1. About the Journal and Scope

Iranian Journal of Toxicology is the official scientific quarterly publication of Arak University of Medical Sciences, published in collaboration with the Iranian Society of Toxicology. The journal aims to advance scientific knowledge and encourage communication among researchers in medical sciences and toxicology.

The journal accepts Original Papers (Research Articles), Review Articles, and Case Reports in English in the fields of basic, forensic, environmental, agricultural, industrial, clinical, and drug toxicology. Submissions should demonstrate a clear connection to toxicology and relevance to the journal’s readership.

2. General Principles

1. Manuscripts must be original and must not be under consideration by another journal. Authors must disclose related manuscripts, overlapping datasets, previous reports, and any prior dissemination in the cover letter.
2. A thesis, conference abstract, or preprint must be disclosed and identified by a citation or link where available. Such dissemination is assessed on its merits and is not automatically treated as duplicate journal publication. Substantial overlap with a published full article must be explained. Any proposed secondary publication requires prior editorial agreement and appropriate attribution.
3. All authors must approve the submitted manuscript and its submission to Iranian Journal of Toxicology.
4. The main manuscript must be submitted as an editable Microsoft Word document (.doc or .docx).
5. Manuscripts should normally contain 1,000–5,000 words of main text, excluding the abstract, references, tables, and figure legends. Authors who require an exception should explain the scientific reason in the cover letter.
6. The journal’s usual allowance is one table or diagram per 1,000 words of main text. This is a planning limit, not a requirement to create unnecessary illustrations. Additional essential items may be considered with justification or supplied as supplementary material.
7. Use abbreviations sparingly. Define nonstandard abbreviations at first use in the abstract and again in the main text. Explain abbreviations used in tables and figures in their footnotes or legends. Standard measurement units do not require expansion.
8. If a paper is derived from a thesis, identify this clearly in the end-of-paper declarations, with the institution and relevant thesis details.
9. Authors are responsible for the accuracy of data, references, affiliations, ethical declarations, and all submitted files. Compliance with formatting requirements does not guarantee acceptance.

3. Paper Evaluation Process

3.1. Initial assessment

Submissions are acknowledged through the journal’s submission system. The editorial office checks completeness and compliance with these instructions. The editors assess scope, scientific contribution, methodological quality, ethical requirements, and suitability for external review. An incomplete manuscript may be returned for correction; a manuscript that is unsuitable may be rejected without external review.

3.2. External peer review

Manuscripts proceeding beyond editorial assessment are sent to three expert reviewers who are not members of the journal’s editorial board. The journal uses double-anonymous peer review: author identities are concealed from reviewers and reviewer identities from authors. Authors must upload a separate title page and remove identifying information from the review manuscript and its file properties. Identifying ethics, funding, or acknowledgment details may be provided separately for editorial verification and restored before publication. Necessary scientific information must not be withheld from the editors.

Original research, case reports, and review articles undergo external peer review. Supplementary material supporting the scientific conclusions is included in the assessment. Editors may obtain further methodological, statistical, or specialist advice when necessary. Reviewers advise the editors; they do not issue acceptance decisions. Suggested reviewers may be considered, but selection remains the editors’ responsibility and identities and competing interests must be checked.

3.3. Revision and final decision

Authors must provide a point-by-point response to every editorial and reviewer comment and identify changes in the revised manuscript. Where a suggestion is not followed, a reasoned explanation is required. Revised manuscripts may be returned to one or more reviewers. Approval of a revision by one reviewer does not automatically constitute acceptance.

The Editor-in-Chief, or an appropriately authorized independent editor, makes the final decision after considering the manuscript, all available reviews, the authors’ responses, and ethical requirements. Decisions may include rejection, revision, or acceptance. Acceptance is communicated formally by the journal only after editorial approval.

3.4. Independence, confidentiality, and timing

Editors and reviewers must disclose relevant financial and nonfinancial interests and recuse themselves when an interest could compromise impartial assessment. A submission authored by an editor, editorial board member, or another person involved in editorial decisions is assigned to an independent editor and external reviewers; the interested individual must not influence selection, assessment, or the decision.

Manuscripts and reviews are confidential. Reviewers must not share manuscripts, delegate review, disclose identities, or use unpublished material for personal benefit without appropriate authorization. Review reports are not routinely published; any release requires the necessary permissions. Confidential material must not be uploaded to public or unapproved AI services. Editorial decisions are based on scholarly merit and integrity, independently of sponsorship, institutional relationships, commercial interests, or authors’ nationality and personal characteristics.

Review duration depends on reviewer availability, revisions, and the complexity of the assessment. Authors can monitor progress through their account and contact the editorial office about substantial delays. No acceptance or fixed review time is guaranteed. Revision deadlines are specified in decision letters, and justified extension requests may be considered.

4. Authorship and Contributions

Every author must meet all four ICMJE authorship criteria:

1. Substantial contributions to the conception or design of the work, or acquisition, analysis, or interpretation of its data;
2. Drafting the work or critically reviewing it for important intellectual content;
3. Final approval of the version to be published; and
4. Agreement to be accountable for all aspects of the work and to help ensure that questions about its accuracy or integrity are appropriately investigated and resolved.

All individuals who meet these criteria should be included as authors. Funding acquisition, general supervision, technical assistance, or language editing alone does not qualify a person for authorship. Contributors who do not meet all criteria should be acknowledged with their permission. Guest, gift, purchased, and ghost authorship are unacceptable.

Provide an Authors’ Contributions statement identifying each author’s contribution; CRediT terminology may be used without replacing the ICMJE criteria. The corresponding author coordinates submission, confirms all authors’ approval, supplies required documentation, and remains available for questions after publication.

Requests to add or remove an author or change author order after submission must explain the reason and include written agreement from all authors, including anyone added or removed. The editor must approve the change before it is implemented. Unresolved authorship disputes may be referred to the relevant institution, and processing may be paused. Post-publication changes require an appropriate published notice.

5. Research Ethics and Informed Consent

5.1. Human research

Research involving human participants, identifiable data, or human biological material must comply with applicable ethical and institutional requirements and the Declaration of Helsinki, as revised in 2024. State the name of the independent ethics committee or review body, the approval identifier where issued, and relevant approval details. If formal review or consent was waived, identify the body granting the waiver and its basis. An author’s own assertion of exemption is insufficient where independent determination is required.

Describe how informed consent to participation was obtained. Where consent was waived by the responsible review body, state this explicitly. Describe additional protections relevant to vulnerable participants. The editors may request supporting documents and may decline a manuscript if ethical concerns remain despite institutional approval.

5.2. Consent for publication and privacy

Consent to participate in research is distinct from consent to publish personal clinical information. Case Reports must include a statement confirming written informed consent for publication from the patient or an appropriate representative. Identifiable photographs, pedigrees, and clinical descriptions require specific written consent for publication; the person providing consent must understand that the information may be accessible online. Where consent cannot be obtained, consult the editor before submission and explain the circumstances; the manuscript must not claim consent that was not obtained.

Remove unnecessary names, initials, record numbers, exact dates, and other identifying details. Masking the eyes alone does not ensure anonymity. De-identification must not distort scientific meaning. Authors must securely retain consent documentation and provide confirmation or documentation through a secure route if requested; patient consent forms must not be uploaded as publicly accessible supplementary material.

5.3. Animal and other regulated research

For animal experiments, identify the approving body and approval identifier where applicable, and describe compliance with institutional and national animal-care standards. Report species, relevant characteristics, husbandry, procedures, anesthesia and analgesia where applicable, humane endpoints, and euthanasia methods. Apply the principles of replacement, reduction, and refinement and use the relevant ARRIVE reporting guidance.

For other regulated work, including protected species, environmental sampling, human cell lines, or hazardous materials, report relevant permissions, provenance, authentication, and safety oversight as applicable. Ethical declarations must be included even when a requirement is not applicable, with a brief explanation.

