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Editorial Policies

Contents

The Iraqi National Journal of Medicine is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics, editorial integrity, and transparency. The journal follows the principles of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and endorses the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) for the conduct, reporting, editing, and publication of medical research. Where applicable, the journal also expects responsible authorship and reporting practices in line with GPP3 guidance.

Submission of a manuscript to IqNJM confirms that all listed authors have made appropriate contributions to the work, have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript, and agree to its submission. By submitting to the journal, authors also confirm that their manuscript complies with the journal’s editorial, ethical, and publication policies.

To support authors, reviewers, and readers, IqNJM also provides optional educational resources related to publication ethics, editorial standards, and journal policies through its YouTube channel. Please note that these video materials are currently available in Arabic.

Who Can Submit?

Submissions are open to authors who own the rights to the work they submit or who have obtained explicit permission from the copyright holder to submit the work for publication. Manuscripts must be original, must not have been published previously, and must not be under consideration by another journal or publication at the time of submission. By submitting a manuscript to IqNJM, the corresponding author confirms that all listed authors have approved the submission and that the work complies with the journal’s requirements for originality, authorship, and copyright.

Open Access Statement

IqNJM is a fully open-access journal. All published articles are made freely and permanently available online immediately upon publication, without subscription, registration, or embargo. Readers may access, read, download, and share published content in accordance with the journal’s licensing terms.

Copyright Policy

Authors retain copyright in their published work. By publishing in IqNJM, authors grant the publisher the right to publish, distribute, and preserve the article as part of the scholarly record. Authors are responsible for ensuring that any third-party material included in the manuscript is used with appropriate permission and acknowledgment where required.

Licensing

All open-access articles published in IqNJM are distributed under the Creative Commons Attribution–NonCommercial 4.0 International (CC BY-NC 4.0) license. This license permits non-commercial use, sharing, distribution, reproduction, and adaptation of the published material, provided that the original author(s) and the journal are properly credited and any modifications are clearly indicated. Commercial reuse is not permitted without prior written permission from the journal. Authors may also deposit the final published version of their article in institutional or subject repositories, provided that the published source is properly cited and linked.

Advertisements

The journal does not accept advertisements from third parties on its website or in its print publication.

Affiliations

Authors must list all relevant affiliations that accurately reflect where the research or scholarly work was approved, supported, and/or conducted. Affiliations should provide a transparent record of the institutional context of the work.

For non-research articles, authors should state their current institutional affiliation. If an author changes institution before publication, the affiliation where the work was conducted should remain listed, and the current affiliation may be indicated in a note or in the Acknowledgments section, where appropriate. If an author does not have a relevant current institutional affiliation, this should be stated clearly.

Misrepresentation or omission of relevant affiliations is considered a form of publication misconduct. The IqNJM will address suspected cases in accordance with its ethical policies and, where necessary, may contact the relevant institutions as part of its investigation.

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Appeals and complaints

IqNJM is committed to fair, transparent, and accountable editorial decision-making. The journal welcomes legitimate appeals to editorial decisions and considers complaints regarding the peer-review process, publication ethics, editorial conduct, or journal procedures. All appeals and complaints are handled confidentially and in accordance with the principles of independence, integrity, and fairness, with reference to COPE guidance.

This policy applies to:

  • appeals against editorial decisions, including rejection decisions
  • complaints regarding peer review, publication ethics, or editorial conduct
  • concerns about potential ethical breaches or conflicts of interest
  • allegations of bias, undue delay, or procedural error in the handling of a manuscript

Appeals

Authors may appeal an editorial decision if they believe that:

  • the editorial or peer-review process was not conducted fairly or in accordance with journal policy
  • reviewers misunderstood the manuscript or made factual errors
  • relevant evidence or arguments were not adequately considered in reaching the decision

Disagreement with an editorial judgment alone is not sufficient grounds for an appeal. Appeals should therefore be supported by a clear explanation and, where relevant, specific evidence in response to the editor’s and reviewers’ comments.

Complaints

Authors, reviewers, or readers may submit complaints concerning authorship, editorial decisions, peer review, ethical issues, or concerns identified after publication. Complaints must be submitted in writing and should include sufficient detail to allow the journal to assess the matter properly.

How Appeals and Complaints Are Handled

Appeals and complaints should be submitted in the first instance to the Editorial Office of IqNJM at contact@iqnjm.com. Upon receipt, the journal will review the matter impartially and may request additional information from the parties involved. Where necessary, the editorial or publication process may be paused until the matter has been resolved.

If the appeal or complaint involves the Editor-in-Chief, the matter will be handled by appropriate members of the Editorial Board, led by the most senior uninvolved member, to ensure independence and fairness.

All findings will be reviewed and a formal decision will be made and recorded by the journal. Where a complaint leads to changes affecting a published article, the journal will issue an appropriate notice, such as a Corrigendum or Erratum, in accordance with its post-publication policies.

Authorship and Acknowledgements

Authorship

Authorship of a manuscript submitted to the IqNJM should be based only on substantial contributions to all of the following:

  1. substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or to the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data;
  2. drafting the manuscript or revising it critically for important intellectual content;
  3. final approval of the version to be published; and
  4. agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to ensure that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals who meet the criteria for authorship are appropriately listed as authors and that no ineligible individuals are included. All listed authors must have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

Acknowledgements

Contributors who do not meet all authorship criteria should not be listed as authors, but they should be acknowledged appropriately. This may include individuals who contributed to technical analysis, manuscript preparation, study design, data collection, or other forms of practical or scholarly support. Funders, in-kind contributors, clinician investigators, and similar contributors may also be acknowledged where relevant.

