All research involving human participants is expected to obtain ethical approval from a recognized Institutional Review Board (IRB) or Ethics Committee prior to data collection. Authors are required to include a statement in the methods section specifying the name of the ethics committee, the approval number, and the date of approval. If ethical approval was not required (e.g., for studies using publicly available data), authors must provide a clear justification for the exemption. Research should comply with institutional, national, and international ethical guidelines, such as the American Anthropological Association (AAA) Ethics Code, BERA Ethical Guidelines, and GDPR regulations where applicable.

Authors must obtain informed consent from all participants before data collection. Participants should be provided with detailed information about the study's purpose, procedures, potential risks, benefits, and their right to withdraw at any time without consequences. Consent must be documented (e.g., via signed forms or electronic consent). For studies involving children under the age of 18 or other vulnerable populations, informed consent must be obtained from both the participant (when possible) and their legal guardian or parent. The consent form should be age-appropriate and culturally sensitive.

Research involving vulnerable populations—such as children, individuals with cognitive impairments, prisoners, refugees, indigenous peoples, migrants, ethnic minorities, and other at-risk groups—must adhere to additional ethical safeguards. Authors must ensure that:

• Participation is entirely voluntary, with no coercion or undue influence.
• Potential risks (e.g., psychological distress, privacy breaches, social stigma) are minimized, and protective measures are in place.
• For children under 18, consent is obtained from both the child (using age-appropriate methods) and their legal guardian or parent.
• Research involving vulnerable groups is reviewed by an ethics committee with expertise in such studies when necessary.
• Deception, if used, is scientifically justified, and participants are debriefed appropriately after the study.

Special Note on Child Participants: Studies involving participants under 18 years old require particular attention. Researchers must use age-appropriate consent forms and consider the child's capacity to understand the research. Parental or guardian consent is mandatory, and where possible, the child's assent should also be obtained.

Authors must ensure that participants' privacy and confidentiality are strictly maintained. Personally identifiable information must be anonymized or pseudonymized unless explicit permission has been obtained from participants. Authors must comply with data protection laws, including GDPR when applicable. Data storage and handling practices should be clearly described in the manuscript.

Any form of research misconduct, including plagiarism, data fabrication, falsification, or unethical data collection, will result in rejection or retraction of the manuscript. If ethical concerns arise post-publication, JECS reserves the right to investigate and take appropriate action, including issuing a correction, retraction, or notifying relevant institutions and funding bodies in accordance with COPE guidelines.

Authors submitting manuscripts to JECS must include an Ethical Statement in their methods section, addressing:

• Ethical approval details (including institution name, committee name, and approval number).
• How informed consent was obtained (written, verbal, electronic).
• Any potential ethical concerns and how they were addressed.
• Measures taken to protect confidentiality and data security.

Failure to comply with these ethical policies may result in the rejection of the manuscript or post-publication investigation.