Guide for Authors

The journal welcomes contributions from our readers in Iraq and abroad. The contributions will be reviewed by the editorial board and by an advisory board in appropriate specialties. The Journal welcomes original articles, case reports, letters to editors, history of medicine, and news in all fields of basic and clinical medicine. Submissions are accepted on the understanding that it has not and will not be submitted to other journals. Authors should follow the “Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals” published by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) in Vancouver, British Colombia in 1979.

Summary of requirements
The manuscript should be typed double-spaced, on size A4 paper sheets with at least one-inch margins on each side of the sheet. Type only on one side of the paper. Each manuscript component should begin on a new page, in this sequence:
1. Title page
2. Abstract and key words
3. Text
4. Acknowledgments
5. References
6. Tables: each table, complete with title and footnotes, on a separate page
7. Illustration: Illustrations must be of good quality and mounted, glossy prints usually 127 X173 mm (5x7in) but not larger than 203 x 254 mm (8×10 in).
Three complete copies (including figures and tables) should be submitted along with a full copy on a compact disc (CD) on the assumption that the manuscript will not be returned to the author whether it will be accepted or rejected. The manuscript must be accompanied by a cover letter signed by all authors that the paper has not been published and will not be submitted to other journals if it will be accepted by the Journal of Faculty of Medicine Baghdad.
Authorship:
The International Committee of Medical Journal Editors List Uniform Requirements for Manuscripts Submitted to Biomedical Journals.31
1. The first Author is Primarily Responsible for Collecting Analyzing and Writing the Manuscript.
2. The Last or Senior Author is Usually an Established Investigator, a Primary Mentor, and Assumes Overall Responsibility.
3. The Middle Authors are Usually Listed in Order of Contribution.
Title Page
The title page should carry:
(1) the title of the article, which should be concise but informative;
(2) a short running head or foot line of no more than 40 characters {count letters and spaces) placed at the foot of the title page and identified;
(3) first name” middle initial, and last name of each author, with the highest academic degree{s);
(4) name of department(s) and institution(s) to which the work should be attributed,
(5) name and address of the author responsible for correspondence about the manuscript;
(6) name and address of the author to whom requests for reprints should be addressed, or Statement that reprints will not be available from the author.
Abstract and Keywords
The second page should carry an abstract which should not be less than 250 or more than 300 words. The abstract should include the background, objectives, materials(patients) and methods, results, and conclusion. The abstract should state the purposes of the study or investigation, basic procedures (study subjects or experimental animals; observational and analytical methods), main findings, and the principal conclusions.
Emphasize new and important aspects of the study or observations. Use only approved abbreviations.
Below the abstract, provide three to 10 keywords or short phrases that will assist indexers in cross-indexing your article and that may be published with the abstract. Use terms from the medical subject headings list from Index Medicus when possible.

Text: The text is divided into sections with the headings: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion.
➢ Introduction- clearly states the purpose of the article and summarizes the rationale for the study or observation. It should give only strictly pertinent references and not review the subject extensively.
➢ Methods: include selection of observational or experimental subjects. Identify the methods, apparatus (manufacturer’s name and address in parentheses), and procedures in sufficient detail, including statistical methods.
➢ Results: Present in a logical sequence in the text, tables, and illustrations. One may not repeat in the text all the data in the tables, Illustrations, or both; emphasize or summarize only important observations.
➢ Discussion: Emphasizes the new and important aspects of the study, concludes and relates the observations to other relevant studies. Link the conclusions with the goals of the study.
➢ Recommendations: when appropriate, may be included.
➢ Acknowledgments: Acknowledgement only to persons who have made substantive contributions to the study.

Author contributions:
The manuscript should mention the contribution of each author to the research done:
Study conception
Study design
Acquisition of data analysis
Interpretation of data
Drafting of manuscript
Critical revision

Authors' declaration

It should be written following the example below before the references

Conflicts of Interest: None.

We hereby confirm that all the Figures and Tables in the manuscript are mine/ ours. Besides, the Figures and images, which are not mine /ours, have been given permission for re-publication attached with the manuscript.-Authors sign on ethical consideration’s approval-Ethical Clearance: The project was approved by the local ethical committee in (Place where the research was conducted or samples collected and treated) according to the code number (ISU.3.1.22).

References:

References should be in Vancouver style where they should be numbered consecutively in the order of their appearance in the text or tables or figures. They should be listed in a separate sheet. List all authors when six or fewer; if seven or more list only the first three names and add et al. The number of references should not be less than (20) and not more than (40).

  • Three or more references from Iraqi
  • 20% of references are published in the journals indexed within Scopus.
  • 80% of references are recent and are within the last five

Tables:
Tables should be double-spaced and on a separate sheet of paper. Do not submit tables as photographs. The numbering of tables should be done consecutively in the order of their first appearance in the text. Supply a brief title for each. All tables should have no inside lines or bars. Give each column a short or abbreviated heading. Statistical explanations should be in table footnotes not in the heading. Explain in the footnotes all non-standard abbreviations that are used in each table. Identify statistical measures of variations such as SD or SEM.

Illustrations:
Submit the required number of complete sets of figures. Figures should be professionally drawn and photographed. freehand or typewritten lettering is unacceptable. Instead of original drawings, roentgenograms, and other materials; send sharp glossy and black-and-white photographic prints, usually 127 x 173mm (5×3 in) but no larger than 203 x254 mm (8 x10 in). Letters, numbers, and symbols should be clear and even throughout, and of sufficient size. Titles and detailed explanations belong in the legends for illustrations, not on the illustrations themselves. Each figure should have a label pasted on its back indicating the number of the figure, and the names of the author on the top of the figure. Do not write on the back of the figures, mount them on cardboard or scratch or mark them using paper clips. Do not bend figures. Cite each figure in the text in consecutive order.

Units of measurement:
Measurements are preferably expressed in SI units

Abbreviations and symbols:
Use only standard abbreviations. The full term for which an abbreviation stands should precede its first use in the text unless it is a standard unit of measurement.

Submission of manuscripts:
Mail the required number of manuscript copies in a heavy-paper envelope, enclosing the manuscript copies and figures in cardboard.

AI tools in writing the manuscript

If an artificial intelligence (AI) tool is used when writing the manuscript, creating images or graphic elements of the work, or collecting and analyzing data, you must describe how and which tool was used in the Materials and Methods section. Authors are solely responsible for the content of their manuscripts, including portions created using artificial intelligence tools, and are therefore responsible for any breach of publication ethics.

Applying AI to less than 5% is appropriate.