Publication Ethics

KJAR Journal is committed to upholding the highest standards of publication ethics and preventing any form of malpractice. This statement outlines the ethical guidelines and responsibilities for all stakeholders, including authors, editors, reviewers, and publishers, to ensure the integrity, transparency, and credibility of the journal.

Our publication ethics and publication malpractice statement is mainly based on the Code of Conduct and Best-Practice Guidelines for Journal Editors (Committee on Publication Ethics, 2011). Further, KJAR upholds strict ethical standards and is committed to ensuring transparent and responsible citation practices. Any form of citation manipulation—such as citation stacking, coercive citation, or adding irrelevant references to boost metrics—is strictly prohibited. The journal follows the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) guidelines, and the discussion document on citation manipulation with recommendations. Any confirmed violation at submission, review, or post-publication stages will result in corrective action to protect the integrity of the scholarly record.

1. Human, Animal and Plants Ethics

For research studies using human or animal subjects, the trial's design, conduct, and reporting of results must conform to Good Clinical Practice guidelines (such as the Good Clinical Practice in Food and Drug Administration (FDA) Regulated Clinical Trials (USA) or the Medical Research Council Guidelines for Good Clinical Practice in Clinical Trials (UK)) and/or to the World Medical Association (WMA) Declaration of Helsinki.

Editors reserve the rights to reject any submission that does not meet these requirements.

Ethics handling Human Rights in Research

All manuscripts involving clinical investigations with humans or human materials must include a statement confirming that the project was approved by the local ethical committee. The statement should also indicate that all patients or test subjects provided written informed consent before participation, after receiving a thorough explanation of the study's purpose, procedures, potential risks, and benefits. The research must adhere to ethical standards that protect participants' rights, privacy, and well-being throughout the study according to Declaration of Helsinki of 1975 and the revised version in 2013 (https://www.wma.net/what-we-do/medical-ethics/declaration-of-helsinki/)

Informed Consent

Authors must ensure that Informed Consent Statement has been obtained from the subject(s) and that the individual(s) who is being reported on is aware of the possible consequences of that reporting. If subjects are vulnerable groups, an Informed Consent Statement (oral or written) should be obtained by them or their guardian. Submissions that include identifying patient information without appropriate patient consent will not be considered for publication.

The Informed Consent Statement should be archived by authors other than the journal so that patient confidentiality is better guarded. According to ICMJE, subjects have a right to privacy that should not be violated without informed consent. Identifying information, such as names, hospital numbers, and fingerprints, should not be published in the manuscript unless they are essential for scientific purposes.

Ethics Handling of Animals in Research

Experimental research on vertebrates or any regulated invertebrates must comply with institutional, national, or international guidelines and, where available, should have been approved by an appropriate ethics committee. Field studies and other non-experimental research on animals must comply with institutional, national, or international guidelines and, where available, should have been approved by an appropriate ethics committee. A statement detailing compliance with relevant guidelines and/or appropriate permissions or licenses must be included in the manuscript. We recommend that authors comply with the IUCN Policy Statement on Research Involving Species at Risk of Extinction. The checklist of ARRIVE guidelines should be followed for studies conducted on living animals. Further, the authors should abide with Code of Practice for the Housing and Care of Animals Bred, Supplied or Used for Scientific Purposes

Ethics Handling of Plants in Research

Study involving plants must be in accordance with institutional, national, or international guidelines. Compliance with the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Convention on the Trade in Endangered Species of Wild Fauna and Flora are highly recommended.

Clinical trials registration

All clinical trials must be prospectively registered in a publicly accessible clinical trial registry before enrolling participants. Suitable databases include clinicaltrials.gov, the EU Clinical Trials Register, and those listed on the World Health Organisation's International Clinical Trials Registry Platform. Manuscripts are required to provide the trial registration details, including the registration title, registration identification number, registry name, and registry URL, in accordance with the journal's submission requirements. In addition, clinical trials should adhere to the CONSORT (Consolidated Standards of Reporting Trials) guidelines.

• Read the CONSORT guidelines.
• Follow the CONSORT checklist.

