Int J Sports Med 2013; 34(12): 1025-1028
DOI: 10.1055/s-0033-1358756
Editorial
© Georg Thieme Verlag KG Stuttgart · New York

Ethical Standards in Sport and Exercise Science Research: 2014 Update·

D. J. Harriss
,
G. Atkinson
Further Information

Publication History

Publication Date:
29 November 2013 (online)

For publication in the International Journal of Sports Medicine (IJSM), studies involving human participants or animals must have been conducted in accordance with recognised ethical standards and national/international laws. At the very first submission stage, authors are required to confirm that these standards and laws have been adhered to by reading, and formally citing, this editorial within the methods section of their own manuscript. Authors who do not provide any information regarding ethical approval will have their manuscripts rejected before it enters the peer-review process, without any option to resubmit.

In the original 2009 IJSM editorial [3], we described the ethical considerations embedded into national/international laws and provided specific guidance on the ethical issues which commonly arise in Sports Medicine research. In 2011, this information was updated to recognise the ethical principles of other professional associations and treaties when conducting research involving human participants [4]. Additional information was also provided on the use of Laboratory Animals in research, and on the links between sample size and research ethics. In our new update for 2014 onwards, we elaborate on,

  • A. The ethical issues relating to the investigation of doping agents

  • B. The use of animals for answering research questions that appear to be solely focussed on the enhancement of athletic performance

  • C. Sample size and the issue of the burden to individual research participants.