In comparison to the other five Iraqi journals that earned the index, ARO journal is the first in the Kurdistan Region to receive an impact factor.
The engineering and science journal ARO was founded in 2013 and indexed by Clarivate Analytics as the first journal of its kind in the Kurdistan Region in 2016.
As the first scientific journal in the Kurdistan Region, ARO Journal was able to reach the Impact Factor Index in the final issue of June 2023. Thanks to the editorial board's ongoing efforts to comply with international standards and establish a global reputation.
Engineering and science are the focus of Koya University's ARO academic journal. Twenty issues and 221 scientific papers by domestic and international scholars have been published by ARO since its first issue, which featured six pieces, was released.
The director and executive editor of the journal, Prof. Salah Ismail Yahya, claimed that the road to establishing the journal was not easy in the beginning because the laws for establishing scientific journals in Kurdistan and Iraq at that time did not meet international standards. This achievement was significant for ARO journal and Koya University.
The plan was to construct and administer the journal in accordance with ethical standards and international standards as well as the regulations of the Kurdistan Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research. The first publication in Iraq to provide DOI numbers for its research was ARO. Additionally, it was the first journal in Iraq to receive DOAJ Index. Furthermore, ARO was the first journal in Iraq to employ a Creative Commons Attributes -accredited open-source license.
In 2016, three years after its founding, The Web of Science Core Collection TM (Clarivate Analytics) began to index ARO as a result of these works, according to Dr. Salah.
Dr. Salah continued, saying that the journal was closely monitored by Clarivate Analytics from 2016 to 2020 and that by 2020, the volume of manuscripts had climbed to the point where they were prepared to be given an impact factor (IF = 0.6).
During the evaluation phase, the journal increased the number of papers and reached the level of readiness to achieve an impact factor (IF = 0.6). In the release (JCR.2022), the journal became the first journal in the Kurdistan Region to achieve the impact factor (IF = 0.6) and the first of the six Iraqi journals that were able to receive the index in June 2023.
In his appraisal of this accomplishment, Prof. Dr. Salah Ismail Yahya emphasized its significance for higher education and scientific research in Kurdistan and Iraq as well as its significance as a turning point for academic publication and scientific research.
Researchers from Iraq and the Kurdistan region will be able to publish their studies globally through ARO. ARO will serve as a model for other scientific journals in Kurdistan and Iraq, who may benefit from its achievements and replicate it. Koya University's reputation is improving due to the ARO magazine's Impact Factor Index, which will also improve the reputation of higher education in Kurdistan and Iraq.
According to Dr. Salah, ARO journal would not have been able to accomplish this tremendous achievement without the editorial board members' volunteer effort and the presidents of Koya University's ongoing support.
ARO Journal link:
https://aro.koyauniversity.org/
