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Instructions for Authors

About This Journal

MMJ is an Open Access international, peer-reviewed, journal publishing high-quality, original research. Please see the journal's Aims & Scope for information about its focus and peer-review policy. Open Access means you can publish your research so it is free to access online as soon as it is published, meaning anyone can read (and cite) your work. Please note that this journal only publishes manuscripts in English. MMJ accepts the following types of article: original papers, reviews, book reviews.

Language

Manuscripts must be written in English in a clear and concise manner. Any author who is not fluent in idiomatic English is urged to seek assistance with manuscript preparation prior to submission. Reviewers are not expected to correct grammatical errors and any deficiency in this area may detract from the scientific content of the paper and result in acceptance delays or rejection.

Before Submission

Authors must declare all potential interests in a ‘Conflicts of interest’ section, which should explain why the interest may be a conflict. If there are none, the authors should state “The author(s) declare(s) that there is no conflict of interest regarding the publication of this paper.” Submitting authors are responsible for co-authors declaring their interests.

Authors must declare current or recent funding (including for article processing charges) and other payments, goods, or services that might influence the work. All funding, whether a conflict or not, must be declared in the ‘Acknowledgments’.

The involvement of anyone other than the authors who 1) has an interest in the outcome of the work; 2) is affiliated with an organization with such an interest; or 3) was employed or paid by a funder, in the commissioning, conception, planning, design, conduct, or analysis of the work, the preparation or editing of the manuscript or the decision to publish must be declared.

Declared conflicts of interest will be considered by the editor and reviewers and included in the published article.

Preparation of Manuscripts

Manuscripts must be prepared in accordance with "Uniform requirements for Manuscripts submitted to Biomedical Journals" developed by the International Committee of Medical Journal Editors (October 2008). The uniform requirements and specific requirements of Mansoura Medical Journal are summarized below. Before submitting a manuscript, contributors are requested to check for the latest instructions available. Mansoura Medical Journal accepts manuscripts written in American English.

Online Submission

Manuscripts should be submitted by one of the authors of the manuscript through the online Manuscript Tracking System (MTS) following the instructions given on the screen. Only Word (.doc, .docx, .rtf) files can be submitted through the MTS, and there is no page limit. Submissions by anyone other than one of the authors will not be accepted. The submitting author takes responsibility for the manuscript during submission and peer review. If for some technical reason, submission through the MTS is not possible, the author can contact to yousif_ghaly@mu.edu.iq for support.

Initial evaluation

All submitted manuscripts will be checked by the Editorial Office to determine whether they are properly prepared and whether they follow the ethical policies of the journal. All submitted manuscripts are screened for potential plagiarism via iThenticate software. Manuscripts that do not fit the journal's ethics policy or do not meet the standards of the journal will be rejected before peer review. Incomplete manuscripts not prepared in the advised style will be sent back to authors without scientific review. After these checks, the Editorial Office will consult the journal’s Editor-in-Chief to determine whether the manuscript fits the scope of the journal and whether it is scientifically sound. Manuscripts with insufficient priority for publication will be rejected promptly. Please write your text in good English (American usage is accepted). The Editor reserves the right to reject a manuscript on the grounds of insufficient language quality. Reject decisions at this stage will be verified by the Editor-in-Chief.

Submission Declaration and Verification

By submitting any research article for the purposes of publication by the journal you must certify and warrant that:

  1. You have been authorized by any coauthors to submit the research article; and
  2. (a) You are the sole author(s) of the article and are legally able and entitled to submit the article and authorize the journal to publish the research article. If the law requires that the article be published in the public domain, I/we will notify the journal at the time of submission.
  3. (b) The research article is original, has not already been published in any other journal (medical, or otherwise) or is not currently under consideration for publication by another journal, and does not infringe any existing copyright or any other rights prescribed by law;
  4. (c) The article contains nothing that is unlawful, defamatory, or which would, if published, constitute a breach of contract or of confidentiality;
  5. (d) Due care, diligence, and all other requisite investigations were carried out in the preparation of the research article(s) to ensure its accuracy. To the best of your knowledge, all statements contained in it purporting to be factual are true and correct.