Author Contributions

All contributors to a manuscript must provide a clear and detailed statement describing their individual contributions to the work. As part of the journal’s updated policies, this statement is required for all new submissions. Where applicable, contribution statements may include areas such as study concept and design, intellectual content development, literature review, clinical or experimental work, data collection, data analysis and interpretation, statistical analysis, manuscript drafting, critical revision, and final manuscript approval. The author-contributions statement will be published as part of the final article to promote transparency and accountability.

At least one author, and where appropriate more than one, must accept overall responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work from its conception through to publication.

Changes in Authorship

Authorship must be finalized and agreed by all authors before submission. The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals listed as authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria, that no eligible author has been omitted, and that all listed authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission.

Requests to add, remove, reorder, or replace authors after submission will be considered only in exceptional circumstances. Such requests must be submitted in writing by the corresponding author and must include a full explanation for the requested change together with written confirmation from all listed authors, and from any author being added or removed, that they agree to the change.

Changes in authorship after acceptance will not normally be permitted. Requests made after acceptance or publication will be considered only where the journal is satisfied that there was a genuine administrative error, or where there is credible evidence that the published or accepted authorship record was incorrect at the time of submission. Requests based solely on a later reassessment of contribution, a newly prepared author-contribution statement, or post hoc agreement among the authors will not normally be accepted.

The journal does not adjudicate disputes between authors regarding entitlement to authorship or author order. Where a disagreement cannot be resolved by the authors themselves, the journal may suspend editorial or publication action and require the matter to be referred to the relevant institution(s) for investigation. The journal may act on the basis of institutional findings where appropriate.

If an authorship change is approved after publication, the journal will correct the scholarly record through an appropriate post-publication notice, in accordance with its corrections policy. Corrections to author names, affiliations, ORCID identifiers, email addresses, or similar metadata do not in themselves constitute changes in authorship and may be handled separately where justified.

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Citations

All research and non-research manuscripts submitted to IqNJM must include accurate, relevant, and current references that appropriately support the statements, interpretations, and conclusions presented in the manuscript. Where applicable, citations should be drawn from peer-reviewed, reliable, and verifiable sources.

Authors must avoid excessive, inappropriate, or strategically motivated self-citation, as well as any prearranged or reciprocal citation practices intended to artificially influence citation metrics. Such practices constitute citation manipulation and are considered a form of publication misconduct under the journal’s ethical standards.

For non-research articles, including reviews and opinion pieces, references should provide a fair, balanced, and appropriately comprehensive overview of the current state of knowledge on the topic. Citations should not be selected in a way that unfairly favors a particular author, institution, organization, or journal.

If authors are uncertain about the appropriateness of citing a particular source, they are encouraged to seek guidance from the IqNJM Editorial Office prior to submission.

Conflicts of Interest / Competing Interests

All authors submitting a manuscript to IqNJM must disclose any competing interests that are relevant to the submitted work or that could reasonably be perceived to influence the conduct, interpretation, or reporting of the manuscript.

A competing interest exists when an author’s professional judgment regarding a primary interest—such as patient welfare, research validity, or scientific integrity—may be influenced by a secondary interest. Competing interests may be financial or non-financial, direct or indirect, and must be declared regardless of whether the authors believe they influenced the work.

Financial competing interests may include, but are not limited to:

  • Employment, consultancy, or voluntary involvement with entities related to the subject matter
  • Research grants or funding provided to the author or their institution
  • Honoraria, consulting fees, lecture fees, royalties, or expert testimony payments
  • Patents (planned, pending, or issued), licenses, or intellectual property rights
  • Stock ownership or other equity interests
  • Financial benefits related to the development, testing, or commercialization of products arising from the work

Non-financial competing interests may include, but are not limited to:

  • Receipt of drugs, equipment, materials, or access to data from an interested entity
  • Leadership roles, advisory positions, or board memberships in organizations with a stake in the outcomes
  • Writing or administrative assistance from individuals or organizations that may benefit from publication
  • Personal, academic, political, religious, ideological, or intellectual positions relevant to the content
  • Involvement in legal, regulatory, or policy actions related to the work

All authors are required to complete a Competing Interests Declaration, which will be published in a dedicated Disclosure section at the end of the article. As part of the journal’s updated policies, this requirement applies to all new submissions. If no competing interests exist, the following statement should be included: “The authors declare no conflict of interest.”

Authors employed by pharmaceutical companies or other organizations sponsoring clinical trials must explicitly declare this relationship. Such submissions must comply with the Good Publication Practice (GPP3) guidelines to ensure ethical and transparent reporting.

Failure to disclose relevant competing interests is considered a form of publication misconduct. If undisclosed conflicts are identified before publication, the manuscript may be rejected or revised. If identified after publication, IqNJM may issue a Corrigendum, Expression of Concern, or Retraction, depending on the severity of the case.

Editors and reviewers must also declare any competing interests and recuse themselves from handling manuscripts where such interests exist.

When in doubt, authors are encouraged to disclose the potential interest or seek guidance from the IqNJM Editorial Office prior to submission.

If IqNJM receives a manuscript submitted by a member of its Editorial Board, the journal ensures that the editorial process is handled independently and without bias. Any Editorial Board member with a conflict of interest in relation to the manuscript will not participate in the editorial assessment or decision-making process. Such manuscripts will be peer reviewed by independent reviewers who have no conflict of interest.

Corrections, Retractions, and Article Removal

IqNJM is committed to maintaining the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. This policy explains how the journal manages corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, withdrawals, replacements, and article removals in order to protect the accuracy, transparency, and reliability of the scholarly record. The journal follows the recommendations of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).

