Publishing Conditions

Publication Terms at Al-Baydar Center for Studies and Planning

Al-Baydar Center is pleased to receive policy papers and research papers according to systematic writing standards and scientific publication norms. The center accepts research papers in both Arabic and English, and they will be translated in either case once publication approval is granted.

First: Areas of Interest for Research and Study

• Policy briefs and research that pertain to the Iraqi reality in political, legal, social, cultural, and economic fields, as detailed on the center’s website.
• Policy briefs and research related to Arab and international issues and foreign policy, especially those relevant to Iraq and the Middle East in general.

Second: Writing and Publication Requirements

• The writing must adhere to the scientific research style and general research writing norms such as methodology, idea division, and include an introduction, conclusion, and references that support the study or research.
• The content must be of high value and contain updated information and should include a distinguished opinion.
• The policy brief should be approximately 5 pages, and research papers should be between 10-15 pages.
• The font used should be Simplified Arabic, size 14.
• Tables and statistics, if any, should be clear and their sources should be cited.
• The submitted material should not have been previously published.
• A CV of the researcher should be attached with the submitted material.
• The submitted material will undergo scientific evaluation and not all submissions are guaranteed to be published.

Structure and Requirements for Publishing Policy Briefs

Policy briefs are a primary tool for presenting ideas and recommendations to a non-specialist audience. They serve as a means of providing evidence-based policy advice to help readers make informed decisions and are written for a specific audience. The policy brief should focus on a single topic.

Content Requirements: The content of the policy brief should be between 1000-1500 words.

Section	Requirements
Title	Short and descriptive, should attract the reader and be relevant to policy-making.
Summary	150-200 words providing a clear overview without needing to read the full paper, explaining the problem or idea and the purpose of the paper, without tables or charts, written in paragraphs.
Context	750-1000 words explaining the topic and its impact on relevant sectors with an analysis of the current situation and dimensions (political, economic, social, and technical), including statistics, tables, flow charts, and maps, divided into 2-4 paragraphs.
Conclusion	100-200 words including key conclusions, recommendations, or future outlook.
Sources	A list of sources in the order they appear in the paper (recent and reliable, including books, research, reports, or governmental or non-governmental documents, or websites).

Formatting Requirements:

Section	Requirements
Font Type	Simplified Arabic
Font Size	16 for main titles, 14 for subtitles
Margins	Margin at the top of the word in parentheses, at the bottom of the page in parentheses, at the same writing level, cited as (author or institution, title, year)
Table Numbers	Above each table write (Table No. ()) and then the table title
Figure Numbers	Above each figure write (Figure No. ()) and then the figure title
Table Sources	Add a specific row below each table for the source in the format: (Source: report title or author and year) with font size 12
Figure Sources	Add below each figure the source in the format: (Source: report title or author and year) with font size 12
Numbers	All numbers in the policy paper should be written in English and in parentheses
Percentages	All percentages should be written in English and in parentheses in the format: (45%)
Figures and Tables	All figures and tables should be drawn using Word or Excel and not as images