Research with human participants should be approved by an institutional ethics committee. In the Ethics Approval section, give the committee name and approval number. If approval was not needed under local rules (for example, anonymous surveys of adults), explain why.

• Participants must be told the purpose, procedures, risks, and their right to withdraw, and give informed consent.
• For participants under 18, consent from parents or guardians and assent from the child are required, together with permission from the school.
• State in the manuscript how consent was obtained (written or oral).

Extra care is needed for children, people with disabilities, and others who may feel unable to refuse, for example students taught by the researcher. Describe how pressure to take part was avoided.

• Do not publish names, photos, school names, or details that identify participants without written consent to publish.
• Use codes or pseudonyms, and remove identifying details from quotations.
• Store data securely.

Studies using existing school records or online data must respect privacy and terms of use, and obtain institutional permission where required.

Editors may ask for the approval letter or consent forms and may reject manuscripts that do not meet these standards.