Submissions

Author Guidelines

General Considerations and Author Guidelines

About the Journal       

Al-Rafidain Journal of Medical Sciences (AJMS) is a peer-reviewed international journal published biannually by Al-Rafidain University College, Baghdad, Iraq. The journal’s full text is available online at  http://ajms.iq . The journal allows free access (Open Access) to its contents and permits authors to self-archive the final accepted version of the articles on any compliant institutional/subject-based repository.

Scope of the Journal

The purpose of the Journal is to promote excellence in the practice of medicine and medical sciences. The Journal was established to promote the knowledge, attitudes, and practice of all aspects of comprehensive medical sciences and associated activities. The Journal also aims at facilitating the development of medical research, education, and healthcare services. Original articles, Review articles, short communications, and letters to the editor are all welcomed. Case reports with substantial significance can also be considered for publication. Most of the content of AJMS is submitted at the authors' initiative, but all editorials, as well as most special series and reviews, are solicited by the Editors. Exceptional unsolicited reviews may also be considered.

Editorial Process      

A manuscript will be reviewed for possible publication with the understanding that it is being submitted to AJMS alone at that time and has not been published anywhere or simultaneously submitted/accepted for publication elsewhere. One of the authors should be authorized to correspond with the Journal for all matters related to the manuscript.

All manuscripts submitted are duly acknowledged. Within one week after submission, all submitted manuscripts are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin® and subsequently reviewed for their suitability for publication in AJMS. Manuscripts with high plagiarism (> 20%), insufficient originality, serious scientific or technical flaws, and/or lack of a significant message are rejected at this stage along with manuscripts that are unlikely to be of interest to AJMS readers. Suitable manuscripts are then sent to a minimum of three independent expert reviewers for assessing the scientific quality of the manuscript within 30 days. The AJMS follows a double-blind review process. The Editor-in-Chief, based on the comments and recommendations of reviewers, takes a final decision on the manuscript. The comments and suggestions (i.e., acceptance or rejection of or revisions in manuscript) received from reviewers are conveyed to the corresponding author. If a manuscript is requested to be revised, the corresponding author is requested to provide a point-by-point response to reviewers’ comments and submit a revised version of the manuscript within 15 days. This process is repeated until reviewers and editors are satisfied with 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 approve and return the corrected proofs within three days. It may not be possible to incorporate corrections received after that period. The entire process from submission of the manuscript to final decision and the subsequent sending and receiving proofs is completed online within a minumum of 60 days through the website http://ajms.iq.

Authorship Criteria  

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

- Concept and design of study or acquisition of data or analysis and interpretation of data;

- Drafting the article or revising it critically for important intellectual content; and

- Final approval of the version to be published.

Participation solely in the acquisition of funding or the collection of data does not justify authorship. General supervision of the research group is not sufficient for authorship. Each contributor should have participated sufficiently in the work to take public responsibility for appropriate portions of the content of the manuscript.

The order of naming the contributors should be based on the relative contribution of the contributor towards the study and writing the manuscript. Once submitted the order cannot be changed without the written consent of all the contributors.

Please note that although the Journal does not specify a maximum number of authors, if requested, the authors should justify if the number of authors exceeds 6 for original articles, 4 for case reports and short communications/brief reports, and 2 for letters to the editor.

Contribution Details

Contributors should describe contributions made by each of them towards the manuscript. The description should be divided into the following categories, as applicable: concept, design, the definition of intellectual content, literature search, clinical studies, experimental studies, data acquisition, data analysis, statistical analysis, manuscript preparation, manuscript editing, and manuscript review. One or more authors should take responsibility for the integrity of the work from inception to publication and should be designated as the 'guarantor'.

Conflicts 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 AJMS receives a manuscript for publication consideration from its Editorial Board members, AJMS 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.

