As-Shuffah: Islam and Digital Humanities Review requires all submitted articles involving human participants to comply with applicable research ethics standards. Authors must ensure that their research meets the relevant ethical clearance requirements, including:

1. Ethical Approval: Obtaining ethical approval for research where required by applicable regulations, institutional policies, or recognized ethical standards.

2. Participant Protection: Protecting participants from physical, psychological, social, or other potential harm.

3. Informed Consent: Obtaining informed consent from participants before their involvement in the research, where applicable.

4. Voluntary Participation: Ensuring that participation is voluntary and free from coercion or undue influence.

5. Right to Withdraw: Respecting participants' right to withdraw from the research in accordance with the consent terms and applicable ethical requirements.

6. Anonymity and Confidentiality: Protecting participants' identities and ensuring the confidentiality and appropriate handling of their personal information.

7. Appropriate Exclusion Criteria: Establishing and applying appropriate participant inclusion and exclusion criteria.

8. Health and Well-Being: Safeguarding participants' health, safety, and overall well-being throughout the research process.

9. Duty of Care: Taking reasonable measures to minimize risks and protect participants from foreseeable harm.

10. Safeguards for Vulnerable Populations: Implementing additional ethical safeguards when research involves children or other vulnerable populations.

11. Ethical Treatment of Non-Human Animals: Ensuring the humane treatment of animals in research involving non-human animal subjects, where applicable.

12. Appropriate Supervision: Ensuring adequate supervision and oversight of research activities, particularly when required by institutional or ethical standards.

For further guidance on ethical approval, please consult the Guidelines for Ethical Approval from the British Psychological Society.

Exception for Low and Negligible Risk Research

An exception to the requirement to obtain formal ethical approval may apply to research classified as low risk or negligible risk, subject to applicable regulations, institutional requirements, and the journal's assessment.

The definitions of low risk and negligible risk are as follows:

1. Low Risk (LNR)

Low-risk research refers to a project in which the only foreseeable risk is discomfort. If there is any possibility that the research may result in harm more serious than discomfort, it should not be classified as low-risk research.

2. Negligible Risk (LNR)

Negligible-risk research refers to a project in which no foreseeable risk of harm or discomfort exists, or in which any foreseeable risk is no greater than an inconvenience. If there is any possibility, however small, that the risk may exceed inconvenience, the research should not be classified as negligible-risk research.

Source: Low and Negligible Risk Reviews.

For research classified as low or negligible risk, authors may not be required by the journal to submit formal ethical approval from an ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB). However, authors must submit a signed checklist demonstrating that their research meets the applicable low- or negligible-risk criteria. This exemption does not override any legal, institutional, or regulatory requirement to obtain ethical approval.

An example of a low- or negligible-risk assessment checklist is available here.

Ethical Clearance in Indonesia

Authors conducting research in Indonesia may obtain ethical clearance from the relevant authorized ethics committee or institution before commencing their studies. Where applicable, authors may consult the National Research and Innovation Agency (Badan Riset dan Inovasi Nasional—BRIN) through its Ethical Clearance Procedures or seek approval from another competent and authorized ethics review body.

Authors must provide evidence of ethical approval when required and disclose the name of the approving institution and the relevant approval number in their manuscripts, where applicable.

As-Shuffah: Islam and Digital Humanities Review reserves the right to request additional documentation concerning ethical approval, informed consent, participant protection, or the classification of research as low or negligible risk whenever necessary to ensure compliance with research ethics standards.