Documentation of Ethical Considerations in Published Articles in Sudanese Medical Journals‪.‬

International ethical guidelines state that all research involving human subjects should be conducted in accordance with accepted ethical principles that focus on protecting human subjects and communities and with approval by an independent ethics review committee (ERC). (1) ERCs have been established in many countries at institutional and national levels, with the purpose of making sure that all research involving human subjects is reviewed and approved by an independent body. These committees are made up of clinicians, scientists, community members and patient representatives who review the research according to procedures set out at national or institutional levels. (2,3) All human participants should receive relevant information on the study before it commences, and the investigators must obtain written informed consent from each individual participant enrolled (verbal consent is sometimes acceptable). (4,5) The investigators should also specify how privacy and confidentiality have been addressed. Potential risks to participants must be stated, and the authors must list adverse events that occurred during the course of the study and how these were handled. (6) The Declaration of Helsinki demands that ethical considerations be reported in published research, stating: 'Publishers have ethical obligations. Reports of experimentation not in accordance with the principles laid down in this Declaration should not be accepted for publication.' (7) Ideally, research results should be published after independent scientific peer review to avoid the risk of disseminating false results.