Submission of Manuscripts

All manuscripts must be submitted online through the website www.ajms.iq. First-time users would 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. Authors do not have to pay for the submission process of the articles. If you experience any problems, please contact the editorial office by e-mail at: manager@ajms.iq 

Submitted manuscripts that are not as per the “Instructions to Authors” would be returned to the authors for technical correction, before they undergo editorial/peer-review. Generally, the manuscript should be submitted in the form of two separate files:

1. Title Page File:

This file should provide the following:

• The type of manuscript, the title of the manuscript (not more than 30 words), running title (not more than 40 characters, including spaces), full names (first, second and sure names, do not use initials) 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. ORCID ID is mandatory and should be included (if not available, please create one by login into https://orcid.org/ ). All information that can reveal your identity should be here. Use text/rtf/doc files. Do not zip the files.
• The total number of pages, the total number of photographs, and separate word count for the abstract and text (excluding the references, tables, and abstract).
• A statement confirming that appropriate patient consent has been obtained. For Case Reports, please see the Case Report section for further details and appropriate forms.
• Source(s) of support in the form of grants, equipment, and/or drugs.
• Acknowledgment, if any. One or more statements should specify:
• contributions that need acknowledging but do not justify authorship, such as general support by a departmental chair;
• acknowledgments of technical help; and
• acknowledgments of financial and material support, which should specify the nature of the support.
• If the manuscript was presented as part of a meeting, the organization, place, and exact date on which it was read. A full statement to the editor about all submissions and previous reports that might be regarded as redundant publication of the same or very similar work. Any such work should be referred to specifically and referenced in the new paper. Copies of such material should be included with the submitted paper, to help the editor decide how to proceed with the manuscript.
• Registration number in case of a clinical trial and where it is registered (name of the registry and its URL).
• Conflicts of Interest of each author/ contributor. A statement of financial or other relationships that might lead to a conflict of interest, if that information is not included in the manuscript itself or an authors' form.
• Criteria for inclusion in the authors’/contributors’ list (Found in the templates).
• The name, address, e-mail (official email is preferred), and telephone number of the corresponding author, who is responsible for communicating with the other authors about revisions and final approval of the proofs, if that information is not included on the manuscript itself.

2. Blinded Article File:

The manuscript must not contain any mention of the authors' names or initials or the institution where the study was done or acknowledgments. Page headers/running titles can include the title but not the authors' names. Manuscripts not in compliance with The Journal's blinding policy will be returned to the corresponding author. The main text of the article, i.e., from Abstract to References (including tables), should be in this file. Use Microsoft Word form to prepare this file. Do not zip the files. Limit the file size to 1024 kb. Do not incorporate images in the file as much as possible. The pages should be numbered consecutively, beginning with the first page of the blinded article file.

3. Images: Submit good quality color images in JPG format. Each image should be less than 4 MB in size. The size of the image can be reduced by decreasing the actual height and width of the images (keep up to 1800 × 1200 pixels or 5–6 inches). Images can be submitted as JPEG files with a resolution of 600 dpi. Do not zip the files. Legends for the figures/images should be included at the end of the article file.
4. Cover Letter File:

It includes a statement indicated that the manuscript has been read and approved by all the authors. The requirements for authorship as stated earlier in this document have been met, and that each author believes that the manuscript represents honest work if that information is not provided in another form. This file should be scanned, signed by the corresponding author, and uploaded as a pdf file (see the templates).

5. Copyright Form File:

The contributors' copyright transfer form (download) must be submitted online from the author's area on www.ajms.iq; with the signatures of all the contributors along with the article file or within two weeks of submission. Alternatively, the authors can e-mail this form as a scanned image to manager@ajms.iq.

Preparation of Manuscripts

Manuscripts must be prepared following Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) (Updated December 2017). The specific requirement of AJMS is summarized in the subsequent sections. Before submitting a manuscript, contributors are requested to check for the latest instructions available. Instructions are also available from the manuscript submissions. AJMS accepts manuscripts written in American English (but without serial comma).

