Publication Ethics
Ethical Policy
The ethical guidelines of the Al-Iraqia Medical College Journal (AIMCJ) are firmly aligned with the principles set by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and the ethical codes established by the AIMCJ Editorial Board. The journal's Statement on Publication Ethics and Publication Malpractice complies with COPE's Best Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors, as well as the position statements from the 2nd World Conference on Research Integrity that took place in Singapore in 2010 (1) (2). All participants, including readers, authors, reviewers, and editors, follow these ethical standards in their interactions with AIMCJ. These policies lay a vital groundwork for the consideration of research papers and articles submitted for publication in the journal.
Decisions of Publication
The submitted manuscripts’ content is evaluated by the editor to assess its suitability for the journal. The editorial board of AMCJ will specify some criteria to help make such assessments, keeping in mind important legal aspects like libel, copy infringement, and plagiarism.
In editing works, editor-in-chief may consult with editors or reviewers to maintain the integrity of the published research. In addition, it is the responsibility of the editors to be in a position to retract, amend, or issue an apology for their statements when necessary. It is important to safeguard the profession from commercial pressures that jeopardize its moral and intellectual standing.
Responsibilities of Editors
The Editor-in-Chief, together with other editors and reviewers, is responsible for making informed decisions regarding the publication of submitted manuscripts. Maintaining academic integrity is crucial as editors work to satisfy writers' and readers' expectations. Editors should be ready to look into any claims of plagiarism or false information as part of their job. They are committed to maintaining the confidentiality of manuscripts under review until their publication. Additionally, they must be prepared to issue retractions, apologies, clarifications, and corrections when necessary. Focused solely on the intellectual content, editors are required to refrain from sharing information about submitted manuscripts with anyone outside the corresponding author, reviewers, potential reviewers, other editorial advisers, and the publisher as appropriate. In addition to actively disclosing and avoiding any conflicts of interest, editors are responsible for maintaining the anonymity of reviewers. Furthermore, any unpublished materials disclosed in a submitted manuscript must not be utilized for personal research by editors or editorial board members without explicit written consent from the author.
Responsibilities of Reviewers
Peer review is crucial for guiding editorial choices and promoting effective communication with authors to improve the quality of manuscripts. Reviewers play a vital role in assisting editors in judging whether submitted works are suitable for publication. It is essential for reviewers to maintain the confidentiality of the manuscripts they review. They are expected to deliver timely and constructive feedback to aid editors in evaluating the relevance of submissions. Reviewers must handle the manuscripts confidentially and must not leverage any information acquired during the peer review process for personal gain. In their feedback, reviewers should ensure that their comments are technical, professional, and impartial. They should refrain from appraising manuscripts where there could be potential conflicts of interest with any authors, organizations, or institutions involved. Furthermore, reviewers need to disclose any possible conflicts of interest and avoid those situations.
Responsibilities of Authors
Authors of original research reports are encouraged to provide a clear and unbiased account of their work, discussing its implications. Accurate representation of data is essential, with sufficient detail and references to enable replication. Maintaining ethical standards is vital, as fraudulent statements are unacceptable.
Manuscripts should be written in English, adhere to proper grammar, and must be original works not under consideration elsewhere. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining approval from all co-authors. Engagement in the peer review process is encouraged to support academic integrity. Additionally, authors should ensure that all necessary institutional approvals are in place prior to submission.
Authors must disclose any financial support for their research and clarify the sponsor's role. A signed copyright release form from all authors is required for publication, allowing for various uses of the content under an open access license, provided proper citation is followed. Designating a corresponding author to liaise with the editorial office and review proofs is recommended.
If significant errors are identified in published work, authors should promptly notify the journal to initiate corrections. Manuscripts submitted to the AIMCJ will undergo plagiarism detection screening to uphold publication ethics, and authors are advised to review the final submission checklist before submission.
Principles of Transparency
The Al-Iraqia Medical College Journal (AIMCJ) employs a double-blind peer review process for its electronic and print publications, encompassing all fields of medical sciences. Comprehensive descriptions of this process, along with pertinent journal policies, are readily accessible on the journal's website. The editorial board of AIMCJ is composed of distinguished experts in the relevant subject areas, with their full names and affiliations provided on the website. Furthermore, contact information for the editorial office is available in the "Contact Us" section of the site.
AIMCJ operates as a fully open-access journal, granting free access to the complete texts of published articles on its website. Nevertheless, authors are required to pay a publication fee. The journal is dedicated to identifying and preventing research misconduct, which includes issues such as plagiarism, citation manipulation, and data falsification or fabrication.
The AIMCJ website reflects a steadfast commitment to maintaining high ethical and professional standards. The journal's name, Al-Iraqia Medical College Journal (AIMCJ), is distinctive and easily distinguishable from other publications. Authors are expected to transparently disclose any potential conflicts of interest upon submission of their articles. In addition, the publishing schedule and archiving plan for electronic backup and preservation of journal content are clearly articulated on the AIMCJ website.
Plagiarism Detection
AIMCJ screens all submitted manuscripts with the antiplagiarism software program Turnit In. If a significant commonality between a submitted manuscript and prior publications is identified on this initial software screening, the submission will be subject to a manual review for copyright breach. Whilst it is recognized that most submitted manuscripts will have similar phrases and wording in various sections, the extensive reproduction of previously published works (excluding quotations) will result in immediate rejection. Such unauthorized duplication of prior published work is regarded as a serious breach of copyright.
Conflict of interest
All authors must disclose any financial and personal relationships with other people or organizations that could inappropriately influence (bias) their work. Please complete and upload the conflict of interest and author declaration form with your manuscript.
Author contributions
Each author is required to declare his or her individual contribution to the article: all authors must have materially participated in the research and\or article preparation, so roles for all authors should be described. The statement that all authors have approved the final author’s article should be true and include the article in the disclosure contributor form.
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