Corrections

  • Author Corrections (Corrigendum): If authors identify an error in a published article, they should contact the Editorial Office as soon as possible. A Corrigendum will be published when: (a) the error originated from the authors; (b) the correction does not alter the main results or conclusions of the article; and (c) all authors approve the correction. The Corrigendum will describe the error and the correction, and it will be linked directly to the original article.
  • Editorial or Production Corrections (Erratum): An Erratum will be issued when an error was introduced during editing, typesetting, production, or publication. The Erratum will describe the correction and will be permanently linked to the original article.
  • Editorial Notes: An Editorial Note may be published when clarification is needed but the data and conclusions of the article remain reliable. This may include cases such as:
    • authorship or peer review concerns that do not affect the scientific content;
    • minor ethical or procedural concerns; or
    • clarification or contextual information considered necessary by the editorial team.

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued when:

  • there are credible but inconclusive indications of misconduct or major error;
  • an investigation is underway but is likely to take a considerable amount of time; or
  • the editorial team has reason to believe that an external investigation is incomplete or unreliable.

An Expression of Concern will be linked to the article and will remain part of the publication record. Once the matter is resolved, the journal may issue a correction, retraction, or other update, as appropriate.

Post-Publication Updates and Version Control

When a post-publication correction is required, the journal will publish a formal notice as soon as reasonably possible, clearly describing the changes made and citing the original article. The notice will be linked to the original publication to ensure transparency and proper indexing.

Where the publishing platform allows, the journal may also update the online version of the article, indicate the date of the change, and retain a clear record of the publication history. Any updated version will clearly indicate that changes have been made from the original published version.

Retractions

1. When Retraction Is Required

An article may be retracted by the Editor-in-Chief, the publisher, or the authors when there is reliable evidence that:

  • the data or findings are invalid because of fabrication, falsification, or significant error;
  • plagiarism or substantial inappropriate text overlap has occurred;
  • the article duplicates previously published work;
  • research materials or data were used without appropriate authorization or ethical approval;
  • human or animal research was conducted unethically;
  • relevant conflicts of interest were not disclosed;
  • the peer review process was compromised or manipulated;
  • authorship is fraudulent, seriously disputed, or cannot be verified;
  • citations were added inappropriately to manipulate metrics; or
  • there has been another serious breach of journal policy, publishing ethics, or legal obligations.

2. Retraction Procedure

  • A Retraction Notice titled “Retraction: [Article Title]” will be published;
  • the notice will be linked clearly to the original article;
  • the reason for retraction will be stated in an objective, factual, and non-accusatory manner;
  • the online article will remain part of the scholarly record wherever possible, but it will be clearly marked as retracted; and
  • the article metadata, including title, authors, and DOI, will be retained for transparency and indexing purposes.

Where technically feasible, the PDF version will be clearly marked “RETRACTED” on each page.

Removal of Published Articles

Removal of a published article is an exceptional measure and will be considered only when:

  • the article is defamatory or infringes legal rights;
  • a court or other lawful authority requires its removal; or
  • the content poses a serious and immediate risk to public health or safety if acted upon.

In such cases, the article text may be removed and replaced with a notice explaining that the article has been removed for legal or safety reasons. Basic metadata, including the title and authors, will remain available where possible.

Article Replacement

If a published article contains serious errors that could endanger health or safety, the journal may consider retraction and replacement with a corrected version.In such cases, the retraction notice will explain the reason for the action and will provide a clear link to the replacement article.

Permanent Archiving

The journal will preserve the publication record of its articles, including corrected, retracted, replaced, or removed publications, in its official archive and through its archiving arrangements, in order to maintain the completeness and integrity of the scholarly record.

Contact

For questions, concerns, or to report an error in a published article, please contact the Editorial Office of IqNJM at contact@iqnjm.com.

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Research Ethics and Consents

All original research involving humans, animals, plants, biological materials, protected or non-public datasets, collections, or sites must include a dedicated Ethics Approval statement in the manuscript. This statement should identify the approving ethics committee or Institutional Review Board (IRB), provide the approval number or reference where available, and confirm that informed consent was obtained where applicable. Ethical approval must be obtained before the research is conducted. Retrospective approval is generally not acceptable and may preclude publication.

Research Involving Humans

Research involving human participants must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki and the ICMJE Recommendations. Authors must confirm in the manuscript that ethical approval was obtained from an appropriate IRB or ethics committee, that informed consent to participate was obtained from all participants or their legal guardians where applicable, and that privacy and confidentiality were protected throughout the study. Authors should use the terms sex and gender correctly and, where appropriate, aim for the inclusion of representative populations. If a formal ethics review process is not available, the manuscript must state that the study was conducted in accordance with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Where applicable, the manuscript must state in the Methods section that informed consent to participate was obtained. Authors should retain the relevant consent documentation and provide it to the journal upon request.

Research Involving Animals

Research involving animals must comply with internationally accepted ethical standards for animal welfare, including the ARRIVE guidelines, together with relevant national and institutional requirements. Manuscripts involving animals must include ethics approval details and permit numbers, justification for the use of animals and species selected, and relevant information on housing, feeding, environmental enrichment, anesthesia, and euthanasia. Authors must also confirm that all reasonable efforts were made to minimize pain, distress, and suffering, and should report the sex of animals and, where relevant, any sex-based analysis. Research that does not meet the journal’s ethical or animal welfare requirements will not be considered for publication.

Consent for Participation

For research involving human participants, authors must obtain freely given informed consent to participate from each participant or, where applicable, from a parent, guardian, or other legally authorized representative. The manuscript must state that informed consent to participate was obtained, and, where relevant, should indicate the method by which consent was obtained. Authors are responsible for retaining the relevant consent documentation. Consent forms must not be uploaded with the manuscript submission, cover letter, or sent separately to the Editorial Office or Publisher unless specifically requested.

