Under the patronage of the Dean of the College of Education for Pure Sciences, Professor Dr. Majid Mohammed Jassim, and under the supervision of Professor Dr. Hamed Ali Abdul-Asadi, Editor-in-Chief of the Basra Research Journal for Operations, and in cooperation with the Center for Development and Continuing Education at the University of Basra, an extensive in-person workshop entitled "From Review to Classification: A Vision for Developing the Journal" was held in the Department of Computer Science on Monday morning, November 9, 2026, in the department's discussion hall.

This workshop stems from the strategic commitment of the College of Education for Pure Sciences and the Department of Computer Science to advancing the status of Iraqi scientific journals and keeping pace with international standards in academic publishing, as well as enhancing the standing of the Basra Research Journal (Operations) in international databases (Scopus and DOAJ), thus serving the advancement of scientific research at the University of Basra in particular and Iraq in general.

Workshop Themes and Discussions:

The workshop, aimed at members of the journal's editorial board, featured in-depth discussions and insightful contributions addressing several vital themes that form the cornerstones of editorial development. These themes were as follows:

• Theme 1 (Refereeing and Policies): This theme included a comprehensive presentation of research acceptance criteria and current review mechanisms, a discussion of the roadmap for achieving inclusion in international databases, and an examination of the current gaps between the journal's policies and the requirements of these databases. Emphasis was also placed on publication ethics policies, corrections, retractions, and withdrawal policies, and the establishment of a strict policy regarding plagiarism rates and AI-generated research. Additionally, the workshop discussed a mechanism for filtering research to ensure the acceptance of only works of high scientific value.

(R and classification): It focused on discussing the journal’s indicators and steps to improve the classification, where incentive mechanisms were proposed to attract external researchers (from outside the university/Iraq), such as reducing or eliminating fees for research that includes external researchers, and discussing the impact of this on the quality of research and the reputation of the journal. The workshop also addressed the creation of a Facebook page for the journal, publishing its news and research, sharing testimonials from reviewers and editors, and proposing additional promotional platforms (e.g., newsletters). The second axis (Modern Management and Editing) focused on the use of modern management techniques and artificial intelligence in quick review for initial decision-making (desk rejection/send for review). Discussions included guidelines for using these tools, prohibiting their use in the evaluation process to ensure human decision-making remains paramount, and adopting a new electronic evaluation form that meets international standards and is integrated into the journal's electronic system.

The third axis (Planning and Publishing) involved discussing the development of a plan for upcoming issues and a publication schedule, distributing tasks among board members, and reviewing the criteria for selecting reviewers (reviewers) according to the Ministry's directives. The nomination process by specialized editors, with final approval by the editor-in-chief, was also reviewed. Emphasis was placed on the requirement that research from the University of Basra be exclusively reviewed by external reviewers.

The fourth axis (Inception, etc.) concluded the workshop by summarizing the proposals and recommendations, and defining priorities, responsibilities, and a timeline. For implementation, a date was set for the next meeting to follow up on the decisions made.

Following this, all members of the journal's editorial board were honored with certificates of appreciation by the Dean and Editor-in-Chief, in recognition of their sincere and tireless efforts in advancing the journal and enhancing its scientific standing both locally and internationally. The Department of Computer Science was also commended for hosting and ensuring the success of this important event

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