Ethical approval of research before conduction is required for publication in the Pakistan Journal of Physical Therapy (PJPT). This is to ensure that the research is conducted in a responsible and ethical manner, and that the rights of participants are protected.

To obtain ethical approval, researchers must submit a research proposal to an ethics review board. The board will review the proposal to ensure that it meets the following criteria:

• The research is scientifically sound and well-designed.
• The research is justified and has the potential to benefit society.
• The risks to participants are minimized and justified by the potential benefits of the research.
• Participants are informed of the risks and benefits of the research before they agree to participate.
• Participants can withdraw from the research at any time without penalty.

If the ethical committee approves the research proposal, the researcher will be granted ethical approval to conduct the research.

To submit a manuscript to the PJPT, researchers must include a statement that their research was conducted ethically and that they obtained ethical approval from an ethics review committee (ERC). The statement should include the name of the REC and the number of ethical approval in “Materials and Methods” section of the manuscript.

The PJPT also requires that researchers attach a copy of their REC approval letter to their manuscript submission.