Ethical Requirements for Research Involving Human Participants
The Uzbek Journal "Problems of Mechanics" primarily publishes research in mechanics, mechanical engineering, transport systems, machinery, computational modelling, and related engineering disciplines.
Some studies may involve human participants, including research on ergonomics, biomechanics, occupational safety, human–machine interaction, driver or operator behaviour, engineering education, usability testing, questionnaires, interviews, or measurements of human movement and performance.
Ethics Approval
Authors must ensure that research involving human participants complies with applicable institutional and national ethical requirements.
Where required, approval must be obtained from an authorized ethics committee or institutional body before the research begins.
The manuscript must state:
- the name of the approving institution or ethics committee;
- the approval or reference number, where available;
- whether informed consent was obtained.
Recommended statement:
Ethics approval: The study was approved by [name of institution or ethics committee], approval number [number].
Where formal approval was not required, authors should state:
Ethics approval: Formal ethics approval was not required for this study under the applicable institutional and national regulations.
Informed Consent and Participant Protection
Participation must be voluntary. Participants must receive clear information about the purpose, procedures, potential risks, and use of their data.
Authors must:
- obtain informed consent where required;
- protect privacy, confidentiality, and personal data;
- avoid unreasonable physical, psychological, occupational, or technical risks;
- allow participants to withdraw where applicable.
Recommended statement:
Consent to participate: Voluntary informed consent was obtained from all participants before participation in the study.
Vulnerable Participants
Additional safeguards are required where research involves:
- minors;
- persons with limited decision-making capacity;
- employees participating under workplace authority;
- other potentially vulnerable individuals or groups.
Consent from a parent, guardian, or legally authorized representative must be obtained where required.
Research Not Involving Human Participants
Where the study does not involve human participants, personal data, questionnaires, interviews, usability testing, or human-related measurements, authors should state:
Research involving human participants: Not applicable.
Non-Compliance
Research that does not meet applicable ethical requirements may be rejected, suspended, or investigated. Ethical concerns identified after publication may result in correction, Expression of Concern, or retraction under the journal’s applicable policies.
Policy Administration
This policy is effective from 1 August 2026 and will be reviewed periodically.
Questions concerning research involving human participants should be submitted to: