Consentimiento Informado y Ética de la Investigación

Informed Consent and Research Ethics Policy

The Transformational Thinking Journal requires that all published research complies with the highest standards of research ethics, respect for human dignity, animal welfare, and scientific integrity.

The journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), the World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki, the CIOMS International Ethical Guidelines, the UNESCO Recommendation on Open Science, and all applicable national and international regulations.

1. Research Involving Human Participants

Research involving human participants, personal data, clinical information, interviews, surveys, observations, or any identifiable information must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards.

Authors must state that:

  • the study received approval from a recognized Research Ethics Committee, when applicable;
  • informed consent was obtained before participation;
  • participants were informed about the objectives, procedures, risks, benefits, and data processing;
  • participants were free to withdraw from the study at any time without penalty.

Any exemption from informed consent must be properly justified according to applicable regulations.

2. Informed Consent

Authors must retain documentation demonstrating informed consent and provide it to the journal upon request.

Whenever photographs, clinical images, videos, recordings, or any identifying information are published, explicit written permission from the participant must be obtained.

3. Research Involving Children and Vulnerable Populations

Research involving:

  • children;
  • adolescents;
  • persons with disabilities;
  • older adults;
  • Indigenous communities;
  • other vulnerable populations,

must comply with applicable ethical regulations and include legal guardian consent where required, as well as participant assent whenever appropriate.

4. Personal Data Protection

Authors must ensure the confidentiality and protection of participants' personal information.

Research must comply with applicable data protection and privacy regulations.

No identifying information shall be published without explicit authorization.

5. Animal Research

Research involving animals must comply with internationally recognized animal welfare standards, including the Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals, as well as applicable national regulations.

Authors must report:

  • ethics committee approval;
  • protocol approval number, where applicable;
  • measures taken to minimize animal suffering.

6. Clinical Trials

For clinical trial reports, authors must provide:

  • the trial registration number;
  • the registry platform;
  • confirmation that the trial was registered before participant enrollment.

The journal recommends registration in registries recognized by the World Health Organization (WHO) or the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

7. Ethical Statement

All manuscripts must include an Ethics Statement describing, where applicable:

  • ethics committee approval;
  • protocol number;
  • informed consent procedures;
  • compliance with ethical regulations;
  • clinical trial registration.

If ethical approval was not required, authors must clearly justify the reason.

8. Author Responsibilities

Authors are fully responsible for ensuring compliance with all ethical requirements governing the conduct and publication of research.

Falsification of ethical approvals, informed consent documentation, or related information constitutes serious scientific misconduct.

9. Journal Procedures

If concerns arise regarding ethical compliance, the journal may:

  • request supporting documentation;
  • suspend the editorial process;
  • reject the manuscript;
  • publish a correction;
  • issue an Expression of Concern;
  • retract the article,

in accordance with the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines.