Journal Policies

Open access and licensing

KJAR is an open-access journal, making all articles freely available for reading, reuse, copying, downloading and sharing, provided the original and correct citation is given by any author, reader or institution. The journal operates under the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 (Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International) licence.

This licence requires that users give credit to the creator. It allows users to copy and distribute the material in any medium or format, in unadapted form and for non-commercial purposes only.

  • BY — credit must be given to the creator.
  • NC — only non-commercial use is permitted. Non-commercial means not primarily intended for, or directed towards, commercial advantage or monetary compensation.
  • ND — no derivatives or adaptations of the work are permitted.

KJAR only requires Article Processing Charges (APCs) and does not charge any additional fee for reading, downloading or sharing articles.

Peer review

KJAR operates a double-blind peer-review process to ensure the quality and integrity of published manuscripts. Additional reviewers may be involved where needed.

Review criteria

Manuscripts are evaluated on several criteria: the originality and timeliness of the material; clarity and adherence to the author guidelines; use of appropriate study methods; validity of the data; whether the conclusions are reasonable and supported by the data; and the importance, topicality and relevance of the information presented.

Review confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review are treated as confidential documents. They are not shared or discussed with others except as authorised by the editor.

Inclusion and exclusion of reviewers

Authors may suggest potential reviewers, or request the exclusion of certain individuals as peer reviewers, giving the necessary information and reasons in the cover letter. The editor has the discretion to consider or decline these suggestions.

Reviewer misconduct

The journal treats reviewer misconduct with the utmost seriousness, including breaches of confidentiality, failure to declare conflicts of interest, inappropriate use of confidential material, or deliberate delay of peer review for competitive advantage. Any allegation of such misconduct will be thoroughly investigated.

Review decision

  • Accept — the manuscript proceeds directly to the editing phase, including copy-editing and proofreading, without requiring revisions.
  • Accept with minor revisions — authors have 7 working days to make minor revisions. Once the Editor-in-Chief approves the changes, the manuscript proceeds to editing without a second round of peer review.
  • Major revisions — authors have 20 working days to make significant revisions. The manuscript is then reassigned to the same or new reviewers for further evaluation until a new decision is reached.
  • Rejection — where a manuscript is rejected, authors are encouraged to submit a new manuscript, which will undergo a fresh peer-review process.

Archiving

KJAR is an open-access journal that allows access to all published papers on its website without charge. The journal is preserved in the following archives and repositories to create permanent archives for preservation and restoration:

KJAR applies the CC BY-NC-ND 4.0 licence. This allows authors to retain copyright ownership while permitting users to download, print, reuse, archive and distribute the article with appropriate credit to the authors and source. The copyright and licence information is indicated on all published articles.

Authors should use original, unpublished content in their manuscripts wherever possible. When reproducing previously published material, authors must obtain written permission from the rightsholder for reuse in both print and electronic formats and pay any associated fees. Alternatively, material from sources under a CC BY licence or in the public domain may be used.

Authors should certify that their manuscript and supporting items are their own intellectual property, free of plagiarism, fabrication, falsification or manipulated citations, and that they comply with KJAR authorship policies. Authors retain full copyright and intellectual property rights, including the right to modify, reshare, repost or archive any version. They also agree to keep all communications with reviewers or editors confidential.

Allegation of misconduct

Any action that compromises the integrity of the publication process, or violates journal policies, publication ethics, or the guidelines of COPE, WAME (World Association of Medical Editors) or ICMJE (International Committee of Medical Journal Editors), is considered misconduct. Suspected cases are investigated in accordance with COPE guidelines.

A report of research misconduct may relate to a published article or to a manuscript under peer review. Complaints of author misconduct are handled with sensitivity, tact and confidentiality, in the following manner:

  • The editorial office receives a complaint that an article submitted to or published in the journal is suspected of containing research misconduct. To report misconduct for an article published in the journal, please submit details by email to sarhang.hama@spu.edu.iq.
  • The complainant must clearly indicate the specific manner and detail of the misconduct.
  • The editorial office conducts an investigation, during which the editor and the corresponding author(s) of the suspected article are in contact.
  • The corresponding author(s) are asked to provide an explanation with factual statements and any available evidence.
  • If the author(s) accept the complaint, the editorial office takes action according to the situation:
    • If the article has been published, an erratum or retraction may be necessary; the appropriate wording of the description may still be subject to discussion.
    • If the misconduct is reported during review, the review process may continue, with the author(s) making the relevant changes.
  • In the case of non-response within the stipulated time, or an unsatisfactory explanation, the article may be permanently retracted or rejected. Before a decision is made, confirmation is sought from experts at the relevant institution or from other authorities as required.
  • The complainant is informed of the outcome once the issue is resolved.
  • The complaint case is then considered concluded.

Data sharing and reproducibility

KJAR is committed to a more open research landscape, facilitating faster and more effective research discovery by enabling reproducibility and verification of data, methodology and reporting standards. We encourage authors of articles published in the journal to share their research data — including but not limited to raw data, processed data, software, algorithms, protocols, methods and materials — with proper citation of the original article clearly indicated.

To further support reproducibility, KJAR promotes the registration of clinical trials and other study designs in accordance with best practice. Detailed methodological descriptions and supplementary materials should be provided so that other researchers can replicate the study. Where custom software or code is used, it should be documented and deposited in a public repository such as GitHub.

Appeals and complaints

If any issue arises regarding authorship or the peer-review process, including issues arising after publication, it should be brought to the attention of the Editor-in-Chief. The Editor-in-Chief will investigate the claims by gathering information from all parties involved and suggest a course of action in accordance with the academic ethical principles set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE). The review or publication process may be halted until the issue is resolved.

For any complaint, please contact us at sarhang.hama@spu.edu.iq.

Advertising and marketing

Advertising policy

KJAR does not permit any advertising on the KJAR website or within PDF manuscripts.

Marketing policy

Direct marketing activities, including manuscript solicitation, are conducted in a manner that is appropriate, well-targeted and unobtrusive. Information provided about the publisher or journal is truthful and not misleading to readers or authors.