Ethical Oversight Policy

Verdict: Journal of Law Science is committed to upholding ethical standards throughout the research, peer-review, and publication processes. The journal requires authors to conduct and report their research in accordance with applicable research ethics principles, legal requirements, institutional regulations, and established standards of academic integrity.

Ethical oversight covers research involving human participants, vulnerable individuals, confidential legal records, court proceedings, personal data, customary law, Indigenous Peoples and communities, and other sensitive legal or social materials. It also addresses informed consent, privacy, confidentiality, intellectual property, research authorization, and the responsible use of evidence and legal sources.

The journal applies this policy proportionately, taking into account the research design, applicable legal obligations, and the nature of the materials examined.

1. Ethical Approval and Research Authorization

Authors conducting research involving human participants or other activities requiring formal ethical review must obtain approval from an appropriate research ethics committee, institutional review board, or authorized body before commencing the relevant research activities, where required by applicable regulations and institutional standards.

Research involving court records, confidential case files, government institutions, legal practitioners, incarcerated individuals, victims, witnesses, or other restricted sources may also require specific permissions or authorizations. Authors are responsible for determining and fulfilling these requirements before collecting, accessing, or using the relevant materials.

Where applicable, manuscripts must identify the approving institution or committee and provide the approval reference number and date. Authors must also disclose any formal exemption from ethical review and identify the body granting the exemption, where such documentation exists.

For research that does not require formal ethical approval, authors must explain the basis for that determination when requested. The journal reserves the right to request supporting documentation or clarification concerning ethical compliance.

2. Mandatory Ethics Statement

All submitted manuscripts must include an Ethics Statement describing the ethical considerations relevant to the research. Depending on the research design, the statement must identify the applicable ethical approval, the approving institution or committee, the approval reference number, research authorization, and informed consent procedures, where relevant.

For empirical studies involving human participants, authors must describe how informed consent was obtained and explain the measures used to protect participants' rights, privacy, and confidentiality.

For doctrinal, normative, theoretical, conceptual, comparative, literature-based, or case-law studies that rely exclusively on publicly available legal materials and do not involve activities requiring ethical approval, authors should explicitly indicate that formal ethical approval was not applicable, where appropriate.

The Ethics Statement must accurately reflect the research procedures and comply with applicable ethical and legal standards. The editorial office may request additional information or supporting documentation whenever necessary.

3. Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants must respect their dignity, autonomy, privacy, safety, and legal rights. Authors are responsible for ensuring that participation is voluntary and that research procedures comply with applicable ethical requirements and legal obligations.

Informed consent must be obtained before participation, where required. Participants should receive appropriate information about the research objectives, procedures, potential risks, confidentiality protections, and intended use of their contributions.

For research involving children or individuals who cannot independently provide legally valid consent, permission must be obtained from a parent, legal guardian, or other authorized representative, as applicable, together with the participant's assent where appropriate.

Authors conducting interviews, surveys, observations, or other empirical research must explain their consent procedures and describe the safeguards implemented to protect participants. Supporting documentation must be provided when reasonably requested by the editorial team, subject to applicable confidentiality requirements.

4. Consent to Publication

Consent to participate in research is distinct from consent to publish identifiable information. Authors must obtain specific consent for publication when required for manuscripts containing identifiable personal information, photographs, audio or video recordings, case histories, or other materials that could reveal an individual's identity or sensitive circumstances.

Particular care is required when publishing information concerning victims, witnesses, litigants, minors, incarcerated individuals, and other persons whose disclosure could expose them to discrimination, reputational harm, retaliation, or other foreseeable risks.

Authors must ensure that published materials do not unnecessarily expose individuals to identification or harm. Consent documentation must be retained securely and made available to the editorial office when requested, subject to applicable confidentiality and data-protection requirements.

The public availability of a court judgment or legal document does not automatically remove all ethical considerations associated with reproducing personal information from that source.

5. Research Involving Vulnerable Individuals and Communities

Research involving vulnerable individuals or communities requires particular ethical care. Authors must demonstrate that appropriate safeguards have been implemented to minimize potential harm, protect participants' rights, and ensure that participation is voluntary and informed.

Vulnerability may arise from age, disability, social or economic circumstances, unequal power relationships, legal status, detention, dependence on authorities, or other contextual factors.

Research involving victims of crime, witnesses, litigants, incarcerated individuals, or persons subject to legal proceedings must consider the potential consequences of disclosure and participation. Authors should explain how risks were assessed and managed and how confidentiality and personal safety were protected.

Researchers must not exploit participants, exert inappropriate pressure, or expose individuals to unnecessary risks. Additional consent, authorization, or protective procedures required by applicable ethical standards must be observed.

6. Research Involving Indigenous Peoples, Customary Law, and Culturally Sensitive Materials

The journal recognizes the ethical responsibilities associated with research involving Indigenous Peoples, customary law, traditional knowledge, community governance, culturally sensitive practices, and other materials subject to community rights or restrictions.

Authors must respect applicable community protocols, legal rights, intellectual property rights, confidentiality obligations, and relevant requirements for consultation, consent, and authorization. Where necessary, researchers should consult appropriate community representatives and obtain the permissions required for collecting, analyzing, or publishing sensitive materials.

Research involving customary law or community-based legal practices must represent the relevant legal traditions, institutions, and community perspectives accurately and respectfully. Authors must avoid misrepresentation, inappropriate disclosure, or the unauthorized use of restricted knowledge and materials.

