Where should ethical guidelines for human subjects be described in a manuscript?

The ethical guidelines for human subjects should be described in the Methods section of a manuscript. This is because the Methods section outlines the study design, procedures, and protocols that were followed during the research. When describing the research involving human subjects, it is crucial to provide details about informed consent, ethical approval from an institutional review board (IRB), and how participants' rights and safety were protected throughout the study.

Inclusion of this information in the Methods section allows readers to assess the ethical integrity of the research and ensures transparency about the processes used to protect participants. By placing this information in the Methods section, it aligns with the overall objective of that section, which is to detail how the research was conducted in a standardized manner.

Other sections, such as the Results or Discussion, focus on presenting and interpreting findings, while the Introduction typically sets the stage for the study and outlines its importance. Consequently, these sections are not suited for detailed discussions on ethical considerations related to human subjects.