Submissions

General: Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IqNJM) is peer-reviewed, open access, a biannual publication with a single volume, and two issues. The journal is published by the Iraqi Association for Medical Research and Studies (IAMRS).

Aim: IqNJM aims are to support the research community and promote conducting high-standard scientific research in Iraq and the region, facilitating the development of medical research, education and health services and providing an opportunity to authors to their work widely spread and increase the visibility of it by open access policy,  to make Iraqi and regional scientific work available to the widest possible global audience so Researchers all over the world can evaluate it and use that data to have a more global scientific view. IqNJM tries to achieve its goal by the following measures:

 

1. Authors support and Author friendly policy.

• Free of charge submission, reviewing, biostatistical evaluation, plagiarism scanning, proofreading, publication, and printing
• Author-friendly submission policy makes it easy for the Author to communicate with us by email, WhatsApp, or other.

 

2. implementing the Research and Publication ethics by creating an Ethical committee in the Iraqi Association for Medical research and studies (IAMRS) & IqNJM that is reviewing the Author’s Documents and papers Provided by institutional Ethical committees and manuscripts for errors in these fields and ensuring that the paper is the fulfilment of the highest world  Research Ethic’s standards  According to Helsinki declaration, ARRIVE (Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) statement, rules of the National Institution of Health (NIH) in the care and use of animal in medical research, and the core practice Guidelines of COPE for publication Ethics.

 

3. The journal is working hard to be indexed in the widest indexing sites in the world. After it has been indexed in the official Iraqi indexing site the Iraqi Academic Scientific journals IASJ and international indexing in EBSCO it is also Archived and receiving DOI from Crossref, the journal is working to be included in DOAJ, PubMed, and Scopus.
4. IqNJM has the Open Journal System to facilitate the transparency of its work.

 

Scope: The IqNJM covers all fields of medicine with a special interest in publications with clinical relevance. Basic sciences/ experimental studies are also welcomed, the journal is accepting a wide range of scientific work like original articles (including randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, outcome studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, case-control series and surveys with high response rate), review of literature and meta-analysis, Cohort studies, Clinical trials, case series and case reports, ideas and innovations, letters to the editor, Discussions. IqNJM targets national, regional, and international research and is directed to the worldwide Audience.

 

Open Access: This is an open-access journal, published as an online and paper version is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International License.

 

Ethics of publication: The journal follows the international standards of publication according to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), Office of Research Integrity (ORI), International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE), and World Association of Medical Editors (WAME).

for further information visit the journal's YouTube channel for videos discussing publication Ethical issues on the link below.

www.youtube.com/@IqNJM

or visit the  publication Ethics Issues playlist

 

 

Submission:

First-time users will have to register at this site. Registration is FREE but mandatory. Registered authors can keep track of their articles after logging into the site using their username and password.

https://www.iqnjm.com/index.php/homepage/about/submissions

Authors can use Email (contact@iqnjm.com) or WhatsApp ( 009647801336393 or 009647721669983) or other social media to communicate with the journal office.

For a detailed explanation of  Submitting a paper, please watch the following video: How to Submit a Paper to IqNJM available on the IQNJM Journal YouTube channel.

 

Preparation of manuscript

The language of the manuscript should be English (United States of America)

1- Covering letter: This should include the corresponding author and all the contributing authors with their scientific degrees, places of work, and contact information. All authors need to sign the acceptance of the right of publication by the IqNJM. To download the covering letter click here

 

2- Title Page: The type of manuscript (original article, case report, review article, Letter to editor, Images, etc.) title of the manuscript, running title, names of all authors/ contributors (with their highest academic degrees, designation and affiliations) and name(s) of the department(s) and/ or institution(s) to which the work should be credited.

 

3- Blinded Article file: The manuscript/text must not contain any mention of the authors' names or initials or the institution at which the study was done or acknowledgements. Manuscripts not in compliance with The Journal's blinding policy will be returned to the corresponding author. The main text of the article, beginning from the Abstract to References (including tables and images) should be in this file. The abstract  must be structured including background, objectives, methods, results, conclusions, and Keywords

 

 

Structure of the manuscript

1. Introduction 
2. Materials and Methods
3. Results
4. Discussion
5. Conclusions
6. Acknowledgements
7. Conflict of interest
8. Authors contribution
9. References

 

Abstract: should be structured including background, aim, methods, results, and conclusions.