2. Authors' Duties

KJAR Journal requires authors to adhere to the highest ethical standards in publishing. Authors are expected to:

Reporting Standards

Authors must provide an accurate and objective account of their research. Fraudulent or knowingly inaccurate statements are unethical and unacceptable.

Data Access and Retention

Authors may be asked to provide raw data for editorial review and should ensure data accessibility for at least ten years after publication, provided confidentiality and legal rights allow it.

Originality Plagiarism, and Acknowledgment of Sources

Authors must submit original work and appropriately cite the work of others. Plagiarism in any form is strictly prohibited.

Plagiarism

KJAR journal is a member of CrossRef and CrossRef services, e.g. CrossCheck. All manuscripts received for the KJAR journal are scanned for plagiarism at any stage before the review process or after the revision using the ithenticate similarity check via CrossRef.

The KJAR journal tolerates only 10% of similarity, while if more is detected, authors will be contacted to reduce the rate. If, during the publication process or after the publication, plagiarism is detected, KJAR will act in accordance with the academic ethical principles set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

The authors are encouraged to use paraphrasing and summarizing techniques, and sources should be cited appropriately

Multiple, Redundant, or Concurrent Publication

Submitting the same manuscript to multiple journals is unethical and unacceptable. Manuscripts that have been previously published as copyrighted material elsewhere cannot be submitted.

Authorship of the Paper

Only individuals who have made significant contributions to the study should be listed as authors. The corresponding author must ensure that all co-authors approve the final version of the manuscript before submission, Further details about authorship and contributorship described below.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Authors must disclose any financial or other conflicts of interest that could influence the results or interpretation of their research. All sources of funding should be acknowledged.

Fundamental Errors in Published Works

If an author discovers an error in their published work, they must notify the journal editor promptly and cooperate in issuing a correction or retraction if necessary.

Citation

Authors must apply ethical citation practices, including:

• Citing all external sources that inform or support statements in the manuscript.
• Prioritizing original research rather than secondary summaries when referencing prior work.
• Ensuring that citations accurately reflect and support the claims made.
• Avoiding citations to works that have not been personally read.
• Refraining from disproportionately citing their own publications or those of colleagues or institutions.
• Preventing citation bias, such as referencing work solely from a single country or group.
• Avoiding an excessive number of citations for a single point.
• Preferring peer-reviewed literature and avoiding citations to advertisements or promotional content.

Timely Revision

Authors must submit drafts of their manuscripts on time to protect the integrity of the scientific record and acknowledge the unpaid work of peer reviewers. The period of revision usually ranges between 3–6 weeks depending on the kind of necessary changes. Authors may request an extension of this deadline if additional time is needed to gather new data or edit sections of the manuscript.

Use of AI or AI-assisted technologies

Kurdistan Journal of Applied Research follows the COPE position statement when it comes to the use of Artificial Intelligence (AI) and AI-assisted technology in manuscript preparation. Authors are in charge of making sure that technologies are only used to enhance language, check grammar and spelling, and that the output is thoroughly checked and edited to prevent inaccurate, insufficient, or biased content. Additionally, authors must guarantee that their work is original and that an AI language model did not produce it.

3. Reviewers' Duties

Reviewers contribute to the quality and credibility of published research. Their responsibilities include:

Assessment of Expertise

The ethical guidelines for the peer review process require that reviewers examine their knowledge and decline to review manuscripts not related to their areas of expertise. It helps ensure that reviews remain rigorous, equitable, and based on a firm understanding of the subject of the review.

Contribution to Editorial Decisions

Peer reviewers assist the editor in making publication decisions and in helping authors improve their manuscripts through constructive feedback.

Evaluation Criteria for Submissions

Reviewers are the experts in their field who judge if a manuscript is amply suited to the aim of the journal, valuable for the whole field, and meets high ethical standards.

Promptness

Reviewers who are unable to review a manuscript in a timely manner should inform the editor and withdraw from the review process.

Confidentiality

Manuscripts received for review must be treated as confidential and not shared or discussed with others unless authorized by the editor.

Standards of Objectivity

Reviews must be conducted objectively, with clear and reasoned arguments. Personal criticism of the author is inappropriate.