Consent for Publication

Consent to participate is not the same as consent for publication. If a manuscript contains identifiable personal data, images, videos, case details, or any other material that could reveal the identity of a patient or participant, authors must obtain written informed consent for publication from the individual concerned or, where applicable, from a parent, guardian, next of kin, or other legally authorized representative. The manuscript must include a clear statement confirming that consent for publication was obtained. Authors must securely archive the relevant consent forms, and these forms must not be uploaded with the submission or sent to the Editorial Office or Publisher unless specifically requested.

As part of the journal’s updated policies, written informed consent for publication is required for all new case report submissions, regardless of whether direct identifiers have been removed, because full anonymity cannot always be guaranteed. Accordingly, every case report manuscript must include a statement confirming that consent for publication was obtained. This requirement also applies to case reports that include images, imaging studies, videos, detailed clinical descriptions, or any combination of information that could allow identification. This policy strengthens the journal’s protection of patient privacy and is consistent with its broader ethics and consent requirements.

Protection of Patients’ Rights to Privacy

Identifying information, including names, initials, hospital numbers, dates of birth, investigation dates, photographs, sonograms, CT scans, videos, pedigrees, or other potentially identifying material, must not be published unless it is scientifically essential and written informed consent for publication has been obtained. Authors must remove unnecessary identifying details from the text, figures, and supplementary materials. Masking facial features alone is not sufficient to guarantee anonymity. If there is any doubt that anonymity can be maintained, informed consent for publication must be obtained.

Clinical Trial Registration

All articles reporting the results of clinical trials must be registered in a public trials registry that conforms with ICMJE requirements before manuscript submission. Manuscripts reporting clinical trials must state that the trial was registered and must provide the registry name, registration number, and registry URL. Phase I trials designed to study pharmacokinetics or major toxicity are exempt.

Ethical Non-Compliance

Manuscripts that do not meet the journal’s ethical requirements relating to ethics approval, informed consent, patient privacy, animal welfare, plant research permissions, or clinical trial registration will not be considered for publication.

Confidentiality and Peer-Review Integrity

All manuscripts submitted to IqNJM are treated as confidential documents. Submitted material will not be disclosed to any individual outside the editorial process, except to those directly involved in the assessment and preparation of the manuscript for publication. This includes editorial staff, Editors, the corresponding author, and invited reviewers.

IqNJM is committed to preserving the confidentiality and integrity of the peer-review and editorial decision-making process at all stages, in compliance with applicable data-protection regulations. Invited reviewers must declare any potential competing interests before submitting their review. Reviewers may not share the manuscript or its content with others without prior approval from the Editorial Office. If a reviewer wishes to involve a colleague as a co-reviewer, prior permission must be obtained, and the co-reviewer’s name, affiliation, and any competing interests must be disclosed to the Editors.

In cases involving allegations of research or publication misconduct, all parties involved—including authors, reviewers, editors, and whistleblowers—will be treated confidentially. Where necessary for a fair and thorough investigation, the Editor-in-Chief may share relevant information with appropriate third parties, such as the journal’s ethics committee or the authors’ affiliated institutions, in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidance and established procedures.

Self-Archiving Policy

Authors are permitted to deposit the final published electronic version of their article in an institutional repository or a recognized subject-based repository immediately upon publication. Such deposits must include a direct link to the official published version on the IqNJM website and appropriate citation identifying IqNJM as the original publisher.

Disclaimer for Readers

While every effort is made to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the content published in the Iraqi National Journal of Medicine, the views and opinions expressed in articles are those of the authors. Neither the authors, the Editors, nor the Publisher accept legal responsibility for any errors, omissions, or consequences arising from the use of the information contained in the journal. The Publisher makes no warranties, expressed or implied, regarding the content of published material.

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Research Data Policy and Data Availability

IqNJM supports the responsible sharing of research data to promote transparency, reproducibility, and the advancement of scientific knowledge. The journal recognizes the importance of making research data accessible, while also respecting ethical standards, patient confidentiality, and applicable legal or regulatory restrictions.

Data Sharing Expectations

Authors are encouraged to make research data that support the findings of their study publicly available whenever feasible. Shared data should be provided in a form that allows validation of the reported results and, where appropriate, supports further research and reuse. Where data cannot be shared, authors should clearly explain the reason, such as privacy, confidentiality, ethical, legal, or other justified restrictions.

Data Availability Statements

As part of the journal’s updated policies, all new submissions are encouraged to include a Data Availability Statement describing whether the underlying data are available, where they can be accessed, and, where applicable, the reasons for any restrictions on access.

Where data cannot be shared, the statement should provide a clear explanation. Acceptable reasons may include patient confidentiality, privacy protection, legal restrictions, ethical limitations, or the absence of generated or analyzed datasets. Data may also be stated as available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request, where appropriate.

Data Citation and Good Practice

Authors should cite shared datasets appropriately and provide persistent links or identifiers where available. Proper data citation helps ensure transparency, reproducibility, discoverability, and appropriate scholarly credit for data generation and sharing.

Examples of Data Availability Statements

Data available in a public repository
“The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository at: [PERSISTENT LINK/DOI].”

Data available on request
“The datasets generated and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author upon reasonable request.”

No data available
“No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.”

