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Authors Guideline

Language of Publication

  • Manuscripts are accepted in English or Arabic.
  • For manuscripts submitted in Arabic, authors are required to provide the following in English:
    • Title
    • Author names
    • Institutional affiliations
    • Abstract
    • Keywords

All submissions must use clear, grammatically correct language. Authors whose native language is not English are advised to seek professional language editing before submission.

Article Types

AHSS welcomes the following types of submissions:

  • Original Articles: Full-length scholarly papers presenting original research.
  • Short Communications: Brief but impactful research articles, up to 3,000 words, with no more than 4 tables/figures.
  • Review Articles: Comprehensive, analytical surveys of research topics (up to 10,000 words).
  • Mini-Reviews: Focused and concise reviews on emerging topics (up to 5,000 words).
  • Case Studies: In-depth studies of specific issues or phenomena with academic or policy relevance.

Before Submission

Authors must ensure that:

  • The manuscript is original and not submitted elsewhere.
  • Ethical standards are fully met, and appropriate approvals are included (e.g., for human/animal research).
  • The manuscript is grammatically correct and well-written.
  • Figures are high-quality and submitted as separate files.
  • References are correctly formatted and numbered sequentially (Vancouver style).
  • The manuscript follows all structure and formatting guidelines.

Submissions that do not comply with these guidelines may be returned without review.

Required Declarations

The following statements must be included within the manuscript where applicable:

  • Acknowledgments: Any individual or institutional support not listed as authors.
  • Funding Statement: All funding sources, or a statement that no funding was received.
  • Ethical Approval: Required for studies involving human or animal subjects. Include approval ID and institution.
  • Author Contributions: A clear description of the role of each author in the research and manuscript preparation.

For more detailed information on these declarations and related policies, please refer to the Policies and Ethics page.

Manuscript Preparation

Format Requirements

  • Submit in Microsoft Word (2007 or higher).
  • Font: Times New Roman, 10 pt, double-spaced, single-column layout, justified text.
  • Use line numbering and page numbers throughout.
  • Use standard equation editor in MS Word.
  • Use tables and figures created within the manuscript file.

Manuscript Structure

  • Title Page (For Arabic articles, both in English and Arabic)
  • Abstract (For Arabic articles, both in English and Arabic). 150–250 words (both in Arabic and English)
  • Keywords (For Arabic articles, both in English and Arabic). 4–6 keywords (both in Arabic and English)
  • Introduction
  • Methodology / Materials and Methods
  • Results
  • Discussion
  • Conclusion
  • Acknowledgment(s)
  • Conflict of Interest Declaration
  • Funding Statement
  • Ethics Approval
  • References (Vancouver style)
  • Tables and Figures

Title Page Must Include

  • Title (concise and descriptive)
  • Author names and institutional affiliations
  • Corresponding author marked with * and contact info
  • ORCID ID (if available)
  • Short running title (max 80 characters)
  • Arabic translation of the above if the manuscript is in English

Online Submission

All manuscripts must be submitted through the Editorial Manager (EM). If technical difficulties arise, contact the editorial office at: ahss@alayen.edu.iq

Initial Evaluation

Each submission undergoes initial screening by the editorial office to ensure:

  • Compliance with formatting guidelines
  • Adherence to ethical standards
  • Plagiarism check using iThenticate

Submissions not meeting basic criteria will be rejected or returned prior to peer review.

Article Processing Charge (APC)

AUIQ Humanities and Social Sciences (AHSS) applies a standard article processing charge of USD 100 for international authors and 100,000 IQD for Iraqi authors for each accepted manuscript. This fee supports the costs associated with editorial processing, publication, long-term archiving, and maintaining open access to the full text of published articles. Submission of manuscripts remains free of charge, and the APC is only charged once a manuscript has successfully passed peer review and been formally accepted for publication.

Peer Review Process

AHSS uses a double-blind peer review system:

  • At least two independent reviewers per manuscript
  • Editors make the final decision based on reviewer feedback
  • Even if one reviewer is positive, concerns from another may lead to rejection
  • For a complete overview of the peer review policy and process, please see the Policies and Ethics page.

Revised Submissions

When submitting a revision, authors must include:

  1. Revised Manuscript with Track Changes
  2. Response to Reviewers – point-by-point reply to each comment
  3. Clean Revised Manuscript (without tracked changes)

Proofs

Authors will receive a PDF proof after acceptance. All corrections must be returned within 48 hours. The publisher may proceed with publication in the absence of a response.

Figures & Tables

  • Figures should be submitted as separate high-resolution files (TIFF, JPEG, EPS, etc.).
  • Tables should be embedded using Word's table feature.
  • All figures and tables must be referenced in order in the manuscript.
  • Figure captions should be placed below figures; table titles above the tables.

Ethical Guidelines

The journal emphasizes the importance of adhering to ethical standards in all research involving humans and animals. Researchers must obtain appropriate ethics approval before conducting studies when involving human participants or animals. Informed consent from human participants is mandatory, with proper documentation maintained for verification. For research involving identifiable information, explicit consent for publication is required from the individuals concerned. The consents should be retained securely by the authors and not submitted alongside the manuscript during submission. Authors should review the detailed policies outlined on our Policies and Ethics page for comprehensive guidance on ethical practices, consent procedures, and documentation requirements.

Funding Statement

Authors must declare how the research was funded and identify all funding bodies and grant numbers. If no funding was received, this must be clearly stated.

Supplementary Materials

Supplementary files can be published online. Each file should include the article title, authors, affiliations, and corresponding author's contact information.