Article structure

(Based on ICMJE Recommendations and COPE Standards)

1. General Principles

Muthanna Medical Journal (MMJ) publishes original, peer-reviewed biomedical research, clinical studies, reviews, and case reports that contribute to the advancement of medical science and public health. The journal follows the IMRAD (Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion) structure and expects manuscripts to meet international standards of scientific writing and research ethics.

By submitting a manuscript to MMJ, the authors confirm that the work is original, has not been published elsewhere, and is not under consideration by another journal.

2. Reporting Guidelines

Authors must prepare manuscripts in accordance with recognized reporting standards:

  • Randomized Controlled Trials: CONSORT
  • Observational Studies: STROBE
  • Systematic Reviews and Meta-Analyses: PRISMA
  • Diagnostic Accuracy Studies: STARD
  • Case Reports: CARE
  • Animal Studies: ARRIVE
  • Qualitative Research: SRQR

Further details are available through the EQUATOR Network.

3. Manuscript Preparation

MMJ accepts the following article types:

  • Original Research Articles (structured format, ≤4000 words)
  • Review Articles/Systematic Reviews (≤6000 words)
  • Case Reports and Clinical Images (≤2000 words)
  • Short Communications (≤1500 words)
  • Editorials/Letters to the Editor (≤1000 words)

All manuscripts should be written in English, using Times New Roman, 12-point font, double-spaced, and formatted in Microsoft Word (.docx).

4. Manuscript Sections

4.1 Title Page

  • Full title (concise and informative; may indicate study design)
  • Author names and institutional affiliations (with ORCID IDs)
  • Corresponding author’s full contact information (email, phone, and postal address)
  • Funding statement
  • Word count (excluding references and tables)
  • Number of tables and figures
  • Conflict of Interest declaration

4.2 Abstract

Provide a structured abstract (250–300 words) with subheadings: Background, Methods, Results, and Conclusions. State the clinical trial registration number (if applicable) and include 4–6 keywords (MeSH terms preferred).

4.3 Introduction

State the background, rationale, and specific objectives or hypotheses of the study. Include only relevant references.

4.4 Methods

Describe the study design, setting, and participants. Include eligibility criteria, sampling, interventions, and data analysis methods. Identify ethical approval and adherence to the Declaration of Helsinki. Specify statistical analyses used.

4.5 Results

Present results logically, starting with baseline data and primary outcomes. Avoid duplication between text, tables, and figures.

4.6 Discussion

Summarize key findings, interpret their significance in context, and discuss limitations.

4.7 Conclusions

Provide concise statements supported by the findings.

5. References

Follow AMA style. References should be numbered consecutively in order of citation in the text, using Arabic numerals in square brackets [ ]. Examples:

  • Journal article: Rosenau C, Emery D, Keyboard B, Qoronfleh MW. Development of a high-throughput plate-based chemiluminescent transcription factor assay. J Biomol Screen. 2004;9(5):334–42.
  • Book chapter: Oyer RA, Schlossberg D. Hematologic changes in tuberculosis. In: Schlossberg D, editor. Tuberculosis & Nontuberculous Mycobacterial Infections. 5th ed. New Delhi: Tata McGraw-Hill; 2007. p. 357–64.

6. Tables and Figures

Number tables and figures consecutively. Provide self-explanatory titles and legends. Submit figures in high-resolution JPEG/TIFF (≥300 dpi). Obtain permission for reused material.

7. Units and Abbreviations

Use SI units. Temperature in °C, blood pressure in mm Hg. Define abbreviations at first mention and avoid abbreviations in titles and abstracts.

8. Conflict of Interest

All authors must disclose potential conflicts of interest. If none exist, include: “The authors declare no conflicts of interest.”

9. Funding Disclosure

Identify all sources of financial and material support. If none, state: “This research did not receive any specific grant from funding agencies in the public, commercial, or not-for-profit sectors.”

10. Ethical Considerations

Provide IRB or Ethics Committee approval details. Confirm informed consent. Follow Declaration of Helsinki (2013) for human studies and ARRIVE for animal studies.

