OBJECTIVE  To conduct an in-depth investigation and analysis of the construction and implementation status of the ethical review systems of 69 pharmaceutical science and technology journals in China, and provide practical strategic recommendations for improving the ethical review standards of domestic scientific journals.

METHODS  A multi-dimensional research approach was adopted. Firstly, the study involved reviewing the submission guidelines and ethical policy sections on the official websites of 69 pharmaceutical science and technology journals, as well as simulating the submission process to comprehensively evaluate the construction of their ethical review systems. Secondly, 630 research papers related to science and medical studies involving humans and animal experiments published in these journals in recent years were randomly selected for systematic examination of the completeness of their ethical review information.

RESULTS  At the system construction level, only 49.21% of the journals mentioned ethical review requirements in their submission guidelines, 14.29% had dedicated ethical policy sections on their official websites, and merely 20.97% specified ethical review requirements in their submission systems. Data from paper reviews showed that 75.48% of papers related to science and medical research involving humans provided ethical review information, while the rate was 50.00% in animal experiment research papers. These findings indicated that ethical review requirements in Chinese pharmaceutical science and technology journals were not clear enough, enforcement needed to be strengthened, and the overall ethical review system remained incomplete.

CONCLUSION  To promote the standardization and professionalization of ethical review in Chinese pharmaceutical science and technology journals, multi-faceted collaborative efforts are required. These include strengthening the guiding role of competent authorities and sponsoring units to improve top-level design, increasing the emphasis on ethical review in journal audits and spot checks, encouraging journals to optimize their ethical review systems and refine implementation standards, and enhancing the learning and application of ethical review knowledge among editors and reviewers to improve their professional competence. Through these measures, the ethical review system of Chinese pharmaceutical science and technology journals can be comprehensively elevated.