Acknowledgment of Sources

Reviewers should identify cases where cited work is not properly referenced. Any substantial overlap between the manuscript under review and other published works should be reported to the editor.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Reviewers must maintain confidentiality regarding privileged information and should not evaluate manuscripts in which they have competing, collaborative, or financial interests.

Citation

Reviewers are expected to:

• Avoid requesting citations to their own publications or to the journal unless such references are truly needed to strengthen the manuscript's quality or accuracy.
• Not suggest citations that serve no scientific purpose or could artificially influence citation metrics.

Use of AI in Peer Review

Reviewers are solely responsible for the content, scientific assessment, and recommendations in their peer-review reports. AI tools may be used only for limited language editing (e.g., grammar, spelling, punctuation, and readability). Any such use should be disclosed when the review is submitted.

To protect the confidentiality of the peer-review process, reviewers must not upload or share any part of an unpublished manuscript or related correspondence with publicly available AI tools or any system that cannot guarantee data security and confidentiality.

AI must not be used to evaluate manuscripts, generate substantive review comments, or make editorial recommendations. These responsibilities require independent human judgment and remain the sole responsibility of the reviewer.

This policy is based on the recommendations of the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (ICMJE) and the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE).

4. Editors' Duties

Editors play a crucial role in maintaining the integrity of the publication process. They are expected to:

Publication Decisions

The editor is responsible for determining which manuscripts are accepted for publication. Evaluation is based on the importance, originality, clarity, and validity of the study, as well as its relevance to the journal's scope. Manuscripts are reviewed without discrimination based on race, gender, sexual orientation, religious beliefs, ethnicity, nationality, or political philosophy. Legal considerations such as libel, copyright infringement, and plagiarism are also taken into account.

Identify the Reviewers for Peer Review

The selection of peer reviewers must take into consideration proven subject knowledge, objectivity, and policies on conflict of interests, which will safeguard the integrity of the publication process. Before assigning a manuscript for review, editors must identify qualified people, check not just for existing biases but also for certain reviewer qualifications.

Confidentiality

Editors and editorial staff must not disclose any information about a submitted manuscript to unauthorized individuals, including the corresponding author, reviewers, and publisher, except as necessary during the editorial process.

Disclosure and Conflicts of Interest

Unpublished material from submitted manuscripts must not be used in the editor's own research without explicit written consent from the author. Editors must recuse themselves from handling manuscripts in which they have a conflict of interest.

Citation

Editors and board members must:

• Not request citations to their own work or the journal unless academically required.
• Never use their editorial authority to pressure authors into adding particular citations.

Editors and Editorial Staff as Authors

Editors and members of the editorial staff are excluded from handling or participating in the editorial process for manuscripts they have authored. Such submissions are assigned to a minimum of two independent external reviewers, and editorial decisions are made by Editorial Board members who have no conflicts of interest with the author. Editorial staff have no role in the review, evaluation, or publication decisions concerning their own manuscripts submitted to the Kurdistan Journal of Applied Research.

5. Authorship and Contributorship

Authorship

Individuals qualifying for authorship will be recognized as authors on the manuscript, provided they satisfy the following conditions: (1) they have substantially contributed to the concept, design, execution, data collection, or the analysis/interpretation of the study; (2) they have been involved in critically revising the manuscript for key intellectual content; and (3) they have reviewed and consented to the manuscript's final version, as well as its submission for publication.

Contributors who have offered significant support to the project (e.g., technical assistance, writing or editing aid, general support) but do not meet the authorship criteria should not be listed as authors. Instead, their contributions should be acknowledged in the 'acknowledgements' section, provided their consent has been documented.

The corresponding author is responsible for ensuring that all individuals meeting the authorship criteria are correctly listed as authors and that no ineligible individuals are included. They must also confirm that all listed authors have approved the manuscript's final version and its submission for publication.

Authors should carefully consider the list and order of authors before submitting their manuscript and provide the final list of authors at the time of submission. Prior to the manuscript's acceptance, the journal editor must approve any changes to the authorship list, including the addition, deletion, or rearrangement of authors. To request a change, the corresponding author must provide the reason for the change and obtain written confirmation (such as an email or letter) from all authors agreeing to the addition, removal, or rearrangement. If an author is being added or removed, their confirmation is also required.