Copies of any permission(s)

It is the responsibility of authors/contributors to obtain permission for reproducing any copyrighted material. A copy of the permission obtained must accompany the manuscript. Copies of any published articles or other manuscripts in preparation or submitted elsewhere that are related to the manuscript must also accompany the manuscript.

Types of Manuscripts

1.ORIGINAL ARTICLES

These include randomized controlled trials, intervention studies, studies on experimental animal models, studies of screening and diagnostic tests, outcome studies, cost-effectiveness analyses, case-control series, and surveys with high response rates. The text should be divided into sections with the headings Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, References, Tables, and Figure legends(Use Original Article Template Form). .

Please Note: Arabic language version that includes names of all authors, their affiliations, the abstract, and the keywords should be provided as a separate file. In the case of authors who are not native Arabic or the authors do not prefer formatting Arabic abstracts, the editors of the AJMS will take the responsibility of translating the English version into the Arabic language. 

INTRODUCTION: State the purpose and summarize the rationale for the study or observation.

METHODS: It should include and describe the following aspects:

- Study design and setting: Describe your selection of the observational or experimental participants (patients or laboratory animals, including controls) clearly, including eligibility and exclusion criteria and a description of the source population. Identify the methods, apparatus (give the manufacturer's name and address in parentheses), and procedures replication of the results. Give references to established methods, including statistical methods; provide references and brief descriptions for methods that have been published but are not well known; describe new or substantially modified methods, give reasons for using them and evaluate their limitations. Identify precisely all drugs and chemicals used, including generic name(s), dose(s), and route(s) of administration.

Reports of randomized clinical trials should present information on all major study elements, including the protocol, assignment of interventions (methods of randomization, concealment of allocation to treatment groups), and the method of masking (blinding), based on the CONSORT Statement (http://www.consort-statement.org).

- Ethics: For all studies involving people, medical records, human tissues, or original animal data, a documented submission and approval is required from a formally constituted review board (Institutional Review Board or Ethics committee), irrespective of the study design. Authors should include a statement on ethics approval at the beginning or end of the Methods section. If the study was exempt from review by the review board, please add a statement stating the same. The statements of ethical approval (or exemption) must contain the following information: the name and address of the ethics committee responsible; the protocol number that was attributed by this ethics committee; and the date of approval (exemption) by the ethics committee. Investigators who do not have access to a formally constituted review board should indicate if the research was carried out following the Declaration of Helsinki, 2013. In addition, investigators must always obtain the informed consent of participants. If not possible, the institutional review board must state if this is ethically acceptable. The authors should also ensure the confidentiality of subjects by not mentioning participants' identifiers such as names, initials, phone or fax numbers, medical record numbers, etc. anywhere in the manuscript.

For articles involving experimental animals, investigators must state the care of the animal and licensing guidelines under which the study was performed and report these following the ARRIVE (Animals in Research: Reporting in vivo Experiments) statement. If ethics clearance was not necessary, or if there was any deviation from these standard ethical requests, please state why it was not required. If the authors have approval from a National Drug Agency (or similar) please state this and provide details.

- Statistics: Whenever possible, quantify findings and present them with appropriate indicators of measurement error or uncertainty (such as confidence intervals). Authors should report losses to observation (such as dropouts from a clinical trial). Avoid non-technical uses of technical terms in statistics, such as 'random' (which implies a randomizing device), 'normal, 'significant', 'correlations' and 'sample'. Define statistical terms, abbreviations, and most symbols. Specify the computer software used. For all P values, include the exact value and not less than 0.05 or 0.001 (e.g., P = 0.048). Mean differences in continuous variables, proportions in categorical variables and relative risks including odds ratios and hazard ratios should be accompanied by their confidence intervals.

