Purpose and Scope
This policy applies to submissions reporting research involving live vertebrate animals and any invertebrate species subject to ethical or welfare protection under the applicable legal, institutional or disciplinary framework, including studies conducted in laboratory, farm, clinical veterinary and field settings.
Ethical Oversight
Authors shall state that the research received prospective approval from the competent animal ethics or welfare body, naming that body and giving the approval or licence reference, or shall explain why approval was not required under the applicable framework. LMI does not impose the animal-research law of any single country: compliance is assessed against the national and institutional standards applicable where the work was conducted, provided those standards address humane care, justification and oversight. Where local requirements are absent or materially weaker than internationally recognised welfare principles, authors shall describe the welfare standards actually applied, and the journal shall consider whether publication is appropriate.
For veterinary clinical studies involving client-owned animals, informed owner consent shall be documented.
Justification and the 3Rs
Authors shall justify the use of animals, the species selected and the numbers used, and shall report how the principles of replacement, reduction and refinement were applied — including consideration of non-animal alternatives, the basis for sample size, and measures minimising pain and distress.
Welfare Reporting
Manuscripts shall report, as relevant to the study: housing, husbandry and environmental conditions; anaesthesia, analgesia and any use of neuromuscular blockade; surgical and experimental procedures; humane endpoints and monitoring; the criteria and method of euthanasia; and any unexpected adverse events or mortality. Procedures causing avoidable pain or distress, or studies in which welfare endpoints were disregarded, shall not be published.
Field, Wildlife and Veterinary Research
Field studies involving capture, marking, restraint, sampling, transport or release shall report applicable permits, ecological and welfare safeguards, competence of personnel, and criteria for release or humane intervention. Research involving client-owned or privately kept animals shall document informed owner consent and shall not compromise clinically necessary care for research convenience. Unexpected mortality, severe adverse events or material departures from the approved welfare plan shall be disclosed and explained.
The Journal's Role and Its Limits
Journals shall require and verify the presence and credibility of these declarations, and may seek documentation or specialist advice. A journal is not an animal ethics committee and does not conduct welfare review of a study's design; where declarations are absent, inconsistent or not credible, or where reported conduct raises serious welfare concern, the editor shall seek explanation and, where concern persists, decline publication and refer the matter to the institution or oversight body under C5.
Reporting Standards
Reporting shall follow the guidance applicable to the design under D4, using recognised animal-research reporting guidance such as ARRIVE; planning guidance such as PREPARE is encouraged.