Desk Rejection Policy

Manuscripts submitted to the IqNJM may be rejected at the initial editorial screening stage without external peer review for any of the following reasons:

  1. The subject matter falls outside the aims and scope of the journal.
  2. Ethical concerns are identified, including non-compliance with publication standards or evidence of plagiarism, excessive similarity, or other originality concerns, based on similarity screening and editorial assessment.
  3. The manuscript lacks sufficient scientific impact or fails to provide a meaningful or novel contribution to the existing body of knowledge.
  4. Significant methodological or study design weaknesses are evident.
  5. The research objectives are unclear, poorly defined, or inconsistently presented.
  6. The structure or organization of the study is inadequate, or essential components of the manuscript are missing.
  7. Substantial deficiencies in language quality, clarity, or academic writing style that impede proper evaluation of the work.
  8. Failure to comply with the journal’s submission instructions and formatting requirements.

Funding Disclosure Policy

As part of the journal’s updated policies, all new submissions must include a clear funding disclosure statement. Authors must disclose all sources of funding, including financial or material support, and must specify the role of any funder or sponsor in the study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and submission process. If the funder had no involvement in any aspect of the study or publication process, this must be stated explicitly. Authors are responsible for ensuring that all funding information is complete, accurate, and consistent with the requirements of the relevant funding agencies.

Images and Figures

Authors should include images, figures, and other visual materials in their manuscripts only when they are directly relevant and add scientific or scholarly value to the work. Images that are purely illustrative and do not contribute meaningfully to the interpretation of the research should be avoided.

As part of the Journal Author Publishing Agreement, authors warrant that they have obtained all necessary written permissions to reproduce or adapt any third-party material protected by copyright. This includes, but is not limited to, proprietary text, illustrations, tables, datasets, photographs, audio or video recordings, film stills, screenshots, musical notation, and any supplementary material. Documentation of permission must be available upon request.

Patient Images, Consent, and Cultural Sensitivity

Photographs, video, or audio recordings that may reveal the identity of patients or research participants may only be included if written Consent to Publish has been obtained. Consent must be provided by the participant, or by a legally authorized representative in cases involving deceased individuals, minors, or vulnerable populations.

Authors must also be mindful of cultural, social, and ethical sensitivities related to visual material. Images of human remains or deceased individuals may be subject to cultural restrictions, and authors are expected to follow relevant ethical standards and consider the views and approval processes of affected communities.

Image Integrity and Modifications

Experimental images, including microscopy and other photographic data, must accurately represent the original data. Any modification or enhancement—such as adjustments to brightness, contrast, color balance, or annotations—must be clearly disclosed in the manuscript and figure legend, with sufficient explanation to avoid misleading interpretation.

Only minor, uniform adjustments applied to the entire image are permitted. Alterations that could influence or change the scientific interpretation of the image are strictly prohibited. Authors must be prepared to provide the original, uncropped, unannotated, and unprocessed images to the Editorial Office upon request. Details of image acquisition and processing methods, including the name and version of any software used, must be reported.

Reuse of Previously Published Images

Images or figures reproduced or adapted from previously published sources may be used only in accordance with the applicable copyright status or license terms. Where required, authors must obtain permission from the copyright holder. The original source must always be fully cited, and any required acknowledgment must be included in the figure legend.

Failure to comply with this policy may result in manuscript rejection or further action in accordance with the journal’s ethical and editorial standards.

Research and Publication Misconduct

IqNJM treats all forms of research and publication misconduct seriously. The journal will take appropriate action, in accordance with the guidance and flowcharts of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Forms of Misconduct

Misconduct includes, but is not limited to, the following:

  • misrepresentation of author affiliations
  • copyright infringement or unauthorized use of third-party material
  • citation manipulation
  • duplicate submission or duplicate publication
  • ethics dumping
  • fabrication, falsification, or inappropriate manipulation of data or images
  • peer-review manipulation
  • plagiarism
  • text recycling or self-plagiarism
  • undisclosed conflicts of interest
  • unethical research practices

Any conduct that compromises the integrity, transparency, or credibility of the research or publication process may be treated as misconduct.

Specific Types of Misconduct

Duplicate Submission and Duplicate Publication:
Authors submitting manuscripts to IqNJM must confirm that the work is not under consideration elsewhere and has not been published previously, and this should be stated in the cover letter. Duplicate submission or publication is a serious breach of publication ethics. This policy also applies to prior publication in another language, unless secondary publication is justified, fully disclosed, and supported by written permission from the original publisher and copyright holder in line with ICMJE recommendations. Any reuse of previously published or concurrently submitted work must be clearly cited and must represent a substantial new contribution. Failure to disclose duplicate or prior publication may result in rejection, withdrawal, retraction, or other action under the journal’s ethical policies.

Citation Manipulation:
Manuscripts containing references added primarily to increase citations artificially to a particular author, group of authors, or journal may be rejected or subject to corrective action.

Fabrication and Falsification of Data:
Fabrication is the invention of data, results, or records that were not actually obtained. Falsification is the manipulation of research materials, processes, images, or data in a way that misrepresents the research record. These forms of misconduct may occur at any stage of research and publication. IqNJM seeks to identify fabrication or falsification throughout the editorial process, from initial screening to peer review, revision, and post-publication review. Authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, and readers share an ethical responsibility to report suspected fabrication or falsification. Where such misconduct is confirmed or strongly suspected, the journal may reject, withdraw, correct, or retract the article and may notify relevant institutions or other appropriate bodies.

Improper Authorship or Contributor Attribution:
All listed authors must have made a meaningful scholarly contribution to the work and must approve the final manuscript. Individuals who made substantial contributions, including students or technical staff where appropriate, should be properly acknowledged or credited. Ghost authorship, gift authorship, and omission of legitimate contributors are unacceptable.

Redundant Publication:
Redundant publication refers to the inappropriate division of the findings of a single study into multiple articles without sufficient justification, transparency, or disclosure.