RESULTS: Present the results in a logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations. Do not repeat in the text all the data in the tables or illustrations; emphasize or summarize only important observations. Extra or supplementary materials and technical details can be placed in an appendix, which would be published only in the electronic version of the journal. Do not use subtitles in this section.

When data are summarized in the Results section, give numeric results not only as derivatives (for example, percentages) but also as the absolute numbers from which the derivatives were calculated, and specify the statistical methods used to analyze them. Restrict tables and figures to those needed to explain the argument of the paper and to assess its support. Use graphs as an alternative to tables with many entries; do not duplicate data in graphs and tables. Where scientifically appropriate, analyses of the data by variables such as age and sex should be included.

DISCUSSION: Include a summary of key findings (primary outcome measures, secondary outcome measures, results as they relate to a prior hypothesis); strengths and limitations of the study (study question, study design, data collection, analysis, and interpretation); interpretation and implications in the context of the totality of evidence (what this study adds to the available evidence, effects on patient care and health policy, possible mechanisms, etc.); controversies raised by this study; and future research directions (for this particular research collaboration, underlying mechanisms, clinical research). Do not repeat in detail data or other material given in the Introduction or the Results section. In particular, contributors should avoid making statements on economic benefits and costs unless their manuscript includes economic data and analyses. Avoid claiming priority and alluding to work that has not been completed. New hypotheses may be stated if needed, but they should be clearly labeled as such.

General Requirements:

Abstract: Up to 250 words. Should be structured with the following section headings: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. Please also provide 4–6 relevant keywords (in alphabetical order).

Word limit: 4500 words (excluding Abstract, References, Tables, and Figure legends).

References: Should not exceed 50.

Tables/Figures: Up to 10 in total.

2. REVIEW ARTICLES

AJMS publishes both narrative and systematic reviews. It is expected that narrative articles would be written by individuals who have done substantial work on the subject or are considered experts in the field. The Abstract should not be structured and include an overview of the topic and the main objective for the review, the primary observations and findings as well as conclusions of the review that are supported by the information, along with clinical applications and relevance. The main body section titles would depend upon the topic reviewed. Authors should also include a section describing the methods used for locating, selecting, extracting, and synthesizing data.

For systematic reviews with meta-analysis, a structured abstract is required. In addition, the main body of the text should comprise Introduction, Methods (detailing the following: search strategy, study selection and data extraction, quality of evidence, risk of bias and publication bias), Results (detailing search results and the primary findings), Discussion, Conclusion, References, Tables and Figure legends.

The Journal expects the contributors to provide post-publication updates on the subject of review. These updates should be brief and covering the advances in the field after the publication of the article. They should be sent as a letter to the editor, and when major development occurs in the field.

General Requirements:

Abstract: Unstructured for narrative reviews and structured for systematic reviews with meta-analysis. Up to 250 words with 4–6 relevant keywords (in alphabetical order)

Word limit: 5000 words (excluding Abstract, References, Tables and Figure legends)

References: 100-250 references

3. BRIEF REPORTS

These represent short reports of original studies that include many disciplines such as preliminary experimental results, evaluation of analytical techniques, or areas of clinical or experimental practice that are not fully investigated, verified, or perfected but may be of widespread interest or applications. Such articles should have the following headings: Abstract, Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, and References.

General Requirements:

Abstract: Up to 250 words. Should be structured with the following section headings: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusion. Please also provide 4–6 relevant keywords (in alphabetical order).

Word limit: 2000 words (excluding Abstract, References, Tables and Figure legends)

References: Up to 20

Tables/Figures: Up to 4 in total

4. CASE REPORTS

New, interested, and rare cases can be reported. They should be unique, describing a great diagnostic or therapeutic challenge and providing a learning point for the readers. Cases of clinical significance or implications are given priority (Use Case Report Template Form) . Case reports should have the following headings: Non-structured Abstract (with 4-6 keywords), Introduction, Case presentation, Discussion, References, and Figures with legends.