Text format

• The text should be in American English format, in 12-point Times New Roman font, and double-spaced.
• The style of the main titles like Introduction, material and methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusions, Recommendations, and References; should be written in all caps format, 12 point Times New Roman font, bold, black.
• The subtitles should be in the 12-point Times New Roman font, bold, black.

Tables

• Tables should be self-explanatory and should not duplicate textual material. Tables with more than 10 columns and 25 rows are not acceptable.
• Number tables, in Arabic numerals, consecutively in the order of their first citation in the text and supply a brief title for each.
• Place explanatory matter in the footnotes, not in the heading.
• Explain in the footnotes all non-standard abbreviations that are used in each table.
• Obtain permission for all fully borrowed, adapted, and modified tables and provide a credit line in the footnote.
• For footnotes use the following symbols, in this sequence: *, †, ‡, §, ||,¶, **, ††, ‡‡
• Tables with their legends should be provided at the end of the text after the references. The tables along with their number should be cited at the relevant place in the text.
• When referred to in the text should have the following format Eg. (Table 6)

Figures

• Upload the images in JPEG format. The file size should be within 4 MB in size while uploading. Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text.
• Labels, numbers, and symbols should be clear and of uniform size. The lettering for figures should be large enough to be legible after reduction to fit the width of a printed column.
• Symbols, arrows, or letters used in photomicrographs should contrast with the background and should be marked neatly with transfer type or by tissue overlay and not by pen.
• Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for illustrations not on the illustrations themselves.
• When graphs, scatter-grams or histograms are submitted the numerical data on which they are based should also be supplied.
• The photographs and figures should be trimmed to remove all the unwanted areas.
• If photographs of individuals are used, their pictures must be accompanied by written permission to use the photograph.
• If a figure has been published elsewhere, acknowledge the original source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. A credit line should appear in the legend for such figures.
• Legends for illustrations: Type or print out legends (maximum 40 words, excluding the credit line) for illustrations using double spacing, with Arabic numerals corresponding to the illustrations.
• When symbols, arrows, numbers, or letters are used to identify parts of the illustrations, identify and explain each one in the legend. Explain the internal scale (magnification) and identify the method of staining in photomicrographs.
• Final figures for print production: If uploaded images are not printable quality, the publisher's office may request higher resolution images which can be sent at the time of acceptance of the manuscript. Send sharp, glossy, un-mounted, color photographic prints, with a height of 4 inches and width of 6 inches at the time of submitting the revised manuscript.
• The Journal reserves the right to crop, rotate, reduce, or enlarge the photographs to an acceptable size.
• When referred to in the text should have the following format E.g. (Fig. 6)

 

References

The Journal uses the Vancouver Style of referencing

In-text citations: Indicate references by number(s) in square brackets in line with the text. The actual authors can be referred to, but the reference number(s) must always be given.

Reference list: Number the references (numbers in square brackets) in the list in the order in which they appear in the

text.

 

Article example

[1] Paivio A, Jansen B, Becker LJ. Comparisons through the mind’s eye. Cognition 1975;37(2):635–47.

Book example

• Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses. 2nd ed. Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996

Chapter in a book

• Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, editors. Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management. 2nd ed. New York: Raven Press; 1995. p. 465-78.

Conference paper

• Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Rienhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Medical Informatics; 1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North-Holland; 1992. p. 1561-5.

