The Journal of Cost Management (J. Cost Manag.) is committed to protecting the rights, privacy, dignity, and confidentiality of individuals whose information is used in research submitted for publication. Authors must ensure that appropriate informed consent procedures are followed whenever research involves individuals, identifiable personal information, confidential records, or other circumstances in which consent is ethically or legally required.

1. Requirement for Informed Consent

Where applicable, authors must obtain informed consent from individuals before collecting, using, or publishing information that may identify them. Consent should be obtained in accordance with applicable ethical, institutional, and legal requirements.

Participants should be adequately informed about the purpose of the research, the nature of their participation, the intended use of their information, potential risks, and their right to withdraw where applicable.

2. Confidentiality and Privacy

The data and information of individuals must be handled with the highest levels of confidentiality, discretion, and security. This includes information obtained through professional or confidential relationships, such as a doctor-patient relationship, where applicable to the research.

Authors must take appropriate measures to protect personal, medical, professional, financial, or other confidential information from unauthorized access, disclosure, or misuse.

3. Identifiable Information

Manuscripts should not include names, addresses, identification numbers, photographs, medical records, or other information that could reasonably identify an individual unless such disclosure is necessary for legitimate scholarly purposes and appropriate consent has been obtained.

Where possible, authors should anonymize or de-identify information before submission.

4. Consent for Publication

If a manuscript contains identifiable information, images, case details, or other material that could reveal an individual's identity, authors must obtain appropriate consent for publication where required.

Consent for participation in research does not necessarily constitute consent for publication. Authors should ensure that consent specifically covers the intended publication and dissemination of identifiable information.

5. Confidential Professional Information

Information obtained through confidential professional relationships must be treated with particular care. Authors must not disclose confidential information obtained through relationships such as doctor-patient, client-professional, employer-employee, or similar relationships without appropriate authorization and consent where required.

6. Ethical Approval

Where required, research involving human participants or confidential personal information must receive approval from an appropriate Institutional Review Board (IRB), Research Ethics Committee, or equivalent authority before the research begins.

Details of ethical approval should be included in the manuscript where applicable, and the Editorial Office may request supporting documentation.

7. Withdrawal of Consent

Where ethically and practically applicable, participants should be informed of their rights regarding withdrawal of participation or consent. Authors should comply with applicable ethical and legal requirements concerning withdrawal and subsequent use of participant information.

8. Editorial Review

The Editorial Office may request evidence of informed consent or clarification regarding the protection of participant information when necessary. Manuscripts that fail to meet applicable informed-consent, confidentiality, or privacy requirements may be returned for clarification or rejected.

9. Ethical Standards

The Journal of Cost Management follows relevant principles of responsible research and publication and is informed by recognized guidance from organizations including COPE and ICMJE. Authors remain responsible for ensuring that their research complies with all applicable ethical requirements.

The journal reserves the right to reject any manuscript where there is evidence of inadequate consent, unauthorized disclosure of confidential information, or other serious violations of participant rights and privacy.