Animal Research Ethics and Welfare Policy

The Jurnal Ilmu Peternakan dan Veteriner Tropis (JIPVET) requires research involving animals to be conducted with appropriate ethical oversight and due consideration for animal health, welfare, and responsible scientific practice.

This policy applies to research involving livestock, companion animals, laboratory animals, wildlife, and other animal species, including experimental studies, veterinary interventions, field investigations, biological sampling, and the use of animal-derived research materials.

Ethical requirements depend on the nature of the study, the procedures performed, the animals involved, and applicable institutional and legal requirements. Authors must provide sufficient information for editors and reviewers to assess whether appropriate safeguards were followed.

1. Scope and General Requirements

Research involving animals must have a scientifically justified purpose and must avoid unnecessary pain, injury, distress, or adverse effects on animal welfare.

Authors are responsible for ensuring that their research complies with applicable national legislation, institutional requirements, and relevant professional standards.

For studies conducted in Indonesia, relevant legislation includes Law No. 18 of 2009 concerning Animal Husbandry and Animal Health, as amended, and Government Regulation No. 95 of 2012 concerning Veterinary Public Health and Animal Welfare.

Research conducted outside Indonesia must comply with the applicable laws, regulations, and institutional requirements of the country where the research was performed.

Compliance with legal requirements does not remove the responsibility to consider animal welfare and scientific justification throughout the study.

2. Ethical Approval and Exemptions

Studies involving experimental procedures or interventions on live animals are expected to undergo prospective ethical review by a competent institutional animal ethics committee or an equivalent authorized body, in accordance with applicable requirements.

Where ethical approval is required, authors must obtain it before initiating the relevant research procedures. Retrospective approval must not be presented as evidence of prospective ethical oversight.

The manuscript must identify:

• The name of the committee or authority responsible for ethical review.
• The institution to which the committee or authority belongs.
• The approval or protocol number, where issued.
• The approval date, where relevant and available.
• Any relevant conditions or restrictions on animal use.

Some non-interventional studies, observational investigations, or analyses of existing materials may qualify for exemption from formal animal ethics approval. Such exemptions must be consistent with the applicable regulatory and institutional framework.

Authors claiming an exemption must explain why formal approval was not required and identify the competent body that made the determination, where applicable. Documentary evidence may be requested by the editorial office.

Permission from an animal owner, farm manager, or research institution does not substitute for formal ethical approval when such approval is required.

3. Animal Welfare Principles

JIPVET recognizes the principles of Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement, commonly known as the Three Rs, as an important framework for responsible animal experimentation.

• Replacement. Researchers should consider scientifically appropriate alternatives to live-animal experiments wherever feasible.
• Reduction. The number of animals used should be scientifically justified, avoiding unnecessary use while preserving the validity of the study.
• Refinement. Research methods should be designed and performed to minimize pain, distress, injury, and lasting harm.

Animal care and handling should also take account of relevant welfare principles recognized by the World Organisation for Animal Health (WOAH), including access to appropriate nutrition and water, physical comfort, protection from unnecessary pain and distress, and the opportunity to express normal behaviour.

The practical application of these principles must consider species-specific biological, behavioural, and physiological requirements.

4. Experimental Animal Studies

Experimental studies involving live animals must be designed to answer a defined scientific question using methods appropriate to the research objectives.

Authors should justify the selection of animal species, experimental groups, sample size, treatment conditions, and procedures that may affect animal welfare.

The Materials and Methods section must provide relevant information concerning:

• Animal species, breed or strain, sex, age, and other relevant biological characteristics.
• The source and selection of experimental animals.
• Housing, feeding, environmental conditions, and routine care.
• Experimental treatments, interventions, and handling procedures.
• Animal allocation, controls, and relevant measures to reduce experimental bias.
• Procedures for monitoring animal health and welfare.
• Measures taken to prevent or relieve pain and distress.
• Humane endpoints and actions taken when adverse effects were observed, where applicable.

The use of animals must be justified by the research question and supported by an appropriate experimental design. Ethical approval does not compensate for inadequate scientific methods.

5. Livestock, Farm, and Field Research

Research conducted on farms, in livestock production systems, or under field conditions must respect normal animal welfare requirements and the legitimate responsibilities of animal owners and caretakers.

Observational studies involving animal behaviour, production, reproduction, body measurements, or management practices may present different ethical considerations from studies involving experimental interventions.

Authors must describe whether research activities involved direct physical contact, restraint, biological sampling, treatment allocation, or changes to normal animal management practices.

Appropriate permission must be obtained from animal owners or responsible custodians when research activities require access to privately owned animals or facilities.

Researchers should minimize disturbance to animals and avoid unnecessary changes to established husbandry practices.

Where animals are exposed to experimental treatments or procedures beyond routine husbandry or veterinary care, the study must undergo the ethical review required for those interventions.