6. Clinical Trial Registration

A clinical trial prospectively assigns people or groups to a health-related intervention to evaluate health outcomes, with or without a concurrent control group. Trials must be registered in a publicly accessible registry accepted by ICMJE, such as a WHO ICTRP primary registry or ClinicalTrials.gov, at or before the first participant’s consent for enrollment.

Provide the registry name, registration number, registration date, and a link to the record in the manuscript, and place the registration number at the end of the abstract. Ethics approval does not replace trial registration. Explain any discrepancies between the registry, protocol, and reported outcomes, and provide the protocol and statistical analysis plan when requested.

Late or incomplete registration must be disclosed at submission and may lead to rejection. Any exceptional editorial decision to consider a retrospectively registered trial requires transparent reporting of the timing, reasons, and editorial justification. Clinical trial reports must include a data-sharing statement as described below.

7. Conflicts of Interest and Funding

All authors must disclose financial and nonfinancial relationships and activities relevant to the work, including employment, consultancy, honoraria, grants, stock ownership, patents, paid testimony, personal relationships, institutional interests, and academic competition where relevant. Disclosure applies to all article types and is not limited to funding received for the submitted study. Authors should provide individual disclosures using the ICMJE disclosure form or the journal’s equivalent form when requested.

Include a separate Conflicts of Interest statement. If none exist, state that the authors declare no conflicts of interest. A disclosed relationship does not automatically preclude publication; failure to disclose a relevant relationship may require investigation or correction.

Include a separate Funding statement naming supporting organizations and grant identifiers where applicable. Describe the funder’s role in design, data collection, analysis, interpretation, writing, and the decision to submit, or state that the funder had no such role. Distinguish financial support from the provision of materials or services. If no specific funding was received, state this. Sponsors must not prevent appropriate author access to the data or independent reporting of the findings.

8. Data Availability and Reproducibility

Research Articles must include a Data Availability statement identifying where supporting data and relevant code or materials can be accessed, or explaining restrictions and the procedure for a legitimate access request. Use a persistent repository identifier where available. Do not promise access that is prohibited by consent, law, confidentiality, or third-party agreements.

For clinical trials, the statement must specify whether de-identified participant data will be shared; which data and supporting documents will be available; when and for how long; and the access criteria and mechanism. “Undecided” is not an adequate trial data-sharing statement. Trials beginning enrollment on or after 1 January 2019 must include a data-sharing plan in their registration; changes must be reflected in the registry and manuscript.

Authors must retain underlying records in accordance with applicable institutional and funder requirements and cooperate with reasonable editorial requests for verification. Raw identifiable patient data must not be published openly. A justified restriction on sharing is not itself evidence of misconduct. For articles without newly generated or analyzed data, state that data availability is not applicable where appropriate.

9. Use of Artificial Intelligence

At submission, disclose whether AI-assisted technologies, including large language models, chatbots, or image generators, were used to prepare the work. Identify the tool, version where available, purpose, and extent of use in the cover letter and relevant manuscript section. Writing assistance should be disclosed in the acknowledgments or a dedicated declaration; AI used for data processing, analysis, or figure generation must be described reproducibly in Materials and Methods.

AI tools cannot be authors. Human authors remain responsible for originality, accuracy, citations, permissions, and integrity. Authors must verify AI-assisted output against original sources. AI must not be used to fabricate data, references, patients, or research images or to conceal inappropriate image manipulation. Do not upload confidential or identifiable information to an AI service without the necessary authorization and safeguards.

Reviewers and editors must preserve manuscript confidentiality and must not upload submissions or reviews to public or unapproved AI services. Any authorized assistance must be disclosed to the responsible editor; professional judgment and accountability cannot be delegated to a tool.

10. General Characteristics of the Paper

10.1. Covering letter

Address the covering letter to the Editor-in-Chief. Include the article title and author names; explain relevance to the journal; confirm authors’ approval, originality, and absence of simultaneous submission; and disclose prior dissemination, related papers, ethical concerns, AI use, and any requested exceptions. Provide the corresponding author’s contact details.

