At Brieflands STM Publisher, we are committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research involving animals. Our principles and guidelines ensure that animal welfare is a top priority in all studies:
Humane Treatment
All animal experimentation must comply with the "Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals," 8th edition (National Research Council, Washington DC: National Academies Press, 2011) — the current edition, which supersedes the 1985 revision of NIH publication 86-23. This guide sets the standards for humane treatment and care of laboratory animals.
Adherence to the Basel Declaration and ICLAS Guidelines
We follow the Basel Declaration, which sets out fundamental ethical principles for animal research. We also observe the guidelines for researchers of the International Council for Laboratory Animal Science (ICLAS). Together these require that all animal research is conducted ethically and with respect for the animals involved.
The 3Rs
Every submission involving animals must show that the 3Rs were applied, and say so in the Methods section:
- Replacement — whether a non-animal method could have answered the question, and why it could not.
- Reduction — how the number of animals was kept to the minimum needed for a valid result, including the sample-size calculation.
- Refinement — how housing, husbandry and procedures were designed to minimise pain, suffering, distress and lasting harm, including anaesthesia, analgesia and humane endpoints.
Reporting: the ARRIVE guidelines
Animal research must be reported according to the ARRIVE guidelines 2.0 (Animal Research: Reporting of In Vivo Experiments). Complete the ARRIVE Essential 10 and upload the checklist with your submission. Reviewers use it to check that the study can be assessed and repeated.
Reporting guidelines for every study design, including the ARRIVE checklist, are listed in Reporting guidelines by study design.
Mandatory Ethical Approval
It is required to provide an ethical approval code for all submissions involving animal experimentation. Manuscripts submitted without this code will be "Quickly Rejected" during the initial screening process to maintain our commitment to ethical research practices.
Submission Process
Authors must include their ethical approval code during the submission process. This code verifies that the research has been reviewed and approved by an appropriate ethics committee, ensuring compliance with our animal rights policies.
By adhering to these guidelines, we strive to promote ethical research practices and safeguard the welfare of animals used in scientific studies.