 

Note shortened form for the last page number. e.g., 51–9, and that for more than 6 authors, the first 6 should be listed followed by ‘et al.’ For further details, you are referred to ‘Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals’(J Am Med Assoc 1997;277:927–34), see also http://www.nlm.nih.gov/bsd/uniform_requirements.html

for easy citing a paper by vancover style use this illustration 

 

 

Editorial Process: A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted to IqNJM alone at that point in time and has not been published anywhere or simultaneously submitted/accepted for publication elsewhere. All submitted manuscripts are checked for plagiarism. Manuscripts are then sent to a minimum of two independent expert reviewers for assessing the scientific quality of the manuscript. The Journal follows a double-blind review process. The comments and suggestions (i.e., acceptance or rejection of or revisions in the manuscript) received from reviewers are conveyed to the corresponding author. If a manuscript is requested to be revised, the author(s) is requested to provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript. Manuscripts accepted for publication are copyedited for language, grammar, punctuation, print style, and format. Page proofs are sent to the corresponding author. The corresponding author is expected to return the corrected proofs within one week.

For a detailed explanation of the Editorial Process, please watch the following video: How to Edit a Paper available on the IQNJM Journal YouTube channel.

 

Peer Reviewers: Manuscripts submitted to journals are privileged communications that are authors’ private, confidential property, Reviewers therefore should keep manuscripts and the information they contain strictly confidential. Reviewers must not publicly discuss authors’ work and must not appropriate authors’ ideas before the manuscript is published. Reviewers must not retain the manuscript for their personal use and should destroy copies of manuscripts after submitting their reviews.

Reviewers are expected to respond promptly to requests to review and to submit reviews within the time agreed. Reviewers’ comments should be constructive, honest, and polite. Reviewers should declare their relationships and activities that might bias their evaluation of a manuscript and recuse themselves from the peer-review process if a conflict exists.

For a detailed explanation of the Reviewer's guidelines, please watch the following video: How to Review a Paper on IqNJM available on the IQNJM Journal YouTube channel.

Publication Timeline

The Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IQNJM) is committed to an efficient and fair peer review process.
On average, the time from submission to acceptance ranges between 3 and 6 months.
However, actual processing times may vary depending on factors such as:

• Availability and responsiveness of reviewers,
• The number of revision rounds required,
• The complexity of the research topic, and
• The editorial schedule and issue planning.

Authors are notified promptly of the status of their manuscripts at each stage.
The journal periodically reviews and updates its average publication timelines to ensure transparency and continuous improvement.

Authorship and Acknowledgement: Authorship credit should be based only on substantial contributions to each of the four components mentioned below:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work; or the acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of data for the work; AND
2. Drafting the work or revising it critically for important intellectual content; AND
3. Final approval of the version to be published; AND
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Contributors who meet fewer than all 4 of the above criteria for authorship should not be listed as authors, but they should be acknowledged.  Examples of suitable acknowledgements may include people who assisted with technical analysis, manuscript preparation, study design, or data collection. Other entities may include funders, in-kind contributors, clinician investigators, or interviewers. Additional guidance on authorship and acknowledgements is provided by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors ICMJE, Defining the Role of Authors and Contributors   

For a detailed explanation of the Authorship, please watch the following video: Authorship available on the IQNJM Journal YouTube channel.

Conflict of Interest/Competing Interests: All authors must disclose all conflicts of interest they may have with the publication of the manuscript or an institution or product that is mentioned in the manuscript and/or is important to the outcome of the study presented. Authors should also disclose conflicts of interest with products that compete with those mentioned in their manuscript.

If IqNJM receives a manuscript for publication consideration from its Editorial Board members, IqNJM ensures that the entire editorial process is carried out in an unbiased manner and that members who may have a conflict of interest with the manuscript do not take part in any editorial decision of the manuscript. The peer review of such a manuscript is completed by reviewers with no conflict of interest.

 

Ethical Approval of Studies/Informed Consent: Authors of manuscripts describing experimental studies on either humans or animals must supply to the Editor a statement that the study was approved by an institutional review committee or ethics committee and that the subjects gave informed consent. Such approval should be described in the Methods section of the manuscript. Additionally, for studies conducted with human subjects, the method by which informed consent was obtained from the participants (i.e., verbal or written) also needs to be stated in the Methods section.

In those situations where a formal institutional review board process is not available, the authors must indicate that the principles outlined in the Declaration of Helsinki have been followed. More information regarding the Declaration of Helsinki can be found at (https://www.wma.net/policy/)

 

For experiments involving animals, investigators must state the care of animals and licensing guidelines under which the study was performed and report these in accordance with the ARRIVE (Animals in Research: Reporting In Vivo Experiments) statement and rules of the National Institution of Health (NIH) in the care and use of animal in medical research.

