Journal of Biomedicine and Biochemistry (JBB) is committed to protecting the privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of all patients whose data, images, or clinical information may appear in submitted manuscripts. Our policy is fully aligned with the ethical and publication standards of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), COPE, GDPR, and international biomedical publication best practices.

1. Avoidance of Identifiable Information

To safeguard patient privacy:

- Authors must remove all direct identifiers (e.g., name, initials, ID numbers).
- Indirect identifiers (e.g., age, geography, rare conditions) must be minimized to prevent re-identification.
- Clinical materials (photographs, radiographs, CT/MRI scans, pathology slides, case descriptions, pedigrees) must not contain identifiable features unless essential for scientific validity.
- Masking of eyes is not considered adequate anonymization.

If identifiable information is essential for publication, the author must obtain explicit, written informed consent from the patient or legal guardian.

2. Mandatory Compliance With ICMJE Privacy Standards

JBB strictly follows the ICMJE guidelines on patient confidentiality:

- Authors—not the journal—are fully responsible for obtaining and securely archiving patient consent forms.
- Consent forms must not be uploaded with the manuscript, emailed to the editor, or shared in any public way.
- Editors may request confirmation that consent was obtained, but the form must remain securely stored by the authors or their institutions.

3. Patient Consent Requirements

If a manuscript includes material that could potentially reveal a patient’s identity, authors must:

- Obtain written informed consent for publication.
- Use consent forms that clearly explain the scope of publication, online dissemination, and open-access access.
- Declare in the manuscript (usually in the Methods or Ethics section):

  “Written informed consent was obtained from the patient(s) for publication of the clinical details and images included in this manuscript.”

If consent cannot be obtained (e.g., deceased patients), publication is generally not permitted unless required by public interest and fully anonymized.

4. Privacy, Confidentiality & Data Protection

Authors must comply with:

- GDPR (EU) requirements for data protection (where applicable)
- Local/national privacy regulations
- Institutional guidelines on the management of medical data

All patient-related data must be:

- Fully anonymized
- Stored securely
- Shared only when ethically permitted
- Used exclusively for scientific and clinical purposes

5. Ethical Importance of Privacy Protection

a. Ethical Responsibility

Respecting privacy is fundamental to biomedical ethics and aligns with:

- The Declaration of Helsinki
- CIOMS Ethical Guidelines
- Bioethics and patient rights charters

b. Trust and Transparency

Maintaining confidentiality strengthens the trust relationship between patients, clinicians, and researchers, promoting ethical research participation.

c. Legal Compliance

Incorrect handling of patient data may result in:

- Ethical violations
- Institutional sanctions
- Legal liabilities

JBB enforces strict compliance to protect authors and institutions from such risks.

d. Research Integrity

Protecting identities ensures:

- Integrity of scientific data
- Ethical rigor
- Credibility of published work

6. Enforcement

Manuscripts that fail to meet JBB’s privacy requirements may be:

- Returned for correction
- Rejected
- Retracted (if violations are discovered post-publication)

The journal reserves the right to take corrective actions in accordance with COPE guidelines.