10.2. First page: title page

Supply a separate title page containing the complete title without abbreviations; each author’s full name, academic title and degree(s), and institutional affiliation and address, including country; and the corresponding author’s email and contact details. Mobile and fax numbers, where available, are for editorial contact and should not be included in the anonymous review file.

Identify one primary affiliation for each author, preserving the journal’s primary-affiliation convention. Additional genuine affiliations directly relevant to the work may be included where their omission would misrepresent institutional contributions. Distinguish the institution where the work was performed from a subsequent present address. ORCID identifiers may be supplied. Do not include author-identifying information elsewhere in the review manuscript.

10.3. Second page: abstract page

Provide the article title, the structured abstract, and keywords. Apply the article-specific requirements in Sections 11–13; these take precedence over general instructions. Abstracts must contain no references. Avoid abbreviations or define essential ones in parentheses. Select MeSH terms where suitable.

10.4. Main text and declarations

Follow the section order specified for the article type. Number pages consecutively and use clear, consistent headings. Place acknowledgments and declarations after the conclusion and before the references. Retain separate labeled statements for Authors’ Contributions, Funding, Conflicts of Interest, Ethical Approval, Consent to Participate, Consent for Publication, Data Availability, and AI Use where applicable; explain items that are not applicable. Supply identity-revealing declarations separately during anonymous review and restore them in the final manuscript.

Acknowledge contributors who do not qualify for authorship, with their permission. Identify thesis-derived work here. Place tables and figure legends on separate pages at the end of the manuscript. Submit supplementary material as separate, clearly labeled files.

11. Research Articles

A Research Article should include: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Materials and Methods, Results, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgment, declarations including Conflicts of Interest, and References.

Abstract: 150–250 words, structured as Background, Materials and Methods, Results, and Conclusion, followed by 3–6 keywords. Describe the purpose, design and methods, main findings, and conclusion. Give quantified results where appropriate. Do not include references. Report trial registration at the end where applicable.

Introduction: Explain the scientific background, relevant supporting and conflicting evidence, the knowledge gap, and the reason for undertaking the work. End with a clear objective or hypothesis.

Materials and Methods: Describe design, setting and dates, eligibility criteria, sampling, sample-size rationale, study groups, interventions or exposures, outcome definitions, data collection, and controls relevant to the design. For trials, explain sequence generation, allocation concealment, and blinding where applicable. Identify materials and instruments, manufacturers, and relevant measurement validity and reliability. Provide questionnaires or checklists as supplementary files when permitted; otherwise identify the source and access conditions.

Describe statistical methods, software, treatment of missing data, and methods used to address confounding or other bias where applicable. Report effect estimates and uncertainty where appropriate. Include ethical approval and consent information, registration details, and sufficient procedural detail for reproducibility.

Results: Present findings in a logical sequence using text, tables, diagrams, or pictures without unnecessary duplication. Report participant or sample characteristics and flow where relevant, followed by outcomes corresponding to the study objectives. Use group labels appropriate to the actual design; not all analytical studies have case and control groups. Include relevant adverse or unexpected findings.

Discussion: Explain the principal findings, compare them with relevant research from Iran and elsewhere as scientifically appropriate, discuss plausible interpretations, and address limitations and generalizability. Distinguish evidence from speculation and avoid unsupported claims.

Conclusion: Give a clear conclusion supported by the results. Recommendations for future research may be included where justified.

Acknowledgment and declarations: Follow Sections 7–10.

References: Normally 20–35 references, each on a separate line. Preserve this journal range without adding irrelevant citations merely to meet the minimum. Explain any scientifically necessary exception in the cover letter.

12. Case Reports

A Case Report should include: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Case, Discussion, Conclusion, Acknowledgment, declarations including Conflicts of Interest, and References.

Abstract: No more than 150 words, structured as Background, Case, and Conclusion, followed by 3–6 keywords. The Research Article minimum abstract length does not apply.

Introduction: Explain the background, clinical importance, and distinctive educational contribution of the case, with relevant previous evidence or statistics.

Case: Describe the relevant history, clinical and laboratory findings, diagnostic assessment, treatment, adverse events, and follow-up. Present a clear timeline where useful. Preserve confidentiality and include only information necessary to understand the case.

