Compliance with Ethical Clearance Certifications among Medical Journals in Nigeria – A Mixed Method Study

Abstract

BackgroundEthical conduct of research is of global significance. Research findings are disseminated via journal publications. Hence, journal editors should serve as gatekeepers by ensuring that authors report ethical review of their work before publication. This study aimed at determining the compliance of Nigerian Medical Journals to ethical clearance certification.MethodsA cross-sectional design was employed using a mixed-methods approach. Nigerian Medical Journals were evaluated, and journal editors interviewed. Key informant interview (KII) guide was used for the qualitative aspect.ResultsA total of 24 journals and 400 publications were included. Of the 400 original articles, 302(75.5%) reported having obtained ethical approval, while 236(70.9%) of those eligible reported having obtained informed consent. Six themes emerged from the KIIs.ConclusionReporting of ethics approval and informed consent was high. This is commendable and calls for more effort on medical research stakeholders to maintain the current rate and improve on it in upholding standards of ethical conduct in research.