Types of Manuscript

Iraqi JMS publishes original articles (for the presentation of clinical and laboratory studies), reviews (by invitation only), case reports, editorials, and letters to the editor, in addition to articles commissioned by the Editorial Committee. The manuscripts are subject to peer review. Identities of peer reviewers and authors are kept confidential. Final decisions regarding manuscript publication are made by the Editor.

---

Original Articles

Original articles include reports on original clinical and laboratory research and related topics. Although there is no set limit for the length of Original Articles, it is highly recommended that they be no longer than 4000 words excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references. The abstract should be no longer than 250 words and should contain the following headings: Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

Reviews

Reviews are usually solicited by the Editor-in-Chief, and are subject to the same review process as the other types of manuscript prior to being accepted for publication. Reviews must have an abstract, but there is no structured format for it. It is recommended that Reviews have a minimum length of 3000 words excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references.

---

Case Reports

The acceptance criteria for Case Reports are very strict, and only reports that make a major clinicopathological or educational contribution or suggest a significant change in a diagnosis or therapy are published. Case Reports should not exceed 1500 words excluding the abstract, tables, figure legends, and references. Abstracts are required for Case Reports and should be no longer than 150 words with the following headings: Background, Case Report, and Conclusions.

---

Letters to the Editor

Letters to the Editor should be no longer than 750 words, including the title page and references. Only one figure or table is allowed, and subheadings should not be used.

Editorials

Editorials are accepted by invitation only (from the Editor-in-Chief), and are commentaries on timely and important topics. Editorials express the personal views of the authors and do not represent the opinions of Iraqi JMS. Word counts are not limited, and subheadings should not be used.

Ethical Policy

A submitted manuscript must not be associated with any type of research misconduct, including fabrication, falsification, or plagiarism with intent to deceive by the authors. The Editor-in-Chief will reject a manuscript if research misconduct is suspected. The cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief must declare that a submitted manuscript has neither been published nor is under simultaneous consideration for publication elsewhere either in its entirety or in part in any language, except in the form of an abstract. The cover letter must also state whether any part of the manuscript contains redundant or duplicate information, defined as text, data, tables, or figures that overlap substantially with previously published information.

Research involving human subjects must comply with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki (1964) (Available at: WMA Declaration). Manuscripts describing such research must state that informed consent to participate was obtained from the subjects, when appropriate. Manuscripts describing research involving animals must state in the Methods section that the work was approved by the appropriate institutional ethics committee or review board. Policies on research and publication ethics not stated in these instructions are available elsewhere, such as in the Committee on Publication Ethics (http://publicationethics.org/resources/guidelines).

Copyright

The journal allows the author(s) to hold the copyright without restrictions.

Manuscript Submission

Iraqi JMS offers authors web-based manuscript submission and peer review at Iraqi JMS Submission. Please review the instructions at the website carefully and follow the submission steps to avoid rejection or delay in processing.

ID/Password

We strongly recommend using your email address as your ID, since this represents a unique and easy-to-remember identifier that will be needed each time you log onto the system (as a reviewer or author). The password will be encrypted for security reasons.

Profile

Once you have verified your email address, you will be asked to provide a basic profile with your contact information.

Uploading a Manuscript

Once logged onto the Iraqi JMS online submission system, click on “Submit a new manuscript”. Follow the instructions to upload your manuscript and supplementary files. The system will convert your files into a single PDF for the review procedure.

Supplementary Data

Supplementary Data are contents (such as raw data, figures, tables, and video files) that the authors wish to make available online if the manuscript is accepted for publication.

Manuscript Status

Authors who submit online using the Iraqi JMS submission system can track the progress of their manuscript throughout the peer-review process.

Submitting a Revision

To submit a revised manuscript, click on “Submit a revised manuscript”. Edit your manuscript and upload the revised version. Include your point-by-point responses to the reviewer comments and a cover letter to the Editor-in-Chief.

Manuscript Preparation

General Style

• The manuscript must contain the author information page, title page, abstract, main text, references, tables, and figure legends.
• Written in double-spaced, 12-point font, preferably Times New Roman.
• Margins of 2.5 cm on each side.
• Place page numbers in the middle of the bottom of each page from the title page onwards.

Cover Letter

The cover letter must specify the manuscript type, ethical issues, conflicts of interest, and provide the contact information of the corresponding author.

Author Information Page

The author information page should contain:

1. Manuscript title
2. Names of authors, including highest academic degree
3. Contact information for the corresponding author
4. Running title (less than 50 characters)

Title Page

The title page is considered the first page of the manuscript and should contain the manuscript title, running title, word count, number of figures, and tables. Do not include author information on this page for blind peer review.

Abstract

The abstract should be 250 words for original articles and organized under Background, Objectives, Methods, Results, and Conclusions.

Main Text

The main text should be divided into Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion for original articles. Editorials and Letters to the Editor should not contain subheadings.

Acknowledgments

Acknowledgments should appear at the end of the article before the references, naming contributors who do not meet authorship criteria.

References

References should be numbered and cited in superscript in the text. Ensure all references are accurate, conforming to the ICMJE guidelines.

Tables

Each table and its title should appear on a separate page. Tables must be cited in numerical order (e.g., Table 1, Table 2).

Figures

Figures must be cited in numerical order and submitted as separate files (JPEG, GIF). Resolution should be at least 600 ppi.

Proofs and Reprints

Proofs must be returned within 48 hours of receipt. Page proofs will be sent electronically.