethics Approval

For retrospective studies, which involve using previously collected data or biological material, ethics approval may not be obtained at the time the study begins. However, authors must check with their institutions to ensure compliance with ethical guidelines for retrospective data use.

  • Ethics Approval for Retrospective Studies: In some cases, retrospective studies may require ethics approval, depending on the laws and ethical guidelines of the country where the research was conducted. Authors should ensure compliance with these requirements and include this information in the manuscript.

Ethics Approval for Case Studies

Authors submitting case reports must confirm that ethics approval was obtained for the study and that informed consent was provided by the individual or their legal guardian (if applicable).

  • Informed Consent: Authors should obtain written informed consent from patients or their guardians for participation and publication of any case-related images or data. This includes explicit consent for the publication of photographs or identifiable information related to the case.
  • Ethical Considerations: If consent was not required, authors should clarify why it was not necessary, such as in the case of anonymous or publicly available data.

Cell Lines

If human cell lines are used in the research, authors must provide the following information:

  • Source of Cell Lines: Authors must declare the source of the human cell lines, including where and when the cell lines were obtained.
  • Authentication of Cell Lines: Authors must confirm that the cell lines used have been recently authenticated and specify the method used for authentication.
  • Commercial Sources: If the cell lines were purchased from a life science company, the authors must provide the company name, cell type, batch number, and other relevant information.

Authors are encouraged to consult the National Center for Biotechnology Information (NCBI) database to verify cell line authenticity and avoid contamination. If applicable, the manuscript must confirm that the research was approved by an ethics committee and that informed consent was obtained from the donor or next of kin.

Research Resource Identifiers (RRID)

To promote reproducibility and transparency in biological research, the Uzbek Scientific Journal of Internal Diseases encourages authors to use Research Resource Identifiers (RRID) for key biological resources, including antibodies, cell lines, model organisms, and other tools.

  • Examples of RRID Usage:
    • Organism: Filip1tm1a(KOMP)Wtsi RRID: MMRRC_055641-UCD
    • Cell Line: RST307 cell line RRID: CVCL_C321
    • Antibody: Luciferase antibody DSHB Cat# LUC-3, RRID: AB_2722109
    • Software: ImageJ Version 1.2.4 RRID: SCR_003070

Authors should include RRIDs in their manuscript to ensure proper attribution and facilitate resource tracking.

Clinical Trial Registration

Clinical trials involving animals should follow the same guidelines as those involving human participants, with the additional requirement for registration in publicly available registries for prospective trials (e.g., www.clinicaltrials.gov or other registries within the WHO International Clinical Trials Registry Platform).

  • Trial Registration: Authors must include the Trial Registration Number (TRN) and the date of registration in the last line of the manuscript abstract.
  • Retrospective Registration: If a clinical trial was not registered prospectively, authors are encouraged to register the trial retrospectively and include the TRN, date of registration, and the phrase “retrospectively registered” in the abstract.

Standards of Reporting

The Uzbek Scientific Journal of Internal Diseases advocates for the complete and transparent reporting of animal research. Authors should adhere to reporting guidelines based on their specific study designs, such as:

  • ARRIVE guidelines for animal pre-clinical studies.
  • CONSORT for randomized trials.
  • STROBE for observational studies.
  • PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses.

Authors are encouraged to consult the EQUATOR Network for reporting standards that best fit their study design.

Summary of Requirements

The relevant ethical information should be summarized and included in a "Declarations" section before the reference list. Other required declarations include:

  • Ethics Approval: Confirm institutional/national ethics committee approval.
  • Funding: Disclose funding sources for the research.
  • Conflicts of Interest: Declare any potential conflicts of interest.
  • Consent: Confirm informed consent to participate and publish.
  • Data and/or Code Availability: Indicate whether research data or code is available for public access.
  • Authors’ Contribution Statements: Clarify each author's contributions.

Failure to Meet Ethical Guidelines

Manuscripts that do not comply with these ethical standards may be rejected. If an ethical violation is identified post-publication, the journal reserves the right to issue corrections, retractions, or other actions as necessary, in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy and completeness of the statements provided in their manuscripts. The Editor-in-Chief reserves the right to reject manuscripts that do not meet the ethical standards outlined in this policy.


ISSN 0000-0000 (Online)