Informed Consent Policy

Geliotekhnika requires the rights, privacy, dignity, and safety of individuals participating in research to be respected and protected.

This policy applies to research involving human participants, questionnaires, interviews, usability testing, human–technology interaction, thermal or visual comfort in buildings, energy-use behaviour, operator safety, professional assessments, identifiable personal data, photographs, video or audio recordings, and measurements related to human activity.

Consent to Participate

Participation in research must be voluntary. Where required, free and informed consent must be obtained from every participant before the research begins.

Consent must:

  • be given without pressure, coercion, deception, or undue influence;

  • be obtained in a language and form understandable to the participant;

  • relate to the specific study, purposes for which the data will be used, and publication plan;

  • be documented in accordance with applicable institutional and national ethical requirements.

Recommended statement:

Consent to participate: Voluntary informed consent was obtained from all participants before their participation in the study.

Where consent was not required or was waived by a competent ethics committee, authors must state the reason, the applicable legal or ethical basis, and the authority that made the decision.

Information Provided to Participants

Before consent is obtained, participants must receive clear and understandable information about:

  • the purpose of the research and the organisation or researchers conducting it;

  • the procedures and expected duration of participation;

  • possible risks, inconvenience, and expected benefits;

  • the data, images, audio recordings, or measurements to be collected;

  • how the data will be used, who will have access, and how long they will be retained;

  • deposit of data in a repository or use in future research, where planned;

  • confidentiality and data-protection measures;

  • compensation, incentives, or reimbursement of expenses, where applicable;

  • the right to decline participation or, where possible, withdraw without adverse consequences;

  • contact details for questions, complaints, or withdrawal of consent.

Participants must be given sufficient time to ask questions and make a decision.

Documentation and Waiver of Consent

Consent should normally be documented in writing or through a reliable electronic process. Signed forms must be stored securely and separately from the research data.

Oral consent may be used only where permitted by the applicable requirements and the ethics committee. The date, method, and person obtaining the consent must be documented.

A waiver of consent may be applied only where authorised by a competent ethics committee, institutional body, or applicable law. The inconvenience of obtaining consent is not, by itself, sufficient grounds for authors to grant a waiver.

Where the terms of consent change materially during the research, further ethics approval and renewed consent may be required.

Consent for Publication

Consent to participate in research does not automatically constitute consent to publish identifiable information.

Explicit consent for publication must be obtained where a manuscript contains:

  • identifiable photographs or video images;

  • audio recordings;

  • personal or biographical details;

  • individual quotations;

  • biometric, comfort, or performance data;

  • workplace, professional, or position-related information;

  • other information that could reasonably identify a participant.

Participants must be informed of the content to be published, that the publication will be publicly accessible, and that it may be redistributed through the internet.

Recommended statement:

Consent for publication: The participants provided informed consent for the publication of their identifiable information and/or images.

Where no identifiable information is published, authors may state:

Consent for publication: Not applicable.

Privacy, Confidentiality, and Anonymisation

Authors must remove unnecessary identifying information and protect participants’ personal data.

The following information must not be published unless it is scientifically necessary and covered by explicit consent:

  • names, contact details, or identification numbers;

  • exact dates of birth;

  • facial images or unique physical characteristics;

  • exact workplaces, positions, or locations;

  • device identifiers, IP addresses, or geolocation;

  • other information that may directly or indirectly identify an individual.

Simple masking of the eyes, minor blurring of an image, or removal of a name may be insufficient to protect identity. Authors must assess the risk of re-identification through context and combinations of data.

Anonymisation must not distort the scientific meaning, accuracy, or integrity of the research.

Minors and Vulnerable Participants

Additional safeguards are required for minors, persons with limited decision-making capacity, participants facing literacy or language barriers, persons in professional or economic dependency, and other vulnerable groups.

Where required, consent must be obtained from a parent, guardian, or legally authorised representative. Where the participant is able to understand the research, their own assent should also be obtained.

A participant’s refusal or wish to withdraw must be respected even where a legally authorised representative has provided consent, unless the applicable ethical and legal requirements provide otherwise.

Workplace Participants and Undue Influence

Particular attention must be paid to the freedom of consent in research involving employees, operators, students, or persons dependent on a manager, teacher, or employer.

Authors must:

  • make clear that declining participation will not affect employment, grades, pay, position, or other rights;

  • where possible, obtain consent through an independent person who is not the participant’s direct supervisor;

  • ensure that incentives or compensation are not coercive;

  • assess the risk of implicit or perceived pressure.

Previously Collected and Secondary Data

Where research uses previously collected personal data, recordings, images, sensor data, or other identifiable material, authors must ensure that such use is permitted by one of the following:

  • the original consent;

  • a decision of an ethics committee;

  • applicable data-protection requirements;

  • another lawful and ethically justified basis.

Public availability of personal information on the internet or in another open source does not automatically remove the need for ethical assessment, confidentiality protection, or consent.

Where the new use falls outside the scope of the original consent, renewed consent or authorisation from a competent ethics body may be required.

Withdrawal of Consent

Participants must be informed how and until what stage they may withdraw consent, subject to the applicable requirements and the nature of the research.

Once data have been fully anonymised, incorporated into aggregate analysis, or included in a published article, it may no longer be possible to link them to an individual and remove them. Such limitations must be explained in advance when consent is obtained.

Withdrawal of consent must not result in punishment or adverse consequences for leaving the study.

Required Statements in the Manuscript

Where applicable, manuscripts must include statements concerning:

  • ethics approval;

  • consent to participate;

  • consent for publication;

  • data availability;

  • confidentiality, anonymisation, or pseudonymisation measures.

For research not involving human participants or identifiable personal data, authors may state:

Informed consent: Not applicable.

Authors are responsible for the accuracy, truthfulness, and consistency of all consent statements with the supporting documentation.

Non-Compliance

Failure to obtain required consent, inaccurate reporting of the scope of consent, or unauthorised publication of identifiable information may result in:

  • a request for clarification or additional documentation;

  • a requirement to correct deficiencies concerning consent or confidentiality;

  • removal of identifying information;

  • suspension of editorial consideration or rejection of the manuscript;

  • withdrawal of the acceptance decision;

  • after publication, a correction, an editorial Expression of Concern, or a retraction notice;

  • notification of an institution or ethics committee;

  • investigation under the journal’s Research and Publication Misconduct Allegations Policy.

Authors will be given a reasonable opportunity to respond and provide relevant evidence before a final decision is made.

Policy Administration

This policy is effective from the date of its publication on the official website of Geliotekhnika and will be reviewed periodically in response to developments in consent requirements, personal-data protection, and the rights of research participants.

Questions, documents, or concerns concerning informed consent should be submitted to:

Email: ftikans@uzsci.net

This policy is informed by relevant COPE guidance on ethical oversight and generally accepted principles protecting the voluntariness, informed consent, dignity, safety, and confidentiality of research participants.

ISSN 0130-0997 (Print)
ISSN 2181-9963 (Online)