Article 1

The following conditions shall be required to grant the title of a teacher:

First: To have a diploma or a scientific equivalent or to be in possession of a higher degree of scientific, technical or professional certificate in the disciplines that do not grant a Ph.D. or equivalent certificate scientifically provided that the duration of the study is not less (3) years after the initial university degree.

Second: To have the title of assistant teacher at the ministry, university, any Iraqi authorities or the Iraqi Council for Medical Specializations for at least (3) years and having a total of (70) points, not less than (46) points of table (1) attached to these instructions and no less than (24) points of table (2) attached and publishing two valuable researches (or a research and a book) during this period at least one of them should be published in a district scientific journal except publishing in journals with impact factor.

Article 2

The following conditions shall be required for those who would be promoted to the rank of assistant professor:

First: To have the title of teacher and working at the ministry, university any Iraqi authorities or the Iraqi Council for Medical Specializations for at least (4) years and having a total of (80) points, not less than (52) points of table (1) attached to these instructions and no less than (28) points of table (2) attached.

Second: Publication of (3) valuable researches (or a research and a book) at least during the period provided for in item (I) of these instructions of which two researches are published in two discreet  journals of different institutions except publishing in journals with impact factor.

Article 3

The following conditions shall be required for those who would be promoted to the rank of a professor:

First: To have the title of assistant professor and working at the ministry, university any Iraqi authorities or the Iraqi Council for Medical Specializations for at least (6) years and having a total of (90) points, not less than (59) points of table (1) attached to these instructions and no less than (31) points of table (2) attached.

Second: Publication of (3) valuable and original researches (or a research and a book) in most rankings