Instruction of Laboratory Animal Welfare and Ethics

Laboratory Animal and Comparative Medicine is a professional academic journal in the field of laboratory animal science and comparative medicine in China. It strictly adheres to national laws, regulations, and standards related to experimental animals, including but not limited to the revised “Regulations for the Administration of Affairs Concerning Experimental Animals” (March 1, 2017) and the “Laboratory Animal - Guidelines for Ethical Review of Animal Welfare” (GB/T 35892—2018). Additionally, the journal aligns with international consensus guidelines for reporting animal experimentation in biomedical journals, such as ARRIVE 2.0, IGP 2012, and IAVE Guidelines 2010. Consequently, all submissions involving animal experiments are subject to scrutiny for their compliance with animal welfare and ethics.

Specific requirements are outlined as follows:

1. Documentation for Animal Experiments: Submissions involving animal experiments must provide Production License for Laboratory Animals and Quality Certificate of Laboratory Animals, along with Use License of Laboratory Animals. These documents must match the type of animals used and the name of the experimental institute, and their license numbers should be listed in the text.

2. 3Rs Principle and Ethical Review: The design of animal experiments must be based on the 3Rs principle (Replacement, Reduction, and Refinement). Authors must provide an Animal Welfare Ethics Review Form from their institutional Animal Welfare and Ethics Committee (or relevant administration). The content of those documents must match the information in the submitted article, and the corresponding approval numbers should be cited in the main body text.

3. Use of Anesthetics and Painkillers: For animal experiments, particularly those involving anesthetic surgeries, priority should be given to pharmaceutical-grade anesthetics. The use of non-pharmaceutical grade anesthetics (like tribromoethanol, chloral hydrate, etc.), whose characteristics and effects on experimental animals are uncertain, is discouraged due to potential welfare concerns and reliability of research outcomes. If the use is necessary, sufficient justification and relevant approvals must be provided.

4. Tumor Animal Models: In line with domestic and international guidelines, the journal suggests that the diameter of individual tumors should not exceed 20 mm for mice and 40 mm for rats, without significant tumor ulceration. If a submission involves studies exceeding these standards, authors must submit guiding documents from their affiliations on tumor animal models and provide a scientific rationale for the tumor size mentioned in the article.