Image Manipulation:
Deliberate manipulation or fabrication of images intended to mislead readers constitutes serious misconduct. Images must accurately represent the original data. Specific features within an image must not be selectively enhanced, obscured, moved, removed, or introduced without full disclosure. Only limited, non-misleading adjustments, such as uniform changes to brightness, contrast, or color balance, are acceptable. Grouping images from different experiments, gels, or microscopic fields must be clearly disclosed in the figure layout or legend. Authors must be able to provide the original, unedited images upon request. Failure to do so may result in rejection, correction, or retraction.

Investigation of Misconduct

Suspected misconduct will be investigated in accordance with COPE procedures. Investigations may involve contacting authors, reviewers, institutions, funders, or other relevant parties. Depending on the outcome, the journal may take one or more actions, including rejection, correction, retraction, notification of institutions, or any other measure considered appropriate.

Where concerns are raised by an editor or reviewer, the journal will normally first contact the author(s) to seek clarification and supporting information. If the concerns are not resolved satisfactorily, IqNJM may refer the matter to the relevant institution(s), funder(s), or, in cases of suspected duplicate publication, the other journal involved. Readers may also report concerns about published articles to the Editorial Office in writing. The identity of complainants or whistleblowers will be treated confidentially, in accordance with the journal’s confidentiality and misconduct procedures.

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Roles and Responsibilities

Duties of Editors

Publication Decisions:
The Editor-in-Chief, with support from the editorial team, is responsible for deciding which submitted manuscripts are accepted for publication. Decisions are made after consideration of peer-review reports and relevant editorial evaluation, while complying with legal obligations relating to defamation, copyright, and plagiarism. Editorial decisions are based solely on scholarly merit and are not influenced by the authors’ nationality, ethnicity, political views, race, or religious beliefs.

Confidentiality and Conflicts of Interest:
Editors must maintain confidentiality throughout the peer-review process and must not disclose information about submitted manuscripts to anyone other than the corresponding author, reviewers, prospective reviewers, editorial advisors, or the publisher where necessary for editorial processing. Information contained in unpublished manuscripts must not be used by editors, reviewers, or others for personal research or personal advantage without the explicit written permission of the author.

Relations with Authors:
Editors are committed to ensuring that the peer-review process is fair, impartial, and timely. The journal has established procedures to manage submissions from Editorial Board members in a manner that safeguards objectivity. Clear guidance on authorship criteria is provided in the journal’s instructions for authors.

Relations with Reviewers:
The journal encourages reviewers to report ethical concerns or potential misconduct identified during manuscript evaluation, including unethical study design, inappropriate data handling, redundant publication, or plagiarism. Reviewer reports are normally shared with authors in full unless they contain inappropriate, offensive, defamatory, or confidential content. The journal recognizes the contributions of reviewers and may discontinue the use of reviewers who consistently provide discourteous, low-quality, or delayed reviews.

Quality Assurance:
Editors take all reasonable measures to ensure the quality, accuracy, and integrity of published content, recognizing that different article types may have different objectives and standards. Editors should confirm that research has received appropriate ethical approval where required and remain attentive to intellectual property matters. Any errors, inaccuracies, or misleading information must be corrected promptly and with appropriate prominence.

Duties of Reviewers

Contribution to Editorial Decisions:
Reviewers play an important role in supporting editorial decision-making by providing independent, objective, and constructive evaluations of submitted manuscripts. Review reports should be clearly expressed and supported by reasoned arguments to help authors improve the quality of their work. Personal or derogatory comments directed at authors are inappropriate and unacceptable.

Reviewer Eligibility and Conflicts of Interest:
Invited reviewers who consider themselves insufficiently qualified to assess a manuscript, or who are unable to complete a review within a reasonable timeframe, should promptly inform the editor and decline the review. Reviewers must not evaluate manuscripts in which they have actual or potential conflicts of interest arising from competitive, collaborative, institutional, or other personal or professional relationships with the authors, institutions, or organizations connected to the submission.

Confidentiality:
All manuscripts received for review must be treated as strictly confidential. Information, data, or ideas obtained through the peer-review process must not be disclosed to third parties or used for personal, academic, or professional advantage.

Acknowledgment of Sources:
Reviewers should identify relevant and significant published work that has not been cited by the authors and recommend appropriate references where necessary. Reviewers should also notify the editor of any substantial similarity, duplication, or overlap between the manuscript under review and other published works of which they are aware.

Duties of Authors

Reporting Standards:
Authors reporting original research must provide an accurate and transparent description of the work performed and a balanced assessment of its scientific importance. Data supporting the findings must be presented truthfully and without distortion. Authors should be prepared to provide access to underlying data where appropriate and to retain such data for a reasonable period following publication. Data fabrication or knowingly misleading statements constitute unethical conduct and are unacceptable.

Originality, Plagiarism, and Concurrent Submission:
Authors are responsible for ensuring that submitted manuscripts are original works. The use of ideas, text, or data from other sources must be properly cited and acknowledged. Plagiarism in any form, as well as the submission of substantially similar manuscripts to more than one journal at the same time, constitutes unethical publishing behavior and is not permitted.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest:
All authors must disclose any financial, personal, or professional relationships that could reasonably be perceived as influencing the interpretation or outcomes of the research. All sources of financial or material support must be clearly declared in the manuscript, and authors must state the role of the funder or sponsor in the study design, data collection, data analysis, manuscript preparation, and decision to submit or publish. Where the funder had no such involvement, this should be stated explicitly.

