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Policies

The Baghdad Science Journal is a member of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and in terms of authorship, it advocates both WHO and GPP3 guidelines. This means that all authors have read and agreed to its content when the manuscript is submitted and that the manuscript fits the journal’s policies.

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Affiliations

All authors and coauthors must list all their relevant affiliations to indicate where their scholarly work, research, and study was approved, supported, and/or conducted.

  • In the case that the author/s and their coauthors are moved to a different institution before publication, they have to state the affiliation where the work was performed and refer to their current affiliation.
  • In the case that the author/s and their coauthors have no relevant institutional affiliation, they should mention their independent status.

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Appeals and complaints

The Editors-in-Chief shall tackle all complaints, concerns, or appeals regarding authorship issues or the peer-review process, including concerns raised post-publication, by requesting information from all parties involved and proposing a course of action in line with academic ethical principles as outlined by the Committee on Publishing Ethics (COPE).

Submissions in the review or publication process can be suspended until the issues are resolved. If Editors-in-Chief are involved in the complaint, the most senior member of the Editorial Board will investigate the claims and propose a course of action.

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Acknowledgement

Acknowledgment should be to the individuals who participated in the manuscript progression but are not included in the author list, as well as to the organizations that provide support, funding, and/or other resources.

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Authorship

Authorship on an article is a significant acknowledgment, intended to credit individuals who have substantially contributed to the work. It is imperative to maintain transparency and accountability for the integrity of the content.

All authors listed on the article must agree to any modifications in the authorships, both before and after publication. This includes adding or removing authors. The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining confirmation from all co-authors and providing a rationale for the changes.

In cases where authorship changes are made after the article's publication, a formal notification will be issued to announce the amendment. It is crucial that any such changes adhere to the journal's authorship criteria.

To qualify for authorship, individuals must meet specific criteria, including:

  • Substantial contributions: contributions to the conception, design, data acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of the work.
  • Drafting and revising: participation in drafting the manuscript or critically revising it for important intellectual content.
  • Approval of final version: Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work, ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.

Requests for significant changes to the authorship list after the article has been accepted should be accompanied by clear reasons and evidence of author contributions. Without sufficient justification, such a request may be rejected.

By adhering to these criteria, we ensure that authorship accurately reflects individuals' contributions and upholds the ethical standards of scientific publishing.

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Contribution Details

All contributors should give a brief explanation of their part in the manuscript. The authors' contributions will be reported along with the article as shown in the journal form.

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Citations

The citation in the article must be relevant, up-to-date, and documented literature; published work or peer-reviewed, to support any claim made in the article or manuscript.

Authors should note that excessive and inappropriate self-citation, or pre-arrangements among authors to improperly cite each other must be forbidden. For more details, read the COPE guidance on citation manipulation.

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Conflicts of Interest/Competing interests

Researchers should reveal financial support, or any other kind of support provided for them. Also, they should reveal any financial conflicts or other issues that affect the results or interpretations of the research.

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Corrections, expressions of concern, and retractions

Occasionally, changes may be necessary to an article after its publication. The editor makes these changes after a careful review process to ensure compliance with guidelines issued by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

Any correction will be accompanied by a post-publication notification to maintain the integrity of the scholarly record.

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The author must obtain permission from the patient or individual whose details or images are presented in the manuscript. For children under 18, this permission should be obtained from a parent or legal guardian. Therefore, the authors should ensure that a consent form is signed and applies to the license of CC BY (a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license).

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Confidentiality

All submitted materials from the authors are treated as confidential. The Baghdad Science Journal adheres to a strict and transparent policy regarding the publication of the Ethics and Malpractice Statement Guideline, which is publicly available on its website. Confidentiality is upheld throughout all publishing processes in accordance with Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) policies.

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The journal applies the license of CC BY (Deed - Attribution 4.0 International - Creative Commons). The authors retain the ownership of the copyright of their papers. This license permits any user to download, print out, extract, reuse, archive, and distribute the article, so long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and the source of the work. The license ensures that the article will be available as widely as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific archive.

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Data Falsification/Fabrication

Deliberately manipulating or fabricating data is considered severe misconduct intended for others and compromises the integrity of the scholarly record. This practice has far-reaching and long-term consequences.

