Ethics Reporting Practices in Aging Research From the Arab Region.

Area of Science:

• Gerontology
• Medical Ethics
• Research Integrity

Background:

• Ethical considerations are paramount in aging research.
• Assessing ethics reporting practices in the Arab region is crucial for understanding research integrity.
• Previous assessments of ethics reporting in this region are limited.

Purpose of the Study:

• To evaluate the extent and trends of ethics reporting in aging research originating from Arab countries.
• To identify factors associated with adequate or inadequate reporting of ethical practices.

Main Methods:

• A systematic scoping review was conducted across seven databases, covering research from 22 Arab countries between 1994 and 2013.
• Multivariable regression analysis was employed to examine variations in ethics reporting based on time, geographical location, and study characteristics.
• Data were extracted on the reporting of institutional ethical approval and informed consent for 637 and 612 publications, respectively.

Main Results:

• Only 36.6% of publications reported Research Ethics Committee approval, and 38.7% reported informed consent.
• Ethics reporting significantly improved over time, with increased research collaborations, higher journal impact factors, and inclusion of institutionalized participants.
• Non-English articles and those without reported funding sources were less likely to report ethical practices.

Conclusions:

• Despite temporal improvements, ethics reporting in aging research from the Arab region remains below optimal levels.
• There is a need for enhanced ethical guidelines and capacity-building initiatives to improve research integrity in the region.
• Continued monitoring and promotion of ethical standards are essential for advancing aging research in the Arab world.