11. Data Availability

Include a Data Availability Statement specifying where supporting data can be accessed: public repository, upon request, or not applicable.

12. Plagiarism and Research Misconduct

All manuscripts are screened using iThenticate. Submissions with >25% similarity will be returned or rejected. Fabrication, falsification, and duplicate submission are prohibited.

13. Peer-Review Process

Double-blind peer review. Each manuscript is evaluated by at least two reviewers. Average timeline: Initial decision 2–3 weeks, peer review 4–6 weeks, publication online upon acceptance.

14. Corrections and Appeals

Corrections, retractions, and appeals follow COPE guidelines. Authors may appeal editorial decisions with supporting evidence.

15. Submission and Publication Fees

MMJ does not charge authors any submission or publication fees. All costs are covered by the College of Medicine, Al-Muthanna University.

16. Copyright and Open Access

All articles are licensed under Creative Commons Attribution License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright while granting MMJ the right of first publication.

17. Contact Information

Editorial Office – Muthanna Medical Journal (MMJ)
College of Medicine, Al-Muthanna University, Samawah, Iraq
Email: |
Website: https://muthmj.mu.edu.iq/journal/

Mandatory Statements & Declarations

The following statements must be included in your submitted manuscript under the heading 'Statements and Declarations'. This should be placed after the References section. Please note that submissions that do not include required statements will be returned as incomplete.

Funding

Please describe any sources of funding that have supported the work. The statement should include details of any grants received (please give the name of the funding agency and grant number).
Example statements:
“This work was supported by […] (Grant numbers […] and […]). Author A.B. has received research support from Company A.”
“The authors declare that no funds, grants, or other support were received during the preparation of this manuscript.”

Conflicting Interests

Authors are required to disclose financial or non-financial interests that are directly or indirectly related to the work submitted for publication. Interests within the last 3 years of beginning the work (conducting the research and preparing the work for submission) should be reported. Interests outside the 3-year time frame must be disclosed if they could reasonably be perceived as influencing the submitted work.
Example statements:
“Financial interests: Author A and B declare they have no financial interests. Author C has received speaker and consultant honoraria from Company M. Dr. C has received speaker honorarium and research funding from Company M and Company N. Author D has received travel support from Company O. Non-financial interests: Author D has served on advisory boards for Company M and Company N.”
“The authors have no relevant financial or non-financial interests to disclose.”
Please check the “Competing Interests” section for more information.

Author Contributions

Authors are encouraged to include a statement that specifies the contribution of every author to the research and preparation of the manuscript.
Example statement:
“All authors contributed to the study conception and design. Material preparation, data collection and analysis were performed by [full name], [full name] and [full name]. The first draft of the manuscript was written by [full name] and all authors commented on previous versions of the manuscript. All authors read and approved the final manuscript.”
Please check the “Authorship Principles” section below for more information.

Author contributions: CRediT

Corresponding authors are required to acknowledge co-author contributions using CRediT (Contributor Roles Taxonomy) roles:
• Conceptualization
• Data curation
• Formal analysis
• Funding acquisition
• Investigation
• Methodology
• Project administration
• Resources
• Software
• Supervision
• Validation
• Visualization
• Writing – original draft
• Writing – review and editing
Not all CRediT roles will apply to every manuscript and some authors may contribute through multiple roles.
We advise you to read more about CRediT and view an example of a CRediT author statement.

Data Availability

This journal encourages authors to provide an optional statement of data availability in their article. Data Availability Statements should include information on where data supporting the results reported in the article can be found, including, where applicable, hyperlinks to publicly archived datasets analysed or generated during the study. Data availability statements can also indicate whether data are available on request from the authors and where no data are available, if appropriate.

Example statements:

  • “The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available in the [NAME] repository, [PERSISTENT LINK TO DATASETS]”
  • “The datasets generated during and/or analysed during the current study are available from the corresponding author on reasonable request.”

Please check the “Research Data Policy and Data Availability” section below for more information.

