Peer-Review Process

The Iraq Medical Journal (IMJ) utilizes a double-blind peer-review system to ensure publication quality. Manuscripts should be submitted through our online manuscript management system after authors have registered. Prior to being sent to external reviewers, we will use iThenticate to check for similarities. Within one to two months, the corresponding author will receive notification of their manuscript status through our online system. External reviewers, as well as internal reviewers, are relied upon by IMJ to review submissions.

The following steps outline the IMJ submission and review process:

  1. Submission: The corresponding author submits the article via our online system.
  2. Structural Assessment: The Executive Director reviews the article's composition and arrangement to ensure compliance with IMJ's Author Guidelines. The quality of the article is not assessed at this stage.
  3. Plagiarism Check: iThenticate is used to check the article for similarities. Articles with a similarity score below 10% are considered for review assignment, while those above are rejected.
  4. Editor-in-Chief Assessment: The Editor-in-Chief assesses whether the article is appropriate for JCMS and whether it is original and interesting. Articles that do not meet these criteria may be rejected without further review.
  5. Reviewer Invitation: The Editor-in-Chief invites reviewers who are deemed appropriate for the article. If necessary, additional invitations are issued until the required number of acceptances is obtained (two accepted reviewer decisions).
  6. Reviewer Response: Reviewers consider the invitation and accept or decline based on their expertise, conflicts of interest, and availability.
  7. Review Conducted: Reviewers read the article multiple times and provide a detailed review with recommendations to accept, reject, or request revision.
  8. Editorial Decision: The Editor-in-Chief considers all returned reviews before making a decision. If reviews differ significantly, an additional reviewer may be invited for an extra opinion.
  9. Primary Decision: The Editor-in-Chief sends a decision email to the author, including any relevant reviewer comments. Reviewer identities are anonymous to the author(s).
  10. Revised Manuscript: If revisions are requested, the author makes changes and highlights them in red or yellow.
  11. Final Decision: If accepted, the article is sent to the page designer and then to the publisher.