Allegations of Misconduct

The Iraqi Journal of Agricultural Research (IJAR) takes research misconduct seriously and utilizes all available measures to prevent the publication of compromised research. Although there is no single standard definition of research misconduct, the Council of Science Editors broadly categorizes it into three areas of action and conduct. IJAR adopts this comprehensive definition when addressing misconduct issues and strictly adheres to the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) flowcharts. To ensure compliance, IJAR implements rigorous assurance policies for each component of research misconduct, including:

· Mistreatment of research subjects

· Falsification and fabrication of data

· Piracy and plagiarism

Protection of Animal Rights

IJAR does not publish manuscripts that lack an explicit statement regarding the protection of animal rights. The journal requires authors to declare that an Institutional Review Board (IRB) or an ethical committee reviewed the research. This declaration must be included either in the "Materials and Methods" section or the "Acknowledgments" section of the manuscript. Furthermore, IJAR encourages authors to report the official registry or certification number issued by the reviewing council.

Falsification and Fabrication of Data

Fabrication refers to the act of inventing data or results without conducting the actual scientific research or data collection. Falsification involves manipulating research materials, equipment, or processes to reach a favorable or predetermined result. Fabrication and falsification can occur at any stage of research—from field data collection up to the final publication—including the misuse of citations (e.g., referencing a source that does not support the argument).

IJAR actively seeks to detect any potential fabrication or falsification at all levels of manuscript processing, including initial screening, comprehensive evaluation of revised manuscripts, and even post-publication. Reporting suspected fabrication or falsification is an ethical obligation shared by authors, co-authors, reviewers, editors, and readers. In any event of confirmed falsification or fabrication, IJAR reserves the right to retract or withdraw the compromised article in strict accordance with the COPE flowcharts.

Plagiarism

Plagiarism is the appropriation of another person's ideas, processes, results, or words without providing appropriate credit. This also encompasses self-plagiarism (text recycling), which occurs when authors republish their own previously published ideas, data, or text in different journals without proper justification or citation.

IJAR employs advanced screening tools to detect plagiarism. As a part of its quality assurance policy, any manuscript exhibiting a similarity index higher than 20% will be returned to the authors for revision to eliminate text similarities and mitigate the risk of plagiarism. IJAR strictly follows COPE guidelines and flowcharts when handling suspected cases of plagiarized articles.