Authorship:
The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals who meet authorship criteria are appropriately listed as authors, that no ineligible individuals are included, and that all authors have reviewed and approved the final version of the manuscript and agreed to its submission. Contributors who do not meet authorship criteria but have provided substantial assistance should be acknowledged appropriately.

Fundamental Errors in Published Work:
If an author becomes aware of a significant error or inaccuracy in a published article, the author must promptly inform the journal and cooperate fully with the editorial team to correct or retract the work as necessary.

Peer Review Process

All manuscripts submitted to IqNJM are considered on the understanding that they are original, have not been previously published, and are not under simultaneous consideration by another journal. Upon submission, all manuscripts undergo an initial editorial assessment, including plagiarism screening and evaluation of suitability with respect to the journal’s scope, ethical standards, and submission requirements.

Manuscripts that pass initial screening are assigned for editorial handling and are sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers for evaluation of scientific quality, methodological rigor, originality, and relevance. IqNJM operates a double-blind peer-review system, in which the identities of authors and reviewers are concealed from each other throughout the review process.

Reviewers’ comments and recommendations, whether acceptance, revision, or rejection, are communicated to the corresponding author. When revision is requested, authors must submit a revised manuscript together with a detailed, point-by-point response addressing all reviewer comments. Revised submissions may be returned to the original reviewers for further evaluation, at the editor’s discretion.

Final decisions regarding acceptance or rejection are made by the Editor-in-Chief, with support from the editorial team, on the basis of reviewer recommendations and editorial assessment. The journal retains full authority over all editorial decisions.

In certain cases, particularly where manuscripts raise ethical, legal, biosecurity, safety, or broader societal concerns, the journal may seek additional expert advice outside the standard peer-review process. This may include consultation with subject-matter experts, additional editors, or ethics specialists, and may result in further editorial assessment, the selection of reviewers with specific expertise, or a decision not to proceed with the submission.

Manuscripts accepted for publication undergo professional copyediting for language, grammar, style, formatting, and consistency. Page proofs are then sent to the corresponding author for final review. Authors are expected to return corrected proofs within one week to avoid delays in publication.

Plagiarism Policy

IqNJM is committed to maintaining high standards of academic integrity. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must be original and must not contain plagiarism, inappropriate text overlap, unauthorized reuse of material, or undisclosed reuse of previously published work. Plagiarism in any form is considered unethical and unacceptable.

What Constitutes Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to:

  • copying text, tables, figures, images, or data from another source without proper citation, acknowledgment, or permission where required;
  • paraphrasing another author’s ideas, findings, or interpretations without appropriate attribution;
  • reusing one’s own previously published work without disclosure, citation, or justification;
  • using third-party material without permission where permission is required;
  • presenting another person’s work, ideas, or data as one’s own.

This policy applies to both published and unpublished material, regardless of source or language.

Similarity Screening and Editorial Assessment

All manuscripts submitted to IqNJM are screened using similarity-detection software such as iThenticate or an equivalent tool. Similarity reports are reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or a designated editor.

Editorial assessment is based on the nature, extent, and context of the overlap, not on percentage alone. Standard text elements such as references, author names, affiliations, and commonly used technical terminology may be excluded from the similarity assessment where appropriate.

The editorial review will consider whether overlap appears in, for example:

  • methods sections, where some standardized wording may be expected;
  • introductory or discussion sections, where originality of expression and attribution remain important;
  • results, interpretations, conclusions, figures, or data, where overlap may raise more serious concerns.

Manuscripts exceeding acceptable limits may be returned for revision, rejected, or investigated further, depending on the nature and context of the overlap.

Author Responsibilities

Authors are responsible for ensuring that:

  • all submitted work is original;
  • all sources are properly cited and acknowledged;
  • previously published material is reused only with appropriate disclosure, citation, and permission where required; and
  • the same manuscript is not submitted simultaneously to more than one journal.

Journal Actions in Cases of Plagiarism

If plagiarism or unacceptable overlap is identified before publication, the journal may reject the manuscript, request revision, or seek clarification from the authors, depending on the seriousness of the case.

If plagiarism or unacceptable overlap is identified after publication, the journal may take appropriate action in accordance with its Corrections, Retractions, and Article Removal policy. This may include correction, retraction, notification of the authors’ institution, or other measures considered appropriate.

All cases will be handled in accordance with the journal’s editorial procedures and relevant COPE guidance.

Special Issues

Overview

Special Issue themes are proposed and approved by the Editorial Team of the Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IqNJM) and are announced according to the journal’s annual publication plan. Calls for Special Issue submissions are published on the journal website and through official communication channels.

Manuscripts submitted to Special Issues are evaluated using the same editorial policies, author guidelines, and peer-review standards applied to regular issues. Authors are encouraged to carefully review all submission requirements prior to submission.

Appointment of Guest Editors

Guest Editors for Special Issues are appointed based on demonstrated subject-matter expertise, academic reputation, and prior editorial or peer-review experience. Candidates may be nominated by members of the Editorial Board, current editors, or through self-nomination.

All nominations are reviewed by the Editorial Board and require final approval by the Editor-in-Chief. Guest Editors are responsible for defining the scope of the Special Issue, preparing the call for papers, coordinating manuscript submissions, overseeing the peer-review process, and ensuring scientific quality and originality. Final decisions on manuscript acceptance are made in consultation with the Editor-in-Chief.

Setup of Special Issues

To initiate a Special Issue, a formal proposal must be submitted to the Editorial Office. The proposal should include:

  • The proposed theme and objectives,
  • Target audience and relevance,
  • Proposed Guest Editor(s),
  • A clear timeline for submission, review, and publication.

All proposals are reviewed by the Editorial Board and the Editor-in-Chief. Upon approval, a call for papers is issued and promoted through appropriate channels. A defined timeline is established to ensure alignment with the journal’s regular publication schedule.