All of these documents will be reviewed by the Join committee of IAMRS & IqNJM for research and publication Ethics.

 

Registering Clinical Trials: IqNJM requires all articles reporting results of clinical trials to be registered in a public trials registry that conforms with the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE). All clinical trials, regardless of when they were completed, and secondary analyses of original clinical trials must be registered before submission of a manuscript based on the trial. Phase I trials designed to study pharmacokinetics or major toxicity are exempt.

Manuscripts reporting on clinical trials (as defined above) should indicate that the trial is registered and include the registry information on a separate page, immediately following the author’s financial disclosure information. Required registry information includes the trial registry name, registration identification number, and the URL for the registry.

 

Protection of Patients' Rights to Privacy: Identifying information should not be published in written descriptions, photographs, sonograms, CT scans, etc., and pedigrees unless the information is essential for scientific purposes and the patient (or parent/guardian, wherever applicable) provides informed consent for publication. The authors should remove patients' names, birth dates and investigation dates from all the figures and text as it is unnecessary informations. The journal abides by the ICMJE guidelines:

• Authors, and not the Journal or its Publisher, need to obtain the patient consent form before submitting their work for publication consideration to IqNJM. The authors should ensure that this patient consent form(s) are properly archived. The consent forms are not to be uploaded with the cover letter or sent through email to the Editorial or Publisher offices.
• If the manuscript contains patient images that preclude anonymity or a description that has an obvious indication of the identity of the patient, a statement about obtaining informed patient consent should be indicated in the manuscript.

The policy of Allegation of misconduct:

Publication of a manuscript in a journal shows the relation of trust between an author and publisher. It is expected from the authors that they would be aware of research misconduct. IqNJM uses this definition of misconduct in its dealing with the issue and follows strictly the COPE flowcharts in dealing with research misconduct. Falsification, fabrication, and plagiarism are the primary concerns in avoiding research misconduct. Any divergence from these norms undermines the integrity of research.

Falsification and Fabrication of data

Fabrication is defined as making up data without actually collecting or synthesizing scientific data. Falsification is defined as the manipulation of research material to reach a favourable result. Fabrication and falsification could happen at any stage of research (in the field) up to the publication of a manuscript where misuse of citation can occur (referencing a citation when the citation does not support the argument). IqNJM tries to identify any kind of fabrication or falsification in all levels of manuscript processing, from initial screening to comprehensive evaluation of a revised manuscript and even after a manuscript has been published. Report of any fabrication and falsification is an ethical duty of our authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. In any event of falsification or fabrication, IqNJM keeps its right to retract or withdraw the fabricated or falsified article.

Fabricated Data - COPE flowchart

 

Plagiarism Policy

The Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IqNJM) upholds strict academic integrity standards. All manuscripts submitted to the journal must represent the original work of the authors and must not contain any form of plagiarism or unauthorized reuse of text, data, or ideas. Plagiarism in any form is considered unethical and unacceptable.

 Definition of Plagiarism

Plagiarism includes, but is not limited to, the following actions:

• Direct copying of sentences, paragraphs, tables, figures, or data from another source without proper citation or permission.
• Paraphrasing another author’s ideas or findings without appropriate acknowledgment.
• Reusing one’s own previously published work (known as self-plagiarism or text recycling) without disclosure or citation.
• Using images, figures, or data from other works without permission and attribution.
• Duplicate submission or redundant publication, where the same or very similar work is submitted to multiple journals.

Plagiarism applies to both published and unpublished material, regardless of the source or language.

Similarity Check and Screening Process

To ensure originality, every manuscript submitted to IqNJM will undergo a plagiarism screening process using iThenticate (or equivalent similarity-detection software).

