Ethical Clearance Policy

Physics Education Research Journal is committed to upholding the highest ethical standards in research involving human participants, particularly in the context of physics education studies. Authors are required to ensure that their research complies with applicable ethical guidelines and institutional regulations.

Requirement of Ethical Clearance

All manuscripts reporting research involving human participants (such as students, teachers, or educational stakeholders) must have received ethical approval from a recognized ethics committee or institutional review board (IRB) prior to the commencement of the study.

Authors must clearly state in the manuscript:

The name of the ethics committee or institutional review board
The approval number or reference code (if applicable)
The date of approval

Informed Consent

Authors must confirm that:

Participants have provided informed consent prior to their involvement in the study
Participation is voluntary and free from coercion
Participants are informed about the purpose, procedures, and potential risks of the research

For research involving minors (e.g., school students), consent must be obtained from parents or legal guardians.

Confidentiality and Anonymity

Authors must ensure that:

The privacy and confidentiality of participants are protected
Personal data are anonymized or de-identified
Any identifying information is removed unless explicit consent has been obtained

Risk and Harm

Research must be designed to minimize any potential physical, psychological, or social risks to participants. If any risks are involved, authors must clearly explain how these risks are mitigated.

Ethical Considerations for Educational Research

Given the nature of physics education research, authors should also consider:

Avoiding any disruption to the normal learning process
Ensuring that participation does not negatively affect students’ academic performance
Maintaining fairness in experimental and control group treatments

Statement in Manuscript

Authors must include an Ethical Clearance Statement in the manuscript, typically in the method section or a separate section, for example:

“This study has received ethical approval from [Name of Institution/Ethics Committee] with approval number [XXXX]. All participants provided informed consent prior to participation.”

Non-Compliance

Manuscripts that fail to provide appropriate ethical clearance (when required) may be:

Rejected during the review process
Returned to authors for revision
Retracted if ethical violations are discovered after publication

Special Notes

For studies that do not require formal ethical approval (e.g., analysis of publicly available data or non-human subjects), authors must explicitly state the reason and confirm that ethical standards have been maintained.