Editorial and Peer-Review Process for Special Issues

All Special Issue manuscripts must be submitted through the journal’s online submission system. Submissions undergo an initial editorial screening by the Guest Editors to assess scope, relevance, and minimum quality standards.

Manuscripts then proceed through the journal’s double-blind peer-review process, with reviewers selected for their subject expertise. Authors are required to address reviewer comments through revision and resubmission where applicable.

Guest Editors provide recommendations regarding acceptance or rejection. Final editorial decisions rest with the Editor-in-Chief. Accepted manuscripts are copyedited, proofread, and published in accordance with IqNJM publication standards. Special Issues are actively promoted following publication, and post-publication metrics and feedback are reviewed to inform future Special Issues.

Review Process and Author Guidelines

All submissions to Special Issues follow the same submission process and author guidelines as regular issues of IqNJM. Special Issues are reviewed, edited, and published using identical editorial procedures to ensure consistency, fairness, and academic integrity.

Publication Timing

IqNJM accepts submissions on a continuous basis and publishes two issues each year, in January and July.

Manuscripts are scheduled for publication once they are fully accepted and ready for publication, rather than strictly in order of submission. As part of the journal’s updated policies, a Special Issue may be published as one of the journal’s regular issues rather than as an additional issue, so that the total number of issues published each year remains unchanged, whether or not a Special Issue is scheduled. All issues, including Special Issues, are subject to the same editorial, ethical, and peer-review standards.

Standards of Reporting

Authors are expected to present their research in a clear and transparent manner that enables verification, interpretation, and reproducibility. Manuscripts should include sufficiently detailed descriptions of the study rationale, objectives, design, methodology, data collection procedures, and analytical methods to allow readers and reviewers to fully assess the validity of the work.

Reporting Guidelines

IqNJM encourages authors to prepare and report their manuscripts in accordance with recognized reporting guidelines relevant to the design and type of study submitted. The use of appropriate reporting standards helps promote clarity, transparency, completeness, and reproducibility, and supports accurate interpretation of the research findings.

Authors should consult the reporting guideline most appropriate to their study type. Commonly used guidelines include:

  • CONSORT for randomized controlled trials
  • STROBE for observational studies
  • PRISMA for systematic reviews and meta-analyses
  • SPIRIT for study protocols
  • STARD for diagnostic accuracy studies
  • CARE for case reports
  • ARRIVE for animal research

Authors are also encouraged to consult the EQUATOR Network, which provides access to reporting-guideline checklists, explanatory documents, and other resources to support accurate and complete reporting.

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Use of Third-Party Material

Authors are responsible for obtaining all necessary permissions to reproduce or adapt copyrighted material owned by third parties. Such material may include, but is not limited to, text excerpts, illustrations, photographs, tables, datasets, audio or video recordings, film stills, screenshots, and musical notation.

Limited use of short quotations or extracts for criticism, commentary, or scholarly review may be permitted without formal authorization under applicable copyright law. However, where authors wish to include material for which they do not hold copyright and which is not covered by such permitted uses, written permission from the copyright holder must be obtained before manuscript submission. Evidence of permission must be available upon request.

Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies

Use of AI in Manuscript Preparation

This policy applies only to the writing and editorial preparation of manuscripts and does not restrict the legitimate use of AI-based tools for data analysis, statistical modelling, image analysis, or other analytical components of the research process, provided such use is scientifically appropriate and transparently reported where relevant.

Authors may use generative AI or AI-assisted technologies solely to improve the language, clarity, readability, or formatting of their manuscripts. These tools must not be used to replace core scholarly activities, including generating scientific, educational, or medical insights; interpreting results; drawing conclusions; or making clinical or therapeutic recommendations.

All AI-assisted content must remain under direct human oversight, and authors are responsible for carefully reviewing and editing any AI-generated material. Authors should be aware that AI-generated text may be inaccurate, incomplete, misleading, or biased. Full responsibility and accountability for the accuracy, integrity, and originality of the manuscript remain with the authors.

Disclosure of AI Use

Authors must explicitly disclose any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in the preparation of their manuscript. The disclosure must identify the name of the tool used and describe the purpose for which it was used. This statement must be included in the manuscript and will be published as part of the article. Transparency regarding AI use promotes trust and supports compliance with ethical and legal standards.

Authorship and Accountability

Artificial intelligence tools must not be listed as authors or co-authors. Authorship carries responsibilities, including accountability for the accuracy of the content, compliance with ethical standards, and approval of the final manuscript, that can only be fulfilled by human contributors.

Authors must ensure that:

  • all listed authors meet the journal’s authorship criteria;
  • the work is original; and
  • the manuscript does not infringe the rights of third parties.

Use of AI in Editorial Handling and Peer Review

To protect manuscript confidentiality, intellectual property, and data privacy, IqNJM does not permit editors or reviewers to upload submitted manuscripts, parts of manuscripts, peer-review reports, or related confidential editorial materials into generative AI systems or similar services unless such use is explicitly authorized by the journal and appropriate confidentiality, data-protection, and intellectual-property safeguards are assured.

Peer review requires human judgment, critical evaluation, and subject-matter expertise that cannot be delegated to AI technologies. Reviewers remain fully responsible and accountable for the content of their review reports.

IqNJM may use secure, journal-controlled AI-assisted tools during editorial screening and workflow management, such as plagiarism detection or reviewer matching, provided these tools comply with applicable confidentiality, data-protection, and ethical standards.

Policy Review and Updates

This policy will be reviewed periodically in light of developments in AI technology and evolving best practices in scholarly publishing.

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