• The similarity report generated by the software will be carefully reviewed by the Editor-in-Chief or designated editor.
• The review focuses on the content and context of the overlap — not only the percentage.
• Reference lists, author names, affiliations, and scientific or taxonomic terms will be excluded from the similarity calculation, as they are standard text elements.
• The editor will evaluate whether similarity occurs in:
• Conceptual ideas or results (which indicate serious concern)
• Methods sections (which may contain some standard wording)
• Introduction and discussion sections (where paraphrasing must still show originality)

Editorial Decision Based on Similarity Percentage

Similarity Level	Editorial Action
Above 30%	Immediate rejection of the submission due to excessive similarity.
Between 15% – 30%	Manuscript returned to authors for revision and removal of overlapping text before reconsideration.
Below 15%	Considered acceptable, pending editorial review and verification of proper citations.

Even if the overall similarity percentage is low, any instance of copying ideas, data, or key conclusions without attribution may still lead to rejection or further investigation.

 Author Responsibilities

• Authors must ensure that all submitted work is entirely original and that any material or ideas from other sources are properly cited.
• Authors must not submit the same manuscript to more than one journal at the same time.
• When reusing their own previously published material, authors must clearly reference the original source and explain the reuse.
• Any detected plagiarism or self-plagiarism will result in editorial action according to this policy.

Journal Actions in Cases of Plagiarism

If plagiarism is detected before publication:

• The manuscript will be rejected immediately, and the authors will be informed.

If plagiarism is detected after publication:

• The journal will follow the IqNJM Retraction and Correction Policy, which may result in retraction of the article, notification to the author’s institution, and/or reporting to relevant academic bodies.

The IqNJM editorial board will handle all such cases in accordance with COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics) guidelines.

Acceptable Similarity Threshold

The Iraqi National Journal of Medicine allows a maximum similarity of 15% after excluding references, author names, and standard terminology. Submissions exceeding this limit must be revised and resubmitted for further evaluation.

Ethical Compliance

This policy aligns with international publication ethics standards established by:

• COPE (Committee on Publication Ethics)
• ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors)
• NISO (National Information Standards Organization)

Plagiarism of submitted manuscript COPE flowchart

For a detailed explanation of how the journal deals with Plagiarism, please watch the following video: Plagiarism available on the IQNJM Journal YouTube channel.

If the Editor or a reviewer is concerned that some aspect of a submitted article may constitute misconduct in research, publication, or professional behaviour, the Journal communicates the same to the author(s) and seeks clarification. However, if the concerns are not satisfactorily resolved by discussion with the author(s), the Journal may report the same to appropriate authorities such as their institutions and, for duplicate publication, the journal in which the previous publication had appeared.

The Journal also encourages its readers to report any published article in which they suspect misconduct through e-mail or letter. The anonymity of the complainant would always be maintained.

We disapprove of such unethical practices as plagiarism, fabrication, duplication, data manipulation/falsification, and efforts to influence the review process with such practices as gifting authorship, inappropriate acknowledgements, and references in line with the COPE flowcharts.

 

Copyrights: In respect to the Iraqi Copyright Protection Law No. (3) of 1971 we are declaring our copyrights policy

For Authors

As soon as an article is accepted for publication, authors will retain copyrights of the article or manuscript not the journal or publisher. This will ensure the widest possible protection and dissemination of information under copyright laws. Also, the Authors should notice that the journal is publishing its contents on the web as an open-access journal and making numbers of printed copies for their personal non-commercial use according to the creative commons attribution – non-commercial 4.0 International (CCBY-NC) license.

http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/4.0/

More information about Iraqi copyright law can be found in the link below http://iraqld.hjc.iq:8080/LoadLawBook.aspx?SC=031220056443402

For Readers

While the advice and information in this journal are believed to be true and accurate at the date of publication, neither the authors, the editor nor the publisher can accept any legal responsibility for any errors or omissions that may have been made. The publisher makes no warranty concerning the material contained herein. The entire contents of the Iraqi National Journal of Medicine are protected under Iraqi and international copyrights. However, the Journal grants to all users a free, irrevocable, worldwide, perpetual right of access to, and a license to copy use distribute, perform and display the work publicly and to make and distribute derivative works in any digital medium for any reasonable non-commercial purpose, subject to proper attribution of authorship and ownership of the rights.