In addition to the above, manuscripts that report the results of studies involving humans and/or animals should include the following declarations:

Ethics approval

Authors of research involving human or animal subjects should include a statement that confirms that the study was approved (or granted exemption) by the appropriate institutional and/or national research ethics committee (including the name of the ethics committee and reference number, if available). For research involving animals, their data or biological material, authors should supply detailed information on the ethical treatment of their animals in their submission. If a study was granted exemption or did not require ethics approval, this should also be detailed in the manuscript.

“This study was performed in line with the principles of the Declaration of Helsinki. Approval was granted by the Ethics Committee of University B (Date.../No....).”

“This is an observational study. The XYZ Research Ethics Committee has confirmed that no ethical approval is required.”

For detailed information on relevant ethical standards and criteria, please refer to the sections on “Research involving human participants, their data or biological material”, “Research involving animals, their data or biological material”.

Consent to participate

For all research involving human subjects, freely-given, informed consent to participate in the study must be obtained from participants (or their parent or legal guardian in the case of children under 16) and a statement to this effect should appear in the manuscript.

Example statement:

  • “Informed consent was obtained from all individual participants included in the study.”
  • “Written informed consent was obtained from the parents.”

Please check the “Informed Consent” for additional help with completing this information.

Consent to publish

Individuals may consent to participate in a study, but object to having their data published in a journal article. If your manuscript contains any individual person’s data in any form (including any individual details, images or videos), consent for publication must be obtained from that person, or in the case of children, their parent or legal guardian. This is in particular applicable to case studies. A statement confirming that consent to publish has been received from all participants should appear in the manuscript.

Example statement:

  • “The authors affirm that human research participants provided informed consent for publication of the images in Figure(s) 1a, 1b and 1c.”

Please check the “Informed Consent” for additional help with completing this information.

Declaration of generative AI in scientific writing

Authors are required to disclose any use of generative AI in the preparation of their manuscript at the time of submission. This guidance applies exclusively to the writing process and does not cover the use of AI tools for data analysis or research insights.

  • Generative AI and AI-assisted technologies may only be employed to enhance the clarity, readability, and language of the manuscript.
  • These tools must be used under human supervision. Authors are responsible for thoroughly reviewing and editing all AI-generated content, as such outputs may appear authoritative yet contain inaccuracies, omissions, or biases. The final responsibility for the integrity and accuracy of the work rests entirely with the authors.
  • AI tools or technologies must not be credited as authors or co-authors, as authorship entails responsibilities that only humans can fulfill.

Declaration Requirement:

Any use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies in writing must be disclosed in a dedicated statement included at the end of the manuscript upon initial submission. This statement will appear in the published article and should be placed in a new section preceding the reference list.

Example:

  • Section Title: Declaration of Generative AI and AI-Assisted Technologies in the Writing Process
  • Statement: During the preparation of this work, the author(s) used [NAME OF TOOL/SERVICE] for [SPECIFIC PURPOSE]. Following its use, the author(s) reviewed and edited the content as necessary and accept full responsibility for the published material.

This declaration does not apply to basic tools such as grammar, spelling, or reference checkers. If no AI tools were used, no statement is required.

Please read Elsevier’s author policy on the use of generative AI and AI-assisted technologies, which can be found in our GenAI Policies for journals.

Please note: to protect authors’ rights and the confidentiality of their research, this journal does not currently allow the use of generative AI or AI-assisted technologies such as ChatGPT or similar services by reviewers or editors in the peer review and manuscript evaluation process, as is stated in our GenAI Policies for journals. We are actively evaluating compliant AI tools and may revise this policy in the future.

Proofs

One set of page proofs (as PDF files) will be sent by e-mail to the corresponding author. Please use this proof only for checking the typesetting, editing, completeness, and correctness of the text, tables, and figures. We will do our best to get your article published quickly and accurately. Therefore, it is important to ensure that all of your corrections are sent back in one communication within 48 h. Proofreading is solely your responsibility. Note that the publisher may proceed with the publication of an article if no response is received.