When submitting a manuscript to the journal, authors must ensure all data presented within their manuscript is accurate and faithfully represents their work. To facilitate manuscript evaluation, authors are expected to retain all raw data referenced in their manuscripts. If the original data cannot be produced upon request, the acceptance of a manuscript or published article may be declined or retracted.

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Data Sharing Policy

Research Data Policy

Baghdad Science Journal advocates for the sharing of research data to enhance transparency, reproducibility, and the advancement of knowledge within the academic community. We acknowledge the significance of making data accessible to other researchers while upholding ethical and legal considerations. Therefore, we have established the following guidelines for including research data statements in the submitted manuscript:

Data Sharing Expectations:

Authors are encouraged to make their data publicly available whenever possible, except where privacy, confidentiality, or legal constraints apply. Data should be shared in a manner that allows verification of results and facilitates the reuse of data for further research.

Data Availability Statements

  • Data Available in a Public Repository: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository, [PRESENT LINK TO DATASETS].
  • Data Available on Request: The datasets generated during and/or analyzed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.
  • No Data Available: No datasets were generated or analyzed during the current study.

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Desk Rejection Policy

  • The topic/scope of the study is not relevant to the field of the journal.
  • There are publication ethics problems, non-adherence to international standard guidelines, and plagiarism (set at a similarity index of higher than 25 percent).
  • The topic does not have a sufficient impact nor sufficiently contribute new knowledge to the field.
  • There are flaws in the study design.
  • The objective of the study is not clearly stated.
  • The study of the organization is problematic, and/or specific components are missing.
  • There are problems in writing or a series of infelicities in the grammar style.
  • The manuscript does not follow the submission guidelines of the journal.

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Duplicate Submission/Publication

Authors must declare that the manuscript is not considered for publication elsewhere. Otherwise, double publication, such as a previously published article in another language (translated into English), is considered a deliberate action.

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Ethics Polices

Baghdad Science Journal and its editorial board are fully committed to the principles and policies of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and WAME.

Editor Responsibility

  • The editorial team is responsible for manuscript publication approval submitted to Baghdad Science Journal.
  • The editorial team is responsible for the integrity of the entire manuscript.
  • The editorial team should qualify the validity of published research.
  • The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members should keep all information related to the submitted manuscript under review secure until it is published.
  • The Editor-in-Chief and editorial board members should prevent a conflict of interest and disclose it.
  • The editorial team is responsible for the transparency of self-publication.
  • The editorial team should give reviewers the instruction to identify potential misbehavior and ethical issues in submission, such as improper data manipulation or unethical research design.
  • The editorial team should be alerted by reviewers for duplicate publication and plagiarism.
  • The editorial team should address all reviewers’ comments to the author, except those that contain insulting or libelous material.
  • The editorial team should take all precautions to guarantee the standard of the content they publish, considering that various sections have varying standards and objectives.
  • The editorial team and Editor-in-Chief should decide whether or not to publish submitted papers.

Reviewers Accountability

  • Reviewers are authorized to help the editorial team to make decisions on the submitted manuscript.
  • Reviewers should undertake the revision process constructively, and comments and opinions should be stated with arguments. Personal criticism is improper.
  • Alternative reviewers are recommended in case they are unable to review the manuscript for any reason.
  • Reviewers are required to maintain the anonymity of all submitted manuscripts.
  • Reviewers should be impartial and devoid of bias for documents.
  • Reviewers are required to notify the editorial team if an author does not meet the journal’s publication standards.
  • Reviewers must inform the editorial team of any misconduct in the submitted document.
  • Reviewers must avoid using concepts or information from the articles they have evaluated for their gain.
  • Reviewers should declare any conflict of interest that would influence their assessment.
  • Reviewers should notify the editorial team of any significant connection or intersection between the document being reviewed and any other published work the reviewer knows.

Authors Responsibility

  • All authors must follow the Baghdad Science Journal publication policy in writing style. Authors must sign a declaration confirming compliance with these standards (click here).
  • All authors should not submit their work to more than one journal at once.
  • Authors must submit original works and not have been published elsewhere in any form or language unless the new work is an extension of the former one.
  • The corresponding author is responsible for obtaining approval from all coauthors participating in the manuscript.
  • The corresponding author acts as the editorial office’s correspondent and can edit and revise text and proofs.