Where access or publication restrictions apply, authors must explain the relevant limitations and ensure that research findings are presented responsibly. These requirements do not replace any formal ethical approval or legal authorization required for the research.

7. Confidentiality, Privacy, and Data Protection

Authors, editors, and reviewers must protect confidential information obtained during research and the editorial process. Personal data, research records, and confidential documents must be collected, stored, processed, and shared in accordance with applicable data-protection laws, ethical requirements, confidentiality obligations, and consent conditions.

Particular care must be taken when handling:

• Confidential court records, case files, and legal documents that are not publicly accessible.
• Information subject to legal professional privilege, professional secrecy, or other legally recognized confidentiality obligations.
• Personal information concerning litigants, victims, witnesses, minors, and other identifiable individuals.
• Confidential interviews, survey responses, institutional records, and unpublished research materials.
• Documents or data subject to court orders, statutory restrictions, contractual obligations, or third-party rights.

Identifying information must be removed or appropriately protected before research materials are shared publicly, unless disclosure is legally permitted and ethically justified. Confidential manuscripts, reviewer reports, and unpublished research data must not be disclosed or used for unauthorized purposes.

Where data-sharing restrictions apply, authors must explain the relevant limitations in their Data Availability Statement in accordance with the journal's Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy.

8. Research Involving Animals

Where applicable, research involving animals must comply with relevant institutional, national, and international animal welfare standards. Authors must obtain approval from the appropriate animal research ethics committee or authorized body when required and provide details of the approval in the manuscript.

Research procedures must minimize unnecessary pain, distress, and harm. The journal may request supporting documentation or clarification concerning animal welfare and ethical compliance.

9. Verification of Ethical Compliance

The editorial office reserves the right to request supporting documentation to verify compliance with this policy. Such documentation may include:

• Research ethics approval certificates or exemption letters.
• Informed consent and consent-to-publication documentation.
• Research permissions or institutional authorizations.
• Evidence of compliance with applicable privacy and confidentiality requirements.
• Documentation supporting the lawful use of restricted records or third-party materials.
• Other relevant evidence necessary to assess ethical compliance.

Authors must provide accurate information and cooperate with reasonable editorial requests. Documentation submitted to the journal will be handled confidentially and in accordance with applicable privacy and research ethics requirements.

Failure to provide adequate documentation, inaccurate ethical declarations, or unresolved concerns regarding compliance may affect editorial decisions, including rejection of a submission or further investigation where warranted.

10. Ethical Concerns and Editorial Responsibilities

The editorial team is responsible for assessing potential ethical concerns identified during submission, peer review, or after publication. Where concerns arise, the journal may request explanations, ethics approval documents, consent records, research permissions, data documentation, or other relevant evidence.

Allegations of research or publication misconduct will be assessed fairly and confidentially in accordance with the journal's publication ethics procedures and relevant guidance from the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Depending on the nature and severity of the concern, the journal may request clarification or corrective action, suspend the editorial process, reject a submission, or issue a correction, expression of concern, or retraction for a published article where warranted.

The journal will consider the seriousness of the concern, the available evidence, and the applicable publication ethics procedures before determining an appropriate response.

11. Research Integrity and Related Editorial Policies

This Ethical Oversight Policy must be read in conjunction with the journal's other editorial and publication ethics policies, including:

• Conflicts of Interest Policy: Requires authors, editors, reviewers, and editorial staff to disclose relevant competing interests and take appropriate measures to protect impartiality.
• Data Sharing and Reproducibility Policy: Promotes responsible data sharing, methodological transparency, and verification of research findings while protecting confidential and sensitive materials.
• Research Misconduct Policy: Addresses allegations of fabrication, falsification, plagiarism, and other forms of research or publication misconduct.
• Corrections and Retractions Policy: Establishes procedures for correcting the scholarly record when errors or serious integrity concerns are identified.

These policies collectively support responsible legal research, transparent editorial decision-making, and the integrity of the scholarly record.

12. Responsibilities of Authors

By submitting a manuscript to Verdict: Journal of Law Science, authors are responsible for:

1. Conducting and reporting research in accordance with applicable ethical standards, legal requirements, and institutional regulations.
2. Including an accurate Ethics Statement in the manuscript.
3. Obtaining and reporting ethical approval, exemption, and research authorization where applicable.
4. Securing informed consent and consent to publication when required.
5. Protecting participants' privacy, confidentiality, dignity, safety, and legal rights.
6. Respecting confidentiality obligations, intellectual property rights, community protocols, and restrictions on sensitive legal materials.
7. Ensuring that legislation, judicial decisions, case records, and other legal authorities are represented accurately and responsibly.
8. Providing accurate ethical declarations and supporting documentation when requested.
9. Ensuring that data sharing and publication practices comply with applicable legal, ethical, and confidentiality requirements.
10. Responding to reasonable editorial requests for clarification concerning ethical compliance.
11. Reporting relevant ethical limitations or concerns transparently.

13. Policy Implementation and Review

The journal applies this policy proportionately, taking into account the research design, disciplinary conventions, applicable legal and ethical requirements, and the nature of the materials involved.

The absence of formal ethical approval will not automatically result in rejection when approval was not required and the authors can adequately justify their position. However, authors remain responsible for compliance with other applicable ethical obligations, including confidentiality, data protection, informed consent where required, and the lawful use of research materials.

The editorial team is responsible for implementing this policy consistently throughout the submission, peer-review, and publication processes. The journal may periodically review and update the policy to reflect developments in research ethics, legal regulation, data protection, publication standards, and scholarly publishing.