Discussion: Explain the important characteristics of the case and compare them with relevant reports. Discuss diagnostic or therapeutic uncertainty and limitations; do not infer treatment efficacy or causation from a single case without appropriate qualification.

Conclusion: State the supported clinical lesson and appropriate recommendations.

Acknowledgment and declarations: Include the written consent-for-publication statement required in Section 5 and explain the ethics-review requirement or exemption applicable to the case.

References: The journal’s usual range is 20–35 references, each on a separate line. A focused report with fewer relevant sources may be considered with justification. Do not add unnecessary references to meet a numerical target. Follow the CARE reporting guidance.

13. Review Articles

A Review Article should include: Title, Abstract, Introduction, Text, Conclusion, Acknowledgment, declarations including Conflicts of Interest, and References.

The journal normally expects the first author to have published at least three research articles related to the review topic. Identify these in the cover letter. An exception may be considered where the author team demonstrates equivalent relevant expertise; this expectation must not be used to alter authorship order contrary to actual contributions.

Abstract: 150–250 words, structured as Background, Text, and Conclusion, followed by 3–5 keywords. For systematic reviews, include essential objectives, methods, principal findings, and limitations within this structure.

Introduction: Explain the purpose, scope, principal concepts, and importance of the review.

Text: Provide a critical synthesis of the current research, major advances, important contributions, unresolved questions, controversies, evidence gaps, and possible future directions. Avoid selective citation or unsupported claims. For narrative reviews, explain how the literature was identified and selected sufficiently for readers to understand the basis of the synthesis.

Systematic reviews and meta-analyses: Retain the journal’s overall structure, organizing the Text into clear Methods, Results, and Discussion subsections. Report eligibility criteria, information sources, search dates and reproducible strategies, selection and extraction procedures, risk-of-bias assessment, and synthesis methods. Where applicable, describe heterogeneity, sensitivity analyses, reporting bias, and certainty assessment. Supply a PRISMA checklist and flow diagram. Give the protocol or registration details where available and explain amendments; do not describe retrospective registration as prospective.

Conclusion: Summarize the supported findings and their implications, taking the strength and limitations of the evidence into account.

Acknowledgment and declarations: Follow Sections 7–10.

References: Normally at least 30 references, each on a separate line. Use relevant sources and justify any necessary exception for a narrowly defined topic. No additional numerical upper limit is introduced by these instructions.

14. Tables, Diagrams, and Pictures

Present tables, diagrams, and pictures on separate pages at the end of the manuscript and number them in the order of first citation. Use separate sequential numbering for tables and figures; diagrams and pictures may be labeled as figures. Refer to each item in the text.

14.1. Tables

Use tables only when necessary. They should supplement rather than duplicate the text. Type them double-spaced as editable tables. Place each descriptive title above the table, centered. Explain abbreviations, statistical symbols, and other necessary details in footnotes. A table should be understandable without repeated reference to the main text.

14.2. Diagrams and pictures

Prepare illustrations professionally. Labels, numbers, symbols, and measurement units must be in English and remain readable after reduction. Place complete titles and explanations in separate legends outside the image. Label both axes of graphs and include units. Avoid decorative three-dimensional graphs and other forms that distort the data.

The journal’s default presentation is black and white or grayscale. Where color is essential to preserve scientific meaning, explain this in the cover letter and submit a suitable color original for editorial consideration. Ensure that grayscale figures remain interpretable through appropriate symbols, line styles, or patterns.

Submit original digital images and editable graph files where available. Use descriptive filenames matching the figure numbers. Do not submit screenshots as substitutes for original research images. Images must have sufficient resolution for publication; authors may be asked for higher-quality originals. Physical photographs, handwritten labeling on their reverse, and postal submission are not required for online submission.

Disclose relevant image processing and retain unprocessed originals. Do not selectively enhance, remove, duplicate, or move features in a way that misrepresents findings. Clearly mark and explain composites or splicing. Obtain permission for reused material when required by the applicable license and acknowledge its source. Apply the patient consent requirements in Section 5.

15. Guide to Writing References

Retain the journal’s numbered reference style. Number references consecutively in order of first citation and use the same number for subsequent citations to the same source. Follow the journal template for the presentation of in-text reference numbers. List each reference separately in numerical order. Authors are responsible for checking each entry against the original source.

When a reference has more than six authors, list the first six followed by “et al.” For six or fewer authors, list all authors. Use standard journal-title abbreviations; consult the NLM Catalog. Preserve the author–title–source–year–volume(issue)–pages order illustrated below. Use article identifiers in place of page ranges where applicable. Add a DOI when available without replacing the bibliographic information.

Use original, relevant sources. Verify publication status, corrections, and retractions where relevant. Identify preprints as such. Do not use fabricated or unverified citations, and do not add citations solely to increase a journal’s or author’s citation count. Personal communications and unpublished observations should normally be identified in the text with appropriate permission rather than treated as published references.

15.1. Reference examples

The following examples preserve the source guide’s reference categories and bibliographic pattern. Obvious typographic defects have been corrected. Historical examples illustrate format; they are not recommendations to cite those works.

1. Journal article, personal author(s):
   Rose ME, Huerbin MB, Melick J, Marion DW, Palmer AM, Schiding JK, et al. Regulation of interstitial excitatory amino acid concentrations after cortical contusion injury. Brain Res 2002;935(1-2):40-6.
2. Journal article, organization as author:
   Diabetes Prevention Program Research Group. Hypertension, insulin, and proinsulin in participants with impaired glucose tolerance. Hypertension 2002;40(5):679-86.
3. No named personal or organizational author:
   Coffee drinking and cancer of the pancreas [editorial]. Br Med J 1981;283:628.
   Begin with the title when no author is credited. Use “Anonymous” only if the source explicitly credits that name.
4. Book, personal author(s):
   Murray PR, Rosenthal KS, Kobayashi GS, Pfaller MA. Medical microbiology. 4th ed. St. Louis: Mosby; 2002.
5. Book, organization as author and publisher:
   Royal Adelaide Hospital; University of Adelaide, Department of Clinical Nursing. Compendium of nursing research and practice development, 1999-2000. Adelaide (Australia): Adelaide University; 2001.
6. Chapter in a book:
   Meltzer PS, Kallioniemi A, Trent JM. Chromosome alterations in human solid tumors. In: Vogelstein B, Kinzler KW, editors. The genetic basis of human cancer. New York: McGraw-Hill; 2002. p. 93-113.
7. Dictionary entry:
   Dorland’s illustrated medical dictionary. 29th ed. Philadelphia: W.B. Saunders; 2000. Filamin; p. 675.
8. CD-ROM:
   Anderson SC, Poulsen KB. Anderson’s electronic atlas of hematology [CD-ROM]. Philadelphia: Lippincott Williams & Wilkins; 2002.
9. Journal article on the Internet — format:
   Author(s). Article title. Abbreviated Journal Title [serial on the Internet]. Year Mon [cited Year Mon Day];volume(issue):page range or article identifier. Available from: verified article URL.
10. Thesis:
    Samei-zadeh T. Effect of relative presence at bedside of primiparous woman on labor duration [MSc thesis]. Mashhad: Mashhad School of Nursing and Midwifery; 1999.
11. Book on the Internet — format:
    Author(s) or editor(s). Book title [monograph on the Internet]. Place: Publisher; Year [cited Year Mon Day]. Available from: verified book URL.
    Use the actual book address; an unrelated journal-article URL must not be substituted.
12. Internet homepage or website — format:
    Website name [homepage on the Internet]. Place: Publisher; copyright year(s) [updated Year Mon Day; cited Year Mon Day]. Available from: verified website URL.
    Include update information only when it is supplied by the source.
13. A whole conference:
    Kimura J, Shibasaki H, editors. Recent advances in clinical neurophysiology. Proceedings of the 10th International Congress of EMG and Clinical Neurophysiology; 1995 Oct 15-19; Kyoto, Japan. Amsterdam: Elsevier; 1996.
14. A conference paper:
    Bengtsson S, Solheim BG. Enforcement of data protection, privacy and security in medical informatics. In: Lun KC, Degoulet P, Piemme TE, Rienhoff O, editors. MEDINFO 92. Proceedings of the 7th World Congress on Medical Informatics; 1992 Sep 6-10; Geneva, Switzerland. Amsterdam: North-Holland; 1992. p. 1561-5.

Internet examples use explicit format templates where the supplied guide contained an obsolete or mismatched address. Replace descriptive fields with the actual bibliographic details; never include the words “verified article URL” or similar template labels in a submitted reference. If using an EndNote output style supplied by the journal, check the generated list against these instructions; reference-management software does not replace author verification.

16. Reporting Guidelines

Use the current reporting guideline appropriate to the study and relevant extensions. Upload the applicable checklist with manuscript page references and a flow diagram where required. Reporting checklists supplement, rather than replace, the journal’s article structure and ethical requirements.

Consult the EQUATOR Network for guidance. If a checklist is not applicable, briefly explain this in the cover letter.

17. Publication Integrity and Misconduct

Plagiarism, redundant publication, undisclosed substantial text or data reuse, fabricated or falsified data, inappropriate image manipulation, authorship manipulation, citation manipulation, and interference with peer review are unacceptable. Authors must obtain necessary permissions for copyrighted material and accurately attribute ideas, text, datasets, and illustrations.

Editorial assessment may include similarity screening, examination of images and references, and requests for original data or supporting documents. A similarity percentage alone does not establish or exclude plagiarism; the nature and context of overlap must be assessed.

Concerns may be raised by authors, reviewers, readers, institutions, or other parties, including whistleblowers, before or after publication. Send the manuscript identifier or article citation, a clear description, and supporting evidence to the editorial office. Evidence-based anonymous concerns will also be considered.

The editor assesses the concern, seeks clarification and relevant documentation, gives affected authors an opportunity to respond, and may consult independent experts or contact the responsible institution or funder. A conflicted editor must recuse themselves. Review or publication may be paused while concerns are investigated. Actions may include rejection, a correction, an expression of concern, or retraction, according to the evidence and applicable COPE guidance. Withdrawal does not necessarily terminate an integrity investigation.

18. Appeals, Complaints, and Withdrawal

Appeals: Authors may appeal a decision by writing to the editorial office, identifying the manuscript and providing a reasoned response with any evidence of material error or procedural unfairness. Disagreement alone does not establish grounds to overturn a decision. The editor assesses the appeal and may obtain independent advice or further review. The outcome and its basis are communicated to the corresponding author. An appeal does not guarantee reconsideration or acceptance.

Complaints: Complaints about delay, conduct, confidentiality, or the editorial process should describe the issue and supporting evidence. Complaints involving the handling editor are referred to an uninvolved senior editor; those involving the Editor-in-Chief are referred to the publisher for independent handling. Complainants must not be disadvantaged for raising concerns in good faith.

Withdrawal: The corresponding author may request withdrawal through the submission system or by email, explaining the reason and confirming all authors’ agreement. The journal provides written acknowledgment of the manuscript’s status. Authors should obtain confirmation before submitting the same manuscript elsewhere and should follow up if confirmation is delayed. A published article cannot be removed by ordinary withdrawal; post-publication concerns are handled under Section 19.

19. Corrections and Post-publication Discussion

Authors must promptly notify the editor of significant errors discovered after publication. Readers may submit evidence-based questions or critiques to the editorial office, identifying the article and the issue. The editors may seek an author response and arrange appropriate public correspondence or a notice where warranted.

Errors that require amendment without invalidating the work may be addressed by a linked correction. Serious unresolved concerns may warrant an editorial expression of concern. Unreliable findings or other grounds identified in COPE guidance may warrant retraction. Notices should identify the affected article, explain the reason and responsible issuing party, and remain linked to the publication.

Retraction normally preserves the original article as a clearly marked part of the scholarly record. Removal is reserved for exceptional circumstances, such as a compelling legal or privacy requirement, with an explanatory record where possible. Significant changes must not be made silently. Relevant updates should be reflected in article versions and metadata.