Policy on Corrections, Retractions, and Article Removal

The Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IqNJM) upholds the highest standards of publication ethics and research integrity. This policy explains how the journal manages corrections, retractions, expressions of concern, and article removals to ensure the accuracy and reliability of the scientific record. All procedures follow 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 their published article, they should immediately contact the editorial office.
A Corrigendum will be published when:

• The mistake originated from the authors.
• The correction does not alter the study’s main results or conclusions.
• All authors approve the correction.

The Corrigendum will describe the error and link directly to the original article.

 Editorial or Production Corrections (Erratum)

An Erratum will be issued when the error was introduced during editing, typesetting, or production. The Erratum will appear in the next available issue and be permanently linked to the article.

Editorial Notes

An Editor’s Note may be added when clarification is needed but the data and conclusions remain reliable. This includes cases such as:

• Authorship or peer review concerns that do not affect the scientific content.
• Minor ethical or procedural issues.
• Explanations or additional information provided by the editorial board.

Expressions of Concern

An Expression of Concern may be issued if:

• There are credible but inconclusive indications of misconduct or major error.
• An investigation is underway but will take considerable time.
• The editorial team has reason to believe an external inquiry is incomplete or biased.

This notice alerts readers to potential issues and remains linked to the article. When investigations conclude, a correction, retraction, or update will be issued, and the Expression of Concern will remain part of the publication record.

If a correction is needed, journals are following these standards: the journal after moving to the new platform of digital commons of Elsever at 2026 will generate a new tab on the system for correction and retractions to list them in it also The journal will publish a correction notice as soon as possible detailing changes from and citing the original publication; the correction should be on an electronic or numbered print page that is included in an electronic or a print Table of Contents to ensure proper indexing.

• The journal also will post a new article version with details of the changes from the original version and the date(s) on which the changes were made.
• The journal will archive all prior versions of the article. This archive can be either directly accessible to readers or can be made available to the reader on request.
• Previous electronic versions will prominently note that there are more recent versions of the article.

The citation will be to the most recent version.

Retractions

When Retraction Is Required

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

• Data or findings are invalid due to fabrication, falsification, or significant error.
• Plagiarism or substantial text overlap exists.
• The article duplicates previously published work.
• Research materials were used without authorization or ethical approval.
• Human or animal research was conducted unethically.
• Conflicts of interest were not disclosed.
• Peer review was compromised or manipulated.
• Authorship is fraudulent, disputed, or cannot be verified.
• Citations were added to manipulate metrics.
• There was serious violation of journal policies or legal obligations.

 Retraction Procedure

• A Retraction Notice titled “Retraction: [Article Title]” will be published and signed by the Editor-in-Chief and, when appropriate, the authors.
• The notice will appear in the journal’s next issue, be paginated, and listed in the Table of Contents.
• The online version will include:
  • A clear link between the original article and the retraction notice.
  • A watermark labeled “RETRACTED” on every page of the PDF.
  • Removal of the HTML version.
  • Retention of metadata (title, authors, DOI) for transparency.
• The notice will explain the reason for retraction in an objective, factual, and non-accusatory tone.

Withdrawal of Articles in Press

Unpublished or “Articles in Press” may be withdrawn before final publication if:

• They were posted online in error.
• They duplicate other content.
• Major ethical or legal problems are identified.

Withdrawn articles will be replaced with a statement indicating withdrawal and linking to this policy.

 Removal of Published Articles

Article removal is extremely rare and may occur only when:

• The article is defamatory or violates legal rights.
• A court order requires its removal.
• The content poses a serious public health risk if acted upon.

In such cases, the article text will be replaced with a notice stating that it was removed for legal or safety reasons, while metadata (title and authors) will remain available.

 Article Replacement

If a published article could endanger health or safety, the authors may request retraction and replacement with a corrected version. The retraction notice will reference the corrected article and provide a publication history.

 Permanent Archiving

All versions of published articles, including corrected, retracted, or removed works, will be preserved in the IqNJM’s official archive to ensure the completeness of the scholarly record.