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Funding

Authors must declare all funding sources, including financial support, in their manuscripts. They should describe the role of the sponsor(s), if any, in any stage, from study design to manuscript submission for publication. This should also be clearly stated if the sponsor(s) was not involved. Authors must ensure that this information is accurate and complies with their funders' requirements.

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Images and Figures

Relevance and Value

Images and figures should only be included in your article if they are relevant and add significant value to the reported work. Avoid using purely illustrative content that does not enhance the scholarly contribution of your article.

Permissions and Copyright

As per the Journal Publishing Agreement, you must obtain the necessary written permission to include any material in your article owned by a third party. This includes but is not limited to proprietary text, illustrations, tables, data, audio, video, film stills, screenshots, musical notation, and any supplementary material.

Photographs and Identifiable Data

Photographs, videos, or audio recordings that reveal the identity of patients or study participants can only be included if consent has been obtained. This consent should come from the individuals themselves, or from their next of kin if they are deceased, or from parents/guardians if they are underage or considered vulnerable.

Cultural Sensitivities

Authors should be aware of and respect cultural sensitivities associated with any images included in their manuscripts. For example, images of human remains or deceased persons are restricted in some cultures, and appropriate ethical guidelines should be followed by considering the views and approval processes of the affiliated communities.

Accuracy and Modifications

Experimental photographic images, including microscopy, must accurately reflect the original. If any images have been modified or enhanced, this must be clearly stated with a full explanation within the manuscript and the figure legend to avoid misleading readers. Authors should be prepared to share the original, uncropped, unannotated, and unprocessed images upon request by the journal editorial office.

Minor Modifications

Only minor modifications applied to the entire image are acceptable. Authors are required to include details of image-gathering methods and processes for any modifications made, including the name and version of the software used. Modifications that alter the scientific interpretation of the image are not allowed.

Permissions for Re-use

Any images or figures obtained from other published sources can only be reused if the appropriate permissions have been obtained from the copyright holder or if reuse is permitted under a license.

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Misconduct

Baghdad Science Journal takes all forms of misconduct seriously and will take all necessary actions, in accordance with COPE guidelines, to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

Misconduct Examples

  • Affiliation Misrepresentation: Misleading representation of an author's affiliation.
  • Copyright Breaches: Use of third-party material without appropriate permission.
  • Citation Manipulation: Manipulating citations to inflate metrics.
  • Duplicate Submission/Publication: Submitting or publishing the same work in multiple venues.
  • Ethics Dumbing: Conducting unethical research in regions with less stringent ethical standards.
  • Image or Data Manipulation/Fabrication: Altering or fabricating images or data.
  • Peer Review Manipulation: Manipulating the peer review process.
  • Plagiarism: Using someone else's work without proper attribution.
  • Text-Recycling/Self-Plagiarism: Reusing one's own previous work without proper citation.
  • Undisclosed Competing Interests: Failing to disclose conflicts of interest.
  • Unethical Research: Conducting research that does not adhere to ethical standards.

Duplicate Submission

Manuscripts found to have been published elsewhere or are currently under review elsewhere will incur sanctions for duplicate submission/publication. Authors who use their own previously published work or work that is under review as the basis for a submitted manuscript must cite the previous work and clearly indicate how the new manuscript offers novel contributions beyond the previous work.

Citation Manipulation

Manuscripts found to include citations whose primary purpose is to increase the number of citations to a specific author's work or articles published in a particular journal will incur sanctions for citation manipulation.

Data Fabrication and Falsification

Manuscripts found to contain fabricated or falsified experimental results, including the manipulation of images, will incur sanctions for fabrication and falsification.

Improper Author Contribution or Attribution

All listed authors must have made significant scientific contributions to the research presented in the manuscript and approved all its claims. It is crucial to include everyone who has made a significant scientific contribution, including students and laboratory technicians.

Redundant Publications

Redundant publications involve the inappropriate division of the study outcomes into multiple articles.

Image Manipulation

Misconduct constitutes a violation of this editorial policy, journal policies, publication ethics, or any applicable guidelines/policies specified by COPE, WAME, ICMJE, and STM. Any other activities that threaten or compromise the integrity of the research/publication process are considered potential misconduct. Suspected cases of misconduct will be investigated according to COPE guidelines.