Patient Consent: Publication of case report with identifiable information about a patient (including those deceased) requires the publication consent of the patient/guardian/next of kin. Identifiable information includes descriptions of individual case histories, photos, X-rays, genetic pedigrees, etc. Therefore, authors must ensure that they have obtained patient consent following COPE's Journals' Best Practices for Ensuring Consent for Publishing Medical Case Reports before submitting the case report for publication consideration to AJMS. The publication consent form for AJMS is available [Download]. Please note that the authors must properly archive this signed consent form. The consent forms are not to be uploaded with the cover letter or sent through email to the Editorial or Publisher offices.

General Requirements:

Abstract: Unstructured and up to 250 words with 4–6 relevant keywords (in alphabetical order). The abstract should have the following sequence of information: rationale, patient concerns, diagnosis, interventions, outcomes, key learning points.

Word limit: 1500 words (excluding Abstract, References, and Figure legends)

References: Up to 20

5. LETTER TO THE EDITOR

These should be short and decisive observations and should preferably be related to articles previously published in the Journal or views expressed in the Journal. They should not be preliminary observations that later require a study for validation (Use Letter to Editor Template Form) .

General Requirements: No abstract required;  Word limit: 1000 words (excluding References); References: Up to 15

6. Medical Education

Articles on medical education can be submitted in the same format for original and review articles according to the kind of submission (original or review).

7. OTHER

Editorial and In Focus are solicited by the Editorial Board.

References Style in all types of manuscripts:

References should be numbered consecutively (Vancouver Style) in the order in which they are first mentioned in the text (not in alphabetic order). Identify references in text, tables, and legends by Arabic numerals with square brackets before the punctuation marks. References cited only in tables or figure legends should be numbered following the sequence established by the first identification in the text of the particular table or figure. Use the style of the examples below. They are based on the formats used by the NLM in Index Medicus; titles of journals should also be abbreviated according to this style (Use PubMed style). Use the complete name of the journal for non-indexed journals. Add the Digital Object Identifier (doi), or the PMID when the doi is not applicable, at the end of each reference (when available). Avoid using abstracts as references. Information from manuscripts submitted but not accepted should be cited in the text as "unpublished observations" with written permission from the source. Avoid citation of a "personal communication" unless it provides essential information not available from public sources. In this case, the persons' name and date of communication should be cited in parentheses of the text.

The commonly cited types of references are shown here; for other types of references, such as newspaper items, please refer to samples of formatted references according to the ICMJE recommendation.

Articles in Journals

• Standard journal article (for up to six authors): Garcia HH, O'Neal SE, Noh J, Handali S; Cysticercosis Working Group in Peru. Laboratory diagnosis of neurocysticercosis (Taenia solium). J Clin Microbiol. 2018;56(9):e00424-18. doi: 10.1128/JCM.00424-18.
• Standard journal article (for more than six authors): List the first six contributors followed by et al.  e.g., Omer S, Cornwell LD, Bakshi A, Rachlin E, Preventza O, Rosengart TK, et al. Incidence, predictors, and impact of postoperative atrial fibrillation after coronary artery bypass grafting in military veterans. Tex Heart Inst J. 2016;43(5):397-403. doi: 10.14503/THIJ-15-5532.
• Volume with supplement: Shen HM, Zhang QF. Risk assessment of nickel carcinogenicity and occupational lung cancer. Environ Health Perspect. 1994; 102 (Suppl 1):275-82.
• An issue with supplement: Payne DK, Sullivan MD, Massie MJ. Women's psychological reactions to breast cancer. Semin Oncol. 1996; 23 (1, Suppl 2):89-97.

