Informed Consent and Participant Privacy

Authors must distinguish consent to participate in research from consent to publish identifiable information. Obtain informed consent for participation, or a documented waiver from the competent ethics body where permitted, and explain the procedure in the manuscript.

Written consent for publication is required for identifiable patient descriptions, photographs, recordings, pedigrees or other material, including case reports. Explain what will be published and that online publication may make the material widely accessible. Where a person cannot provide valid consent, follow applicable law and ethics guidance on authorization by a legally recognized representative.

Remove unnecessary identifying information. Masking eyes or replacing names with initials may not adequately anonymize a participant. Do not alter clinically relevant facts to create apparent anonymity. The editorial office may request evidence of consent through a secure route; signed consent forms and personal identifiers must not be uploaded as publicly accessible supplementary files.

Authors must obtain consent to identify individuals in acknowledgements where identification could imply endorsement. Concerns about identifiable published information should be sent to info@johe.pk for prompt editorial assessment.