Revised manuscripts

When you revise your manuscript, upload your revised submissions including the following files:

  • Revised manuscript: Clarifying the changes you have made since the original submission by using the "Track Changes" option in Microsoft Word. Upload this as a "Revised Article with Changes Highlighted" file.
  • Response to reviewers: Type the specific points made by each reviewer. Include your responses to all the reviewers' and editors' comments and list the changes you have made to the manuscript. Upload this document as a "Response to reviewers" file.
  • Revised manuscript (clean copy): Upload a clean copy of your revised manuscript with names, which does not show your changes. Upload this as your "Manuscript" file.

After acceptance

Upon acceptance, your article will be exported to production to undergo typesetting. Once the typesetting is complete, you will receive the proofs.

Peer Review

All manuscripts are subjected to peer review and are expected to meet the standards of academic excellence. If approved by the editor, submissions will be considered by peer reviewers, whose identities will remain anonymous to the authors and vice versa; identities of authors will remain anonymous to the reviewers (Double-blind peer review). The decision regarding the acceptance or rejection of a manuscript is the responsibility of the editorial board and is based on the recommendations of the reviewers (peer-reviewed process).

Our Research Integrity team will occasionally seek advice outside standard peer review, for example, on submissions with serious ethical, security, biosecurity, or societal implications. We may consult experts and the academic editor before deciding on appropriate actions, including but not limited to recruiting reviewers with specific expertise, assessment by additional editors, and declining to further consider a submission.

Ethical Guidelines

In any study on human or animal subjects, the following ethical guidelines must be observed. For any experiments on humans, all work must be conducted in accordance with the Declaration of Helsinki (1964). Manuscripts describing experimental work which carries a risk of harm to human subjects must include a statement that the experiment was conducted with the human subjects’ understanding and consent, as well as a statement that the responsible Ethical Committee has approved the experiments. In the case of any animal experiments, the authors must provide a full description of any anesthetic or surgical procedure used, as well as evidence that all possible steps were taken to avoid animal suffering at each stage of the experiment.

Complying with Ethics of Experimentation

Please ensure that all research reported in submitted papers has been conducted in an ethical and responsible manner and is in full compliance with all relevant codes of experimentation and legislation. All original research papers involving humans, animals, plants, biological material, protected or non-public datasets, collections or sites, must include a written statement under an Ethics Approval section including the following:

  • The name of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s) involved.
  • The number or ID of the ethics approval(s).
  • A statement that human participants have provided informed consent before taking part in the research.
  • Research involving animals must adhere to ethical standards concerning animal welfare. All original research papers involving animals must:
    • Follow international, national, and institutional guidelines for the humane treatment of animals.
    • Receive approval by the ethics review committee at the institution or practice at which the research was conducted and provide details on the approval process, names of the ethics committee(s) or institutional review board(s) involved, and the number or ID of the ethics approval(s) in the Ethics Approval section.
    • Provide justification for use of animals and the species selected.
    • Provide information about housing, feeding, and environmental enrichment, and steps taken to minimize suffering.
    • Provide mode of anesthesia and euthanasia.

Studies in humans and animals

If the work involves the use of human subjects, the author should ensure that the work described has been carried out in accordance with The Code of Ethics of the World Medical Association (Declaration of Helsinki) for experiments involving humans. The manuscript should be in line with the Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals and aim for the inclusion of representative human populations (sex, age, and ethnicity) as per those recommendations. The terms sex and gender should be used correctly.

Authors should include a statement in the manuscript that informed consent was obtained for experimentation with human subjects. The privacy rights of human subjects must always be observed.

All animal experiments should comply with the ARRIVE guidelines and should be carried out in accordance with the U.K. Animals (Scientific Procedures) Act, 1986 and associated guidelines, EU Directive 2010/63/EU for animal experiments, or the National Research Council's Guide for the Care and Use of Laboratory Animals and the authors should clearly indicate in the manuscript that such guidelines have been followed. The sex of animals must be indicated, and where appropriate, the influence (or association) of sex on the results of the study.

Supplementary materials

Describe any supplementary material published online alongside the manuscript (figure, tables, video, spreadsheets, etc.). Please indicate the name and title of each element as follows Figure S1: title, Table S1: title, etc.

Article Publishing Charge

There are no Article Processing Charges (APC) for publication of the journal on all submissions.