Books and Other Monographs

• Personal author(s): Ringsven MK, Bond D. Gerontology and leadership skills for nurses, (2nd ed.), Albany (NY): Delmar Publishers; 1996.
• Editor(s), compiler(s) as author: Norman IJ, Redfern SJ, (Eds.), Mental health care for the elderly, New York: Churchill Livingstone; 1996.
• Chapter in a book: Phillips SJ, Whisnant JP. Hypertension and stroke. In: Laragh JH, Brenner BM, (Eds.), Hypertension: pathophysiology, diagnosis, and management, (2nd ed.), New York: Raven Press; 1995. pp. 465-78.

Electronic Sources as reference

• Journal article on the Internet: Abood S. Quality improvement initiative in nursing homes: the ANA acts in an advisory role. Am J Nurs [serial on the Internet]. 2002 Jun [cited 2002 Aug 12];102(6):[about 3 p.]. Available from: http://www.nursingworld.org/AJN/2002/june/Wawatch.htm
• Monograph on the Internet: Foley KM, Gelband H, editors. Improving palliative care for cancer [monograph on the Internet]. Washington: National Academy Press; 2001 [cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.nap.edu/books/0309074029/html/.
• Homepage/Web site: Cancer-Pain.org [homepage on the Internet]. New York: Association of Cancer Online Resources, Inc.; c2000-01 [updated 2002 May 16; cited 2002 Jul 9]. Available from: http://www.cancer-pain.org/.
• Part of a homepage/Web site: American Medical Association [homepage on the Internet]. Chicago: The Association; c1995-2002 [updated 2001 Aug 23; cited 2002 Aug 12]. AMA Office of Group Practice Liaison; [about 2 screens]. Available from: http://www.ama-assn.org/ama/pub/category/1736.html

Style of Preparing Tables

• Tables should be EXCLUSIVLY prepared in Microsoft Word Table format as self-explanatory and should not duplicate textual material. Tables with more than 8 columns and 20 rows are not acceptable.
• Tables should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text.
• Place explanatory matter in footnotes, not in the heading. Explain in 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, follow symbols in this sequence: *, †, ‡, §, ||,¶, **, ††, ‡‡
• Tables with their legends should be provided at the end of the text after the references.

Illustrations Style (Figures)

• Upload the images in JPEG format with 600 dpi resolution. The file size should be <4 MB.
• Figures should be numbered consecutively according to the order in which they have been first cited in the text. They can be uploaded separately or embedded within the Main Text File.
• 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 of the illustrations and not on the illustrations themselves.
• When submitting graphs, scattergrams, or histograms, the numerical data of each one should also be supplied.
• The photographs and figures should be trimmed to remove all unwanted areas.
• If photographs of individuals are used, written permission must be obtained to use the photograph and the same should be indicated in the article.
• If a figure has been published elsewhere, acknowledge the source and submit written permission from the copyright holder to reproduce the material. A credit line should appear in the legend for such figures.
• Type out legends 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.
• If the uploaded images are not of printable quality, the publisher office may request for higher resolution images which can be sent at the time of acceptance of the manuscript. For digital images, please ensure that the image has a minimum resolution of 600 dpi in TIF format.
• The Journal reserves the right to crop, rotate, reduce or enlarge the photographs to an acceptable size.

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. Authors should remove patients' names from figures unless they have obtained informed consent from the patients. The journal abides by the ICMJE guidelines:
• Authors, not the Journal or its Publisher, need to get the patient consent form before submitting their work for publication consideration to AJMS. Authors should ensure that this patient consent form(s) are archived properly. The consent forms are not to be uploaded with the cover letter or sent through e-mail to the Editorial or Publisher offices.
• If the manuscript contains patient images that preclude anonymity or a description that has an obvious indication about the patients' identity, a statement about asking for informed consent should be indicated in the manuscript.

Scientific Misconduct

• For duplicate publication, fabricated data, undisclosed conflict of interest, plagiarism, and/or other issues of publication and scientific misconduct, AJMS follows the guidance produced by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE), World Association of Medical Editors (WAME), and International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE).
• AJMS endeavors to avoid all possible misconduct. All manuscripts are checked for plagiarism using Turnitin®. If the Editor or a reviewer has a concern that some aspects of a submitted article may constitute misconduct in either research, publication, or professional behavior; the Journal communicates the same to the author(s) to seek clarification. However, when 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 compliant anonymity will be maintained at all times.