20. Copyright, Access, and Publication Charges

Iranian Journal of Toxicology is an open-access journal. Its online articles are available to readers without a subscription fee. Arak University of Medical Sciences supports the journal’s ordinary publication expenses. No fee is charged by the journal for normal peer review, editing, and publication.

Where substantial language or structural editing is needed, the manuscript may be returned for revision or rejected. Authors may choose an independent editing service at their own expense. Such services are separate from the journal, are used only with the authors’ agreement, and do not guarantee review or acceptance. Any proposed additional charge must be disclosed before a service is commissioned; authors must not encounter undisclosed mandatory charges.

The journal does not accept commercial advertisements. Financial support and any use of independent services must not influence editorial decisions.

Authors must review the Copyright & Journal’s Financial Policies and obtain permission for third-party material when its license does not permit the proposed use. The license attached to an individual published article governs reuse of that article.

21. Submission and Checklist

Submit manuscripts only through the online submission system accessed from https://ijt.arakmu.ac.ir/. Register or sign in and select “Submit your Article.” Email correspondence does not replace online submission. Follow progress and respond to editorial requests through the author account.

Before submission, confirm that:

1. The article is within scope, written in English, original, and not simultaneously submitted elsewhere.
2. All authors meet the authorship criteria, approve the manuscript, and agree to submission.
3. The covering letter discloses related publications, preprints, thesis origin, AI use, and any requested exceptions.
4. A separate title page contains accurate author names, affiliations, and corresponding-author details.
5. The main Word file and review materials are appropriately anonymized, with complete identifying declarations supplied separately to the editors.
6. The article follows the required structure, abstract headings, word limits, keyword count, and reference pattern.
7. Ethical approval, consent to participation, consent for publication, and animal-welfare information are provided as applicable.
8. Trial registration details and a trial data-sharing statement are included where required.
9. Authors’ Contributions, Funding, Conflicts of Interest, Data Availability, and applicable AI declarations are complete.
10. The relevant reporting checklist, flow diagram, and essential supplementary material are supplied.
11. Tables are editable; figures and legends are numbered correctly; original files and necessary reuse permissions are available.
12. References have been verified against their sources and follow the first-six-authors-plus-et-al. rule where applicable.
13. The journal’s submission preparation checklist and required forms have been completed and uploaded. If a form requires signatures, upload a legible signed electronic or scanned copy as requested.
14. No identifiable patient information or confidential consent documents have been placed in public supplementary files.

For revisions, upload the revised manuscript, a version identifying changes if requested, and a separate point-by-point response. Before publication, authors must check proofs for factual and production errors. Substantial scientific or authorship changes at proof stage require editorial approval and may require renewed assessment.

22. Contact Information

Iranian Journal of Toxicology
Arak University of Medical Sciences, in collaboration with the Iranian Society of Toxicology
Journal website: https://ijt.arakmu.ac.ir/
Editorial correspondence: tox.journalgmail.com
Current postal, publisher, and technical-support details: Contact Information

Include the manuscript identifier, where available, and a clear subject line such as “Submission query,” “Appeal,” “Ethics concern,” or “Correction request.” Use the contact page for the current institutional and production contacts.

23. Ethical Standards and Related Policies

The journal’s editorial and publication procedures are guided by the following standards. Authors should consult the relevant guidance alongside these instructions:

• ICMJE Recommendations for the Conduct, Reporting, Editing, and Publication of Scholarly Work in Medical Journals
• COPE Core Practices
• WAME Recommendations on Publication Ethics Policies for Medical Journals
• Principles of Transparency and Best Practice in Scholarly Publishing — joint COPE, DOAJ, OASPA, and WAME principles
• World Medical Association Declaration of Helsinki
• EQUATOR Network reporting guidelines
• ICMJE disclosure-of-interest resources

Related journal pages: Policies of Peer Review; Copyright & Journal’s Financial Policies; and Contact Information. If instructions appear inconsistent, contact the editorial office for clarification before submission.