 

For questions or to report an error, please contact:
Editorial Office, Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IqNJM)

IqNJM Appeals and Complaints Policy

The Iraqi National Journal of Medicine (IqNJM) is committed to ensuring fairness, transparency, and accountability throughout the editorial and peer review process.
This policy outlines how authors, reviewers, and readers can raise concerns, submit appeals, or file complaints regarding editorial decisions, ethical issues, or journal procedures. All appeals and complaints are handled according to the principles of independence, confidentiality, and integrity as recommended by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

This policy applies to:

• Appeals against editorial decisions (including rejections).
• Complaints regarding peer review, publication ethics, or editorial conduct.
• Concerns about potential breaches of ethical standards or conflicts of interest.
• Allegations of bias, delay, or procedural error in handling a manuscript.

 Appeals Process

 Eligibility to Appeal

Authors may appeal a decision if they believe:

• The editorial process was not conducted fairly or according to journal policy.
• The reviewers misunderstood the research or made factual errors.
• The rejection decision did not properly consider relevant evidence or arguments.

Disagreement with the editorial judgment alone is not sufficient grounds for an appeal.

How to Submit an Appeal

Authors should submit a written appeal to the editor-in-chief

 

Policies for intellectual properties:

 

Duplicate Submission

Authors should not submit the same manuscript, in the same or different languages, simultaneously to more than one journal. The rationale for this standard is the potential for disagreement when two (or more) journals claim the right to publish a manuscript that has been submitted simultaneously to more than one journal, and the possibility that two or more journals will unknowingly and unnecessarily undertake the work of peer review, edit the same manuscript, and publish the same article.

 

Duplicate and Prior Publication

A duplicate publication is a publication of a paper that overlaps substantially with one already published, without clear, visible reference to the previous publication. Prior publication may include the release of information in the public domain. In the event of a public health emergency (as defined by public health officials), information with immediate implications for public health should be disseminated without concern that this will preclude subsequent consideration for publication in a journal. We encourage editors to give priority to authors who have made crucial data publicly available (e.g., in a gene bank) without delay. The ICMJE will not consider as prior publication the posting of trial results in any registry that meets the criteria noted in Section III.L. If results are limited to a brief (500 words) structured abstract or tables (to include participants enrolled, key outcomes, and adverse events). The ICMJE encourages authors to include a statement with the registration that indicates that the results have not yet been published in a peer-reviewed journal, and to update the results registry with the full journal citation when the results are published.

Authors who attempt duplicate publication without such notification should expect at least prompt rejection of the submitted manuscript. If the editor was not aware of the violations and the article has already been published, then the article might warrant retraction with or without the author’s explanation or approval.

 

Acceptable Secondary Publication

Secondary publication of material published in other journals or online may be justifiable and beneficial, especially when intended to disseminate important information to the widest possible audience (e.g., guidelines produced by government agencies and professional organizations in the same or a different language). Secondary publication for various other reasons may also be justifiable provided the following conditions are met:

1. The authors have received approval from the editors of both journals (the editor concerned with secondary publication must have access to the primary version).

2. The priority of the primary publication is respected by a publication interval negotiated by both editors and the authors.

3. The paper for secondary publication is intended for a different group of readers; an abbreviated version could be sufficient.

4. The secondary version faithfully reflects the authors, data, and interpretations of the primary version.

5. The secondary version informs readers, peers, and documenting agencies that the paper has been published in whole or in part elsewhere—for example, with a note that might read, "This article is based on a study first reported in the [journal title, with full reference]"—and the secondary version cites the primary reference.

6. The title of the secondary publication should indicate that it is a secondary publication (complete or abridged republication or translation) of a primary publication.

 

Funding policies: the IqNJM is depending on its funding from the owner of the journal IAMRS and donations. It depends on its work on voluntary workers with no salary paid to any one of its staff.

 

Advertisement: for the time being IqNJM accepts no advertisement neither on its website nor in the print version but this policy is applicable to change according to future circumstances.

 

Marketing Activities: the IqNJM in its print version is distributed to the Authors and universities in Iraq and scientific Institutions that have a collaboration with IAMRS and to Iraqi scientists free of charge.