Authors' responsibility

The authors of each manuscript are asked to confirm that:

• The manuscript has not been previously published or submitted elsewhere;
• They made a significant contribution to the work and approved the final version of the manuscript.
• Their work complies with ethical standards.
• They are accountable for all aspects of the work in ensuring that questions related to the accuracy or integrity of any part of the work are appropriately investigated and resolved.
• They have obtained all necessary permissions to publish any figures or tables in the manuscript and assure that the authors will pay for Article Processing Charges (APC) if applicable.
• Further, Affiliations must accurately represent where the research was conducted to avoid misrepresentation of institutional reputation.

Author Contribution

KJAR follows the CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) guidelines. Accordingly, all authors should meet authorship criteria and make substantial contributions to the work. It is expected that all authors will have reviewed, discussed and agreed to their individual contributions as shared by the corresponding author.

Contributor role	Role definition
Conceptualization	Ideas; formulation or evolution of overarching research goals and aims.
Methodology	Development or design of methodology; creation of models
Software	Programming, software development; designing computer programs; implementation of the computer code and supporting algorithms; testing of existing code components.
Validation	Verification, whether as a part of the activity or separate, of the overall replication/reproducibility of results/experiments and other research outputs.
Formal analysis	Application of statistical, mathematical, computational, or other formal techniques to analyze or synthesize study data.
Investigation	Conducting a research and investigation process, specifically performing the experiments, or data/evidence collection.
Resources	Provision of study materials, reagents, materials, patients, laboratory samples, animals, instrumentation, computing resources, or other analysis tools.
Data Curation	Management activities to annotate (produce metadata), scrub data and maintain research data (including software code, where it is necessary for interpreting the data itself) for initial use and later reuse.
Writing – original draft preparation	Creation and/or presentation of the published work, specifically writing the initial draft (including substantive translation).
Writing – review and editing	Preparation, creation and/or presentation of the published work by those from the original research group, specifically critical review, commentary or revision – including pre- or post-publication stages.
Visualization	Preparation, creation and/or presentation of the published work, specifically visualization/data presentation.
Supervision	Oversight and leadership responsibility for the research activity planning and execution, including mentorship external to the core team.
Project administration	Management and coordination responsibility for the research activity planning and execution.
Funding acquisition	Acquisition of the financial support for the project leading to this publication.

Changes to authorship or contributorship

If there is any change in authorship and/or contributorship after the initial submission, approval from all authors must be presented. This applies to additions, deletions, changes of order to the authors, or contributions being attributed differently. Any change must be explained to the Editor. The Editor may seek ascertainment from any of the authors/contributors regarding whether they have agreed to any change.

6. Correction, Retraction and Withdrawal

KJAR Journal is committed to maintaining the highest standards of accuracy and quality in our publications. We adhere to the best practices and guidelines set forth by the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) to address errors and ethical issues in our published papers.

Corrections

• Erratum: An erratum is issued to correct significant errors introduced by the publisher that do not affect the overall results or conclusions of the paper. These errors are identified at the proof stage and corrected before final publication. If readers, authors, or editors notice an error, they should contact the editorial office at: kjar@spu.edu.iq
• Corrigendum: A corrigendum is published to correct errors introduced by the authors that may affect the scientific results. Authors are responsible for notifying the journal of such errors and working with the editorial team to correct them. Once approved by the editors, the in-house editor will publish the corrigendum. Authors may be required to bear the costs associated with issuing a corrigendum.

Retractions

• Retractions are issued when a published paper contains significant errors or inaccuracies that affect the overall results and conclusions, or when there is evidence of scientific misconduct, such as plagiarism or unethical research practices.

Procedure:

• A retraction notes titled "Retraction: [article title]" will be published in a subsequent issue of the journal and listed in the table of contents.
• In the electronic version, a link will be made to the original article.
• The online article will be preceded by a screen containing the retraction note. Readers can proceed to the original article, which will be marked as "retracted" on each page.
• The original article will remain available but will be clearly labeled as retracted in all formats (HTML, PDF).
• The retraction notice will explain the reasons for the retraction and will be publicly available online.

Manuscript Withdrawal

Authors may request the withdrawal of a manuscript by contacting the editorial office. However, such requests must be made prior to final publication.