Participation of Dr. Taysir Sameer Jaaz in a Workshop on Enhancing Iraqi Scientific Journals<br /><br />Dr. Taysir Sameer Jaaz, Associate Professor and Head of the Scientific Affairs Division at the College of Engineering and Engineering Technologies, participated in a workshop held at Imam Ja’far Al-Sadiq University titled “Enhancing Iraqi Scientific Journals.”<br /><br />The workshop was attended by Dr. Haider Abdul-Zahd, the Deputy Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research for Academic Affairs, along with several university vice presidents for scientific affairs, editors-in-chief, directors, and members of editorial boards of Iraqi scientific journals. The event aimed to support the initiative to enhance Iraqi scientific journals and align them with global standards.<br /><br />Key Points of the Workshop<br />Speech by the Deputy Minister:<br />Dr. Haider Abdul-Zahd opened the workshop by highlighting the strategic policies of the Ministry of Higher Education for monitoring local journals. He noted the significant progress in the inclusion of Iraqi journals in the "Scopus" database, with an increase from 9 journals in 2022 to 33 in 2024.<br />He also emphasized the importance of focusing on the quality of accepted research and elaborated on the new promotion regulations, which prioritize quality over quantity, aiming to classify journals in top tiers such as Q1 and Q2.<br /><br />Remarks by Dr. Fares Al-Mousawi:<br />The Vice President for Scientific Affairs provided recommendations to editors, including forming research groups, fostering collaboration with local and international universities, incentivizing high-quality research publications, and reducing the teaching load to enable faculty members to focus on research.<br /><br />Address by Dr. Mohammed Al-Janabi:<br />Dr. Mohammed Al-Janabi, representative of the "Mesopotamia Publishing House," discussed the challenges faced by Iraqi journals in global indexing. These include low citation rates, a lack of foreign researchers and editorial board members, irregular publication schedules, and insufficient adherence to publishing ethics.<br />He emphasized the need for editors and editorial boards to dedicate at least 4 to 4.5 hours daily to effectively manage and improve their journals.<br /><br />Discussions and Contributions<br />The workshop concluded with an open discussion session moderated by the Deputy Minister. Dr. Ahmed Khaled Al-Zalmi, Associate Professor, contributed by showcasing Al-Mustaqbal University’s efforts to support high-quality scientific publishing under the leadership of its President. He highlighted the university’s achievements in global rankings such as "Scopus" and "Clarivate," as well as local classifications.<br />Dr. Al-Zalmi also announced the launch of two scientific journals by Al-Mustaqbal University, hosted on the “Digital Commons Ambassador” platform, in collaboration with the Deputy Minister’s Office for Scientific Research Affairs.<br /><br />Conclusion<br />The workshop stressed the importance of focusing on research quality and journal specialization while ensuring the presence of dedicated and specialized teams to manage journals. This approach aims to elevate the status of Iraqi scientific journals in global rankings and promote significant advancements in academic research.