Author Guidelines

Research articles should follow the IMRaD structure: Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion, followed by a Conclusion. Review articles may use thematic headings. Number all sections and subsections.

• Length: research articles 5,000–8,000 words; review articles up to 10,000 words; short communications up to 3,000 words (excluding references, tables, and figure captions).
• Format: Microsoft Word (.docx) or LaTeX, A4 page size, 12-point font, double line spacing, continuous line numbers, and page numbers.
• Language: manuscripts are accepted in English for all journals, and in Persian for the Journal of Humanities and Social Studies. Use either British or American spelling consistently.
• References: follow APA 7th edition for in-text citations and the reference list. Include DOIs for all references that have them.
• Units and abbreviations: use SI units and define every abbreviation at first use in the abstract and again in the main text.

To support double-blind review, submit the title page as a separate file. It must include:

• A concise, informative title (ideally no more than 20 words) and a short running title.
• Full names of all authors, their affiliations (department, institution, city, country), and ORCID iDs.
• The corresponding author’s email address and postal address.
• Funding statement, acknowledgements, and author contributions using the CRediT taxonomy.

Remove all identifying information from the main manuscript file, including self-citations written in the first person and document metadata.

Provide an abstract of 150–250 words that states the problem, the approach, the principal results (with key figures), and the main conclusion. Clinical and systematic-review articles should use a structured abstract (Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions). Do not cite references in the abstract.

Supply four to six keywords that complement, rather than repeat, the words in your title. Keywords are used to build our public keyword index and improve the discoverability of your article.

• Number figures and tables consecutively and cite each one in the text.
• Submit figures as separate high-resolution files: at least 300 dpi for photographs and 600 dpi for line art, in TIFF, PNG, or vector PDF/EPS format.
• Use colour-blind-safe palettes and make sure figures remain legible in greyscale.
• Tables must be editable (not images), with a brief title above and explanatory notes below.
• Obtain written permission to reproduce any previously published figure and credit the source in the caption.

Research involving human participants, human data or tissue, or animals must have been approved by an appropriate ethics committee. State the committee’s name and the approval reference number in the Methods section.

Confirm that informed consent was obtained from all participants (or their guardians), and obtain explicit consent to publish any identifiable images or case details. Clinical trials must be registered in a public registry before enrolment of the first participant, and the registration number must appear in the abstract.

IMAQPRESS follows the COPE Core Practices. All submissions are screened with similarity-detection software, and suspected misconduct is handled according to COPE flowcharts.

All authors must disclose any financial or non-financial interests that could be perceived as influencing the work — including employment, consultancies, stock ownership, honoraria, patents, and personal or professional relationships. If there are none, include the statement “The authors declare no competing interests.” Editors and reviewers are required to declare conflicts and recuse themselves where appropriate.

Every research article must include a data availability statement explaining where the data supporting the findings can be accessed. We strongly encourage deposit in a recognised public repository with a persistent identifier. Where data cannot be shared for legal or ethical reasons, explain the restriction and how qualified researchers may request access. Computing papers should also provide code availability information.

Generative AI tools and large language models cannot be listed as authors, because they cannot take responsibility for the work.

• Authors must disclose any use of AI tools in the research process or in preparing the manuscript (beyond basic spelling and grammar checks) in a dedicated statement before the references, naming the tool, version, and purpose.
• Authors remain fully responsible for the accuracy, originality, and integrity of all content, including any text, code, or images produced with AI assistance.
• AI-generated images and figures are not permitted unless AI is itself the subject of the research and the method is fully described.
• Reviewers and editors must not upload manuscripts to generative AI services, as this breaches confidentiality.

IMAQPRESS journals use double-blind peer review. Typical timelines are:

• Technical check and similarity screening: within 3 working days.
• Editorial assessment of scope and quality: within 7 days.
• Peer review by at least two independent reviewers: 3–6 weeks.
• First decision (accept, minor revision, major revision, or reject): on average 5–8 weeks after submission; journal-specific averages are shown on each journal page.
• Revisions: authors have 30 days for minor and 60 days for major revisions.
• Production after acceptance: copy-editing, typesetting, and proof approval within 2–3 weeks, followed by online publication with a DOI.

There is no fee to submit a manuscript. An article processing charge (APC) is payable only after acceptance and covers peer-review management, production, DOI registration, hosting, and long-term preservation. Current APCs are shown on each journal page and in the acceptance letter.

• Automatic full waivers for corresponding authors based in low-income countries and 50% waivers for lower-middle-income countries.
• Discretionary waivers for early-career researchers and unfunded authors — request one in your cover letter; the request is never shared with editors or reviewers.
• Editorial decisions are made independently of the ability to pay.

Authors retain copyright of their work. Articles are published open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International licence (CC BY 4.0), which allows anyone to share and adapt the work for any purpose, provided the original authors and source are credited. Authors may deposit any version of their manuscript — including the published PDF — in institutional or subject repositories without embargo.

The published version of record is not altered silently. Significant errors are corrected through a linked correction notice (erratum or corrigendum). Where findings are unreliable because of misconduct or honest error, the article may be retracted with a retraction notice explaining the reasons; the original article remains online, clearly watermarked. Where an investigation is ongoing, an expression of concern may be published. Authors who discover an error in their published work should contact the editorial office promptly.