Human Ethics Committee

Human Ethics Committee

All researchers submitting studies involving human participants to the Brazilian Journal of Health Aromatherapy and Essential Oil (BJHAEO) must comply with internationally recognized ethical standards for medical and health research involving humans. BJHAEO follows the Ethical Principles for Medical Research Involving Human Subjects established by the World Medical Association – Declaration of Helsinki.

Ethical Approval and Informed Consent

For all studies involving human participants, authors must obtain and retain:

  • Approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Research Ethics Committee, when applicable;
  • A signed Informed Consent Form (ICF) from participants or their legal guardians.

Authors must confirm in the manuscript that ethical approval and informed consent were obtained. When applicable, the following statement is recommended:

The participant approved the study by signing an informed consent form, and the research was conducted in accordance with the ethical principles of the Declaration of Helsinki.

International and Brazilian Research Contexts

BJHAEO accepts submissions from researchers worldwide. Ethical requirements must follow the regulations applicable in the country where the research was conducted.

For Brazilian researchers, BJHAEO recommends compliance with the ethical guidelines established by the Brazilian National Research Ethics Commission (CONEP), including Circular Letter No. 166/2018-CONEP/SECNS/MS, particularly for studies categorized as:

  • Clinical Case Reports
  • Clinical Images
  • Experience Reports
  • Experimental or observational studies involving human data

Ethical Considerations for Case Reports and Experience Reports

In accordance with international and Brazilian ethical standards, BJHAEO recognizes that:

  1. A case report is a descriptive study design without a control group, based on events already completed in clinical or professional practice, with a narrative and reflective character. Its purpose is to highlight unusual or relevant cases, expand knowledge, or generate hypotheses for further studies.
  2. Descriptions of new procedures, surgical techniques, medical devices, or medications do not fall under the traditional definition of a case report and may require additional ethical review.
  3. Studies derived from routine professional practice are ethically acceptable, provided that privacy, confidentiality, and human dignity are strictly respected.
  4. Case reports are not free from ethical risks, particularly regarding confidentiality. Any form of participant identification is prohibited without explicit consent. Identifiable information such as names, initials, codes, addresses, contact information, photographs, images, or distinctive physical characteristics must be omitted unless authorized.
  5. When the use of images is essential, explicit authorization for image use must be obtained through the informed consent form or a separate authorization document, in accordance with applicable legal and ethical standards.
  6. Participant consent (or consent from a legal guardian) is mandatory prior to publication. Requests for waiver of consent must be justified and approved by an appropriate ethics committee.

Ethics Committee Submission Requirements

To ensure the protection of researchers, participants, and the integrity of the scientific record:

  • BJHAEO strongly recommends that Brazilian researchers submit their studies for evaluation by a local Research Ethics Committee (CEP/CONEP) through the Plataforma Brasil system, when applicable to the study design.
  • Authors must provide documentation of ethical approval when required by national or institutional regulations.

Editorial Responsibility

BJHAEO reserves the right to request additional documentation related to ethical approval or informed consent at any stage of the editorial process. Manuscripts that do not meet ethical requirements may be rejected or withdrawn, even after acceptance.

Contact Information

For questions regarding ethical requirements for research involving human participants, please contact:

Brazilian Journal of Health Aromatherapy and Essential Oil (BJHAEO)
Email: bjharomatherapyessentialoil@gmail.com