Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (JODESMA) requires submitted research to comply with applicable ethical standards, institutional requirements, and regulations relevant to the study design, research participants, data, and research setting. The journal is committed to promoting responsible research practices, protecting participants, and maintaining the integrity of scholarly publication.

Research involving human participants, animals, personal information, sensitive datasets, or other research activities requiring formal ethical oversight must comply with the applicable ethical requirements. Authors are responsible for identifying and fulfilling these requirements before submitting their manuscripts.

Where required by the research design, applicable regulations, or institutional policies, authors should obtain approval from an appropriate ethics committee or institutional review body before conducting the relevant research activities and before submitting the manuscript to the journal.

Authors should, where applicable:

• Obtain ethical approval before conducting the relevant research.
• Identify the responsible ethics committee or institutional review body.
• Provide the name of the approving institution or organization.
• Include the approval number or reference number, where applicable.
• Describe the relevant ethical procedures followed during the research.

Authors should clearly indicate whether ethical approval, informed consent, or other forms of ethical oversight were required. Where applicable, the manuscript should state:

• Whether ethical approval was required for the study.
• The name of the responsible ethics committee or institutional review body.
• The institution or organization providing the approval.
• The approval or reference number, where applicable.
• The informed-consent procedures followed, where relevant.
• Any other relevant ethical procedures implemented during the research.

Where ethical approval was not required or is not applicable, authors should provide an appropriate declaration explaining the basis for that determination when relevant.

Where a study did not require formal ethical approval, authors should provide an appropriate statement explaining the basis for the exemption or non-requirement when relevant. This explanation should be consistent with applicable institutional policies, legal requirements, and recognized ethical standards.

A declaration that ethical approval was not required does not remove the authors' responsibility to conduct research ethically or to obtain any other authorization required for the study.

Research involving human participants or personal information must respect participant rights, privacy, welfare, and dignity. Authors are expected to:

• Obtain informed consent where required.
• Protect participant identity and confidentiality.
• Minimize unnecessary collection of personal information.
• Store, process, and disclose sensitive information responsibly.
• Ensure that participants are not exposed to avoidable risks or harm.
• Comply with applicable requirements concerning personal data protection.

Where identifiable participant information, photographs, recordings, personal documents, or other materials capable of identifying an individual are included in a manuscript, appropriate consent or authorization should be obtained unless a valid legal or ethical basis for an exception exists.

Authors should ensure that the use and disclosure of such materials are consistent with applicable ethical requirements, privacy protections, and any relevant consent conditions.

For research involving animals, authors should comply with applicable institutional, national, and international requirements concerning animal welfare and ethical treatment. Any required ethical approval or authorization should be obtained before the relevant research activities are conducted, and appropriate details should be reported in the manuscript.

The journal may request evidence of ethical approval, exemption, informed consent, data-use authorization, or other relevant documentation when necessary to assess compliance with ethical requirements.

Authors should retain relevant documentation and provide it upon request, subject to applicable confidentiality, privacy, and data-protection requirements.

Ethical oversight also applies to the responsible use of personal data, confidential information, proprietary datasets, and research materials obtained from third parties.

Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (JODESMA) expects authors to protect research participants from unnecessary harm and to respect applicable requirements concerning privacy, confidentiality, informed consent, data-use permissions, and responsible data handling.

Editors may request clarification, additional information, or documentary evidence when the ethical basis of a study is unclear or when concerns arise about compliance with applicable requirements.

Where there is credible evidence that required ethical approval was not obtained, informed consent was improperly handled, or research participants, animals, personal data, or other protected research materials were handled improperly, editors may reject or suspend consideration of the manuscript and take other appropriate action based on the circumstances and available evidence.

Ethical approval does not remove the authors' responsibility for conducting research responsibly. Authors remain accountable for compliance with applicable laws, institutional policies, disciplinary standards, ethical requirements, and the conditions attached to any approval or authorization.

Authors must ensure that the information reported in their manuscripts accurately reflects the ethical procedures followed and that relevant declarations and supporting documentation are truthful and complete.

Where concerns about ethical oversight arise during editorial assessment or after publication, the journal may investigate the matter and take appropriate corrective action. Actions will depend on the nature of the concern, the available evidence, the relevant ethical requirements, and the potential effect on research participants and the integrity of the scholarly record.

Compliance with ethical oversight requirements forms part of the broader publication-ethics framework of Journal of Decision Support Systems and Multi-Criteria Decision Making (JODESMA). The journal maintains these requirements as part of its commitment to transparency, responsible research, participant protection, research integrity, and ethical scholarly publishing.