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Open Access Policy

The journal applies the license of CC BY (a Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International license). This license allows authors to keep ownership of the copyright of their papers. However, this license permits any user to download, print out, extract, reuse, archive, and distribute the article, so long as appropriate credit is given to the authors and the source of the work. The license ensures that the article will be available as widely as possible and that the article can be included in any scientific archive.

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Peer Review Process

Baghdad Science Journal operates a (Double-blind peer review) policy involving 2 external reviewers. Authors may suggest potential reviewers if they wish; however, the decision to consider these reviewers is at the editor’s discretion. Authors who wish to suggest peer reviewers can do so in the cover letter and should provide institutional email addresses where possible or information that will help the Editor verify and identify the potential introduced reviewers (for example, an ORCID or Scopus ID). Authors may request the exclusion of individuals as peer reviewers, but they should explain the reasons in their cover letter upon submission. Authors should not exclude too many individuals, as this may hinder the peer review process. Please note that the editor may choose to invite excluded peer reviewers. Intentionally falsifying information, for example, suggesting reviewers with a false name or email address, will result in rejection of the manuscript and may lead to further investigation in line with our misconduct policy.

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Plagiarism

The author should submit an original manuscript and an unpublished article for Baghdad Science Journal. The manuscript must include a proper citation without plagiarism or duplication of the authors' previous work. Baghdad Science Journal board will reject the manuscript if plagiarism is detected at any stage of the publication process. In addition, we will not accept manuscripts that are submitted elsewhere. All submitted manuscripts are screened for potential plagiarism via iThenticate software.

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Studies in Humans and Animals

Any study on human or animal subjects must observe and follow ethical guidelines. For any experiments on humans, all work must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (1964), The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association. If manuscripts include any experimental work that describes and carries a risk of harm to human subjects, the manuscript must contain a statement that the experiment was conducted with the human subjects’ understanding and consent, as well as a statement that the responsible Ethical Committee has approved the experiments. The authors will be required to submit an Ethics Approval and Consent form.

In the case of any animal experiments, the authors must provide a full description of any anesthetic or surgical procedure used, as well as evidence that all possible steps were taken to avoid animal suffering at each stage of the experiment alongside an Animal Welfare Statement. All animal experiments should comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and be carried out in accordance with the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments, or the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals. Authors must clearly indicate in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed.

The sex of animals must be indicated, and where appropriate, the influence (or association) of sex on the results of the study should be addressed. Additionally, adherence to relevant international standards, such as the International Council for Harmonisation (ICH) guidelines and the World Health Organization guidelines for ethical conduct in research involving animals, should be explicitly stated.

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Special Issues

The Baghdad Science Journal's special issues will concentrate on the recent trends in scientific advancement. It will publish the results of original research, focusing on recent scientific trends. The main purpose of the special issue is to address the state-of-the-art in a given scientific field. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. The journal will be on an open access platform and resort to green publishing, without any submission through hard copies. If the work involves the use of human subjects, the author should ensure that the work described has been carried out in accordance with the clearance of the institutional human ethics committee, and the permission order should be submitted along with the manuscript.

The Guidelines of Special Issue Policy are as follows:

  • Title: The title should be concise and informative. Titles are often used in information-retrieval systems. Avoid abbreviations and formulae where possible.
  • Research papers: Research papers should report the results of original research. The material should not have been previously published elsewhere. The journal will be in an open access platform and resort to green publishing, without any submission through hard copies. Verify this checklist to carry out a final check of your submission before you send it to the journal for review.
  • Manuscript: Manuscript as a single file in MS WORD with all tables and figures placed in appropriate places. Please ensure the figures and the tables included in the single file are placed next to the relevant text in the manuscript, rather than at the bottom or the top of the file. The corresponding caption should be placed directly below the figure and above the table. Once the paper is accepted, original figures of high resolution should be submitted.
  • Abstract: Present the abstract of the paper immediately after the title page on a separate page. The abstract should state concisely and unambiguously the objective(s) of the research, the salient results, and major conclusions.
  • Introduction: State the objectives of the work and provide an adequate background, avoiding detailed literature survey or a summary of the results. Use recent references as far as possible and avoid quoting predatory journals.
  • Material and Methods: Provide sufficient details to allow the work to be reproduced. Methods already published should be indicated by a reference; only relevant modifications should be described.
  • Results and Discussion: Results should be clear and concise, with tables and figures. Avoid presenting the same data in tables and figures. All graphs, line drawings, and computerized graphics can be given in color, with appropriate labels. All axes should be labeled and units should be clearly marked. Photographs/photomicrographs must be at a minimum of 300 dpi.
  • Short Communication: This is a concise but complete description of a limited investigation, which will not be included in a later paper. Short Communications should be as completely documented, both by reference to the literature and description of the experimental procedures employed, as a regular paper. They should not be longer than 6 printed pages, including figures, tables, and references.
  • Cover letter: A cover letter from the corresponding author, with the full address, email, and phone number of all the authors, with a statement that the manuscript is based on original research and has not been submitted to other journals or sources for publication. The authors should also state that the work described has not been published previously, that it is not under consideration for publication elsewhere, that its publication is approved by all authors, and that, if accepted, it will not be published elsewhere, including electronically, in the same form, in English or in any other language.

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Human and Animal Rights

If the work involves the use of human subjects, the author should ensure that the work described has been carried out in accordance with the clearance of the institutional human ethics committee, and the permission order should be submitted along with the manuscript. In the case of experiments involving animals referred to in the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals Act 1960, or similar legislations prevailing in other countries, the details regarding permission/sanction order from the Institutional Animal Ethics Committee (IAEC) established under The Committee for the Purpose of Control and Supervision of Experiments on Animals (CPCSEA) or similar bodies in other countries may be referred.

The Baghdad Science Journal encourages sending a proposal for a special issue on recent topics that have international interest.

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Appointment of Guest Editors

The journal suggests a guest editor according to his/her experience for each special issue. The guest editors are responsible for managing the paper and for the quality of the content. Every paper in the issue must maintain the quality and standard of the journal. Research papers must be original, scientifically excellent, without factual or technical errors, and all content must be novel and interesting to a general readership and fit with the title of the special issue and the scope of Baghdad Science Journal. The guest editor avoids requesting adding references from their own or a colleague’s article and must follow the COPE guidelines.

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Setup of Special Issues

To initiate a special issue, a detailed proposal must be submitted, including the theme, objectives, target audience, potential Guest Editors, and a timeline. The proposal is reviewed and approved by the journal’s editorial board and the Editor-in-Chief. Once approved, a call for papers is announced and promoted through various channels. A clear timeline is established for manuscript submission, peer review, and publication to ensure the special issue aligns with the journal’s regular publication schedule.

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Editorial and Review Process

Manuscripts for special issues are submitted through the journal’s online submission system and undergo an initial screening by the Guest Editors to ensure they fit the scope and meet basic quality standards. The manuscripts then undergo a double-blind peer review process, with reviewers selected based on their expertise. Authors revise their manuscripts based on reviewer feedback and resubmit for further review if necessary. The Guest Editors recommend acceptance or rejection of manuscripts, with final approval from the Editor-in-Chief. Accepted manuscripts are formatted, proofread, and published according to the journal’s guidelines. The special issue is promoted through the journal’s distribution channels, and post-publication metrics and feedback are monitored to inform future special issues.

Publication Timing & Review Process

Submissions to Baghdad Science Journal are accepted on an ongoing basis and should follow the requested submission types and adhere to the full author guidelines outlined here. Baghdad Science Journal publishes monthly regular issues and a special issue in April/September (optionally) of each year. All issues of Baghdad Science Journal, including the special issues, follow the same editorial and review process and adhere to the guidelines included here. We encourage and welcome your submission.

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Use of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in Writing

All authors must declare the use of AI and AI-assisted tools in their submitted manuscript (particularly to enhance the readability of work) to Baghdad Science Journal, and all authors should verify that their research is fulfilled by humans.

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Use of AI in Peer Review

Baghdad Science Journal protects the author's rights during the review and publishing processes. Hence, reviewers are not currently allowed to use AI and AI-assisted tools throughout the reviewing process. This policy may be revised or amended in the future.