In most clinical research studies involving human subjects, obtaining informed consent from the individual participants is mandatory. This consent should be documented and submitted alongside the manuscript. If, as determined by an ethics committee (for example, in certain retrospective studies), informed consent is deemed unnecessary or exempted, the authors must clearly state this exemption in the manuscript.

Regardless of the case, authors must include a statement confirming that patient consent has been obtained if personal data such as names, hospital numbers, or other confidential details are included in the publication. The manuscript should contain the declaration: "Informed consent for the publication of this report was obtained from the patient." If no personal data is present in the manuscript, the author may indicate: "Informed consent: Not applicable."

For deceased patients, consent must be obtained from a family member. If neither the patient nor a family member can provide consent, the manuscript may only be accepted for publication if all personal data has been anonymized.

Specifically, any personal information (such as patient names, birth dates, hospital numbers) in images, ECG reports, pathology slides, X-rays, ultrasounds, and other imaging data must be removed before submission, unless it is essential for scientific purposes.

Authors must retain the signed informed consent forms. A copy should be made available upon request by the journal's editor.