Reprints and proofs

• Authors can purchase reprints, payment for which should be done at the time of submitting the proofs.

Manuscript submission, processing, and publication charges

• All accepted articles will be charged a lot of 200 US $ that covers all the activities of processing, publication, and maintenance of the electronic website. Payment details will be mailed to the corresponding author after manuscript acceptance.

Copyrights

• The entire contents of the Al-Rafidain Journal of Medical Sciences are protected under Iraqi and international copyrights. However, the Journal grants to all users a free and irrevocable, and 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. The journal also grants the right to make small numbers of printed copies for their personal non-commercial use under Creative Commons Attribution-Noncommercial-Share Alike 4.0 Unported License.

Acceptance or rejection

• Manuscripts are judged on the interest and importance of the topic, intellectual and scientific strength, clarity of presentation, and relevance to Al-Rafidain Journal of Medical Sciences readers.

Handling Cases Requiring Corrections, Retractions, and Editorial Expressions of Concern

• AJMS aims to ensure the integrity of the academic record of all published or potential publications. Whenever it is recognized that a significant inaccuracy, misleading statement, or distorted report has been published, it must be corrected promptly and with due prominence. If, after an appropriate investigation, an item proves to be fraudulent, it should be retracted. The retraction should be clearly identifiable to readers and indexing systems.

Corrections

• Errors in published papers may be identified in the form of a corrigendum or erratum when the Editor-in-Chief considers it appropriate to inform the journal readership about a previous error and makes a correction to the error in the published article. The corrigendum or erratum will appear as a new article in the journal and will cite the original published article.

Retractions

• Retractions are considered and published when there are severe errors in an article that invalidate the conclusions. Retractions are also made in cases where there is evidence of publication malpractice, such as plagiarism, duplicate publication, or unethical research.
• According to publishing best practices and in accordance with COPE guidelines, AME implements the following procedure if a retraction is confirmed:

1. In a subsequent issue of the journal, a retraction notes with the title "Retraction: [article title]" and the authors' and/or editor's signatures appears in the contents list.
2. In the electronic version, a link is made to the original article.
3. A screen containing the retraction note appears before the online article. It is to this screen that the link resolves; the reader can then proceed to the article itself.
4. The original article is retained unchanged save for a watermark on the HTML and PDF indicating on each page that it has been "retracted."

Editorial expressions of concern

• Where substantial doubt arises as to the honesty or integrity of a submitted or published article, journal editors may consider issuing an expression of concern. However, expressions of concern should only be issued if an investigation into the problems relating to the article has proven inconclusive and if there remain strong indicators that the concerns are valid. In some rare cases, an editorial expression of concern may also be issued when an investigation is underway but a judgment will not be available for a considerable time.

       ● The expression of concern will be linked back to the published article it relates to.

Complaints

• This procedure applies to complaints about the publishing policies, procedures, and/or actions of Al-Rafidain Journal of Medical Sciences’ editorial staff. This complaint must relate to content or a procedure that was the responsibility of the AJMS or its Editor.

How to register a complaint?

• Complaints can be registered by phone, e-mail, or letter to the address provided in the Contacts section. The Journal prefers communication through e-mail because it provides a reliable trial. All complaints are acknowledged at the earliest. The complaint would be followed up in an unbiased manner and be handled by the person to whom they are made, if possible. The Journal aims to resolve any complaint raised within 2–4 weeks. However, if not possible, an interim response would be provided until the complaint is resolved.

External body

• If a complainant remains unsatisfied with the final decision of the Editor; the complainant can be passed to an external body such as Committee on Publication Ethics, when that body has relevant oversight.