Skip to main content

Table 1 Journals’ general instructions for authors on consent

From: Obtaining subjects’ consent to publish identifying personal information: current practices and identifying potential issues

 

Medicine general and internal journals

Genetics and heredity journals

Pediatrics journals

Psychiatry journals

Total

Obtaining of consent/consent form is required.

74

31

58

40

203

(56.1)

(21.1)

(58.0)

(35.7)

(41.3)

Substitute consent is accepted, including by a relative or guardian on behalf of a minor, person with impaired judgment, or person who has died.

27

16

29

21

93

(20.5)

(10.9)

(29.0)

(18.8)

(18.9)

Submission of consent forms is required.

57

21

49

27

154

(43.2)

(14.3)

(49.0)*

(24.1)**

(31.4)

Consent forms are provided by the journal.***

20 [3]

8 [0]

13 [3]

9 [2]

50 [8]

(15.2)

(5.4)

(13.0)

(8.0)

(10.2)

  1. Notes: Percentages are given in parentheses. A total of 491 journals’ instructions to authors were reviewed.
  2. *One journal required approval by an ethics committee or consent forms signed by subjects for all case reports.
  3. **One journal required the submission of consent forms after anonymization.
  4. ***The first number indicates the total number of journals providing consent forms; most make these available on their websites. The number in square brackets indicates the number of journals that provide the forms only in response to a request to their editors for these forms.