6. Biological Sampling and Veterinary Procedures

Collection of blood, tissue, semen, swabs, or other biological materials from live animals must be scientifically justified and performed using appropriate methods.

Sampling procedures must minimize avoidable pain, injury, infection risk, and handling-related stress.

The manuscript should report:

• The type and purpose of biological sampling.
• The anatomical sampling site, where relevant.
• The sampling technique and equipment used.
• Sample volume or quantity and sampling frequency when relevant to welfare.
• Animal restraint, sedation, or anesthesia where applicable.
• Measures taken to prevent avoidable pain, distress, and complications.
• Ethical approval or exemption information, as applicable.

Procedures requiring veterinary expertise must be performed or supervised by appropriately qualified personnel.

The use of routine clinical procedures does not automatically exempt a research study from ethical review. The nature, purpose, and additional risks of the research procedures must be considered.

7. Wildlife and Protected Species

Research involving wildlife, free-ranging animals, or protected species must comply with applicable conservation legislation, wildlife research requirements, and relevant permit conditions.

Activities involving capture, restraint, tagging, marking, transport, biological sampling, or temporary captivity must be conducted using appropriate species-specific methods.

Authors must report relevant research permits, issuing authorities, and approval identifiers where applicable.

Field procedures should minimize disturbance to individual animals, breeding activities, social groups, habitats, and local ecosystems.

Research involving protected species must not be conducted or reported in ways that violate applicable wildlife protection requirements.

8. Archived Samples, Slaughterhouse Materials, and Secondary Data

Studies using archived biological specimens, existing diagnostic materials, slaughterhouse by-products, or previously collected animal data may not involve direct procedures on live animals.

Authors must identify the source of the materials and explain how they were obtained, stored, accessed, and used.

Where appropriate, authors should provide information on institutional authorization, data access permissions, material transfer arrangements, and applicable ethical review or exemption determinations.

Studies using tissues or carcasses from routine slaughter must distinguish normal commercial or veterinary activities from procedures performed specifically for research.

The use of archived specimens or secondary data does not automatically establish exemption from all ethical, legal, or data-protection requirements.

Authors must ensure that identifiable owner information, confidential farm records, and restricted research data are managed appropriately.

9. Pain Management, Distress, and Humane Endpoints

Procedures that may cause pain, distress, or lasting harm must be scientifically justified and subject to appropriate welfare safeguards.

Anesthesia, analgesia, sedation, postoperative care, and other measures to reduce suffering must be applied when indicated by the procedure and applicable veterinary standards.

Where relevant, researchers must establish humane endpoints that allow intervention or termination of procedures before unacceptable suffering occurs.

Animals showing unexpected illness, injury, severe distress, or other adverse effects must receive appropriate attention and veterinary care.

Any euthanasia performed as part of the research must be justified, comply with applicable ethical approval and veterinary standards, and be carried out by competent personnel.

The manuscript must describe relevant anesthesia, analgesia, euthanasia, adverse events, and humane endpoint procedures sufficiently to permit editorial assessment.

10. Ethical Reporting Requirements

Manuscripts involving animals must contain an ethical statement appropriate to the study design and the procedures performed.

Where applicable, the Materials and Methods section must identify:

• The approving ethics committee or authority.
• The ethical approval number or protocol identifier.
• The basis for an ethical exemption, where applicable.
• The animal owner or custodian permissions required for the study.
• Relevant research permits, including wildlife permits when required.
• Measures taken to protect animal health and welfare.
• Relevant anesthesia, analgesia, monitoring, and humane endpoint procedures.

For in vivo experimental research, authors are encouraged to follow the ARRIVE 2.0 guidelines when reporting study design, experimental procedures, animal characteristics, statistical methods, and welfare-related information.

ARRIVE reporting guidelines support completeness and transparency of manuscripts. They do not replace ethical approval or compliance with animal welfare requirements.

11. Editorial Assessment and Ethical Non-Compliance

Editors and reviewers may examine the adequacy of ethical disclosures and animal welfare safeguards during editorial screening and peer review.

Where necessary, the editorial office may request supporting documentation concerning ethical approval, exemptions, research permissions, or animal care procedures.

Manuscripts containing incomplete ethical information may be returned to authors for clarification or correction.

When serious or unresolved concerns arise, editorial consideration may be paused while relevant evidence is examined.

JIPVET may reject a manuscript when serious ethical non-compliance is established or when essential ethical requirements have not been satisfied.

Allegations involving falsified ethical approvals, undisclosed animal experimentation, or serious welfare violations are handled in accordance with the journal's Publication Ethics and Research Misconduct Policy.

Ethical approval does not guarantee acceptance. Every manuscript remains subject to independent scientific and editorial assessment.