ONLINE JOURNAL OF VETERINARY RESEARCH
Animal Ethics and Welfare Policy based on
Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare for Veterinary Journals
R. Eddie Clutton, Editor Emeritus, Veterinary Anaesthesia and Analgesia, and other members of the
International Association of Veterinary Editors
Background
While animal welfare and ethical considerations are important aspects of biomedical research and its
regulation, their influence on the publication of scientific material appears to be highly variable. In its
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Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies for Medical Journals, the World Association of
Medical Editors makes no reference to the humane treatment of animals and there is no uniformity in
the “guidelines for contributors” or “author guidelines” for articles published in biomedical journals
pertaining to animal welfare and ethics. In addition, such guidelines often fail to address veterinary
subjects vs experimental animals, or may not reflect current best practice and knowledge in veterinary
medicine. The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICJME) recommends that “when
reporting experiments on animals, authors should be asked to indicate whether the institutional and
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national guide for the care and use of laboratory animals was followed”. This brief recommendation
lacks compulsion, has potential for abuse, specifies “experiments on animals”, and limits itself to “the
care and use of laboratory animals” thus failing to recognize that manuscripts may describe the
unethical treatment of animals in the field or in practice, where institutional guidelines may not exist,
or may inadequately protect the animals involved. In addition, the ICJME recommendation assumes
all institutes and countries have established guidelines on laboratory animal care and fails to
recognize that authors, editors, and publishers may originate from different countries, which
complicates advice on national guidelines. Importantly, the ICJME fails to indicate how their
guidelines are to be enforced, and does not describe the consequences of failing to meet them, in
essence, making the recommendations voluntary.
At the 2008 meeting of the International Association of Veterinary Editors (IAVE), held 23 September
at the British Veterinary Association headquarters in London, evidence was presented that papers
describing the unethical treatment of animals were published regularly in the biomedical literature. A
more consistent and stringent Consensus Guidelines for Authors was proposed with respect to best
practices for animal treatment and to improve the consistency and transparency of reporting. The
draft developed from the London meeting was further discussed and revised at the 2009 meeting of
the IAVE held 14 July at the American Veterinary Medical Association Annual Convention in Seattle.
In creating the draft, current Author Guidelines in several veterinary journals were considered. Some
journals may not require ethical guidelines for animals because the studies published do not involve
living vertebrates or higher invertebrates. In other journals, the guidelines for authors are quite brief
and could be overwhelmed by an extensive ethics section. Journals devoted to animal welfare and
ethics, on the other hand, may need more substantial guidance for authors. Some journals may prefer
to adopt specific national or international guidelines for animal ethics and welfare; while others may
be satisfied with their current guidelines. Therefore, in part because different journals have different
missions, these consensus guidelines were designed to provide core elements while providing
options for journals with regards to implementation and compliance. Key principles were followed in
developing these guidelines:
Key Principles Followed by Working Groups of the International Association of Veterinary
Editors in Developing Author Guidelines on Ethical Animal Use in Scientific Reporting
1) All journals publishing studies in which experimental or client-owned animals are used should
have an unambiguous editorial policy on animal ethics and welfare in its Author Guidelines.
2) The guidelines should appear prominently, in a separate section with a clear heading, near the
beginning of the Author Guidelines and within a box or with a unique font for emphasis.
3) Guidelines should indicate that recommendations apply to all vertebrate (and specified
invertebrate) animals and not just those reared for and used in the laboratory.
Draft - IAVE, 2 Oct 2009
4) Policies should indicate journal-specific requirements for animal welfare and where necessary
demand adherence to institutional, national, and international guidelines.
5) Policies should indicate unambiguously and emphatically that failure to meet ethical and animal
welfare requirements of the journal would result in manuscript rejection.
6) Journals should require author verification of compliance with animal welfare and ethics policies.
Draft - IAVE, 2 Oct 2009
Consensus Author Guidelines on Animal Ethics and Welfare for Veterinary Journals
All material published in The Online Journal of Veterinary Research must adhere to high ethical and
animal welfare standards. The journal supports stewardship for animals; any use of animals must be
based on ethological knowledge and respect for species-specific requirements for health and well-
being. Defined welfare standards must be applied in all studies involving living (vertebrate and
[journal-specific invertebrates]) animals irrespective of species and function.
Animal ethics-based criteria for manuscript consideration
Manuscripts will be considered for publication only if the work detailed therein:
1) Follows international, national, and/or institutional guidelines for humane animal treatment; where
national or institutional guidelines do not exist, international guidelines must be followed, e.g.,
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National Institutes of Health or Euroguide ;
2) Has been approved by a properly constituted internal ethics review committee at the institution or
practice at which the studies were conducted;
3) For studies using client-owned animals, demonstrates a high standard (best practice) of
veterinary care and involves informed client consent;
4) Meets all additional ethical standards set by [journal name], as follows: [describe any journal-
specific animal ethics and welfare guidelines here].
Prior to acceptance of a manuscript, to verify compliance with the above policies, the authors must:
[journals may opt for one or more of the following]
1) Sign a letter certifying that legal and ethical requirements have been met with regards to the
humane treatment of animals described in the study;
2) Specify in Materials and Methods the ethical review committee approval process and the
international, national, and/or institutional guidelines followed;
3) Provide evidence, such as a signed animal use form or protocol number, of compliance with
ethical review at the institution or practice;
4) Provide evidence in Materials and Methods that the principles of reduction, refinement, and
replacement have been met.
Animal ethics-based criteria for manuscript rejection
1) Manuscripts and authors that fail to meet the aforementioned requirements;
2) Studies that involve unnecessary pain, distress, suffering, or lasting harm to animals;
3) The Editor retains the right to reject manuscripts on the basis of animal ethical or welfare
concerns.
References
1) World Association of Medical Editors. Available at: www.wame.org.
2) Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals: Writing and Editing for
Biomedical Publication. International Council of Medical Journal Editors. Available at:
www.icmje.org.
3) Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. National Institutes of Health Publication 85-
23, Rockville, MD. 1996. Available at: http://www.nap.edu/catalog/5140.html
4) Euroguide on the Accommodation and Care of Animals Used for Experimental and Other
Scientific Purposes. Federation of European Laboratory Animal Science Associations. 2007.
Available at: www.rsmpress.co.uk/bkfelasa.htm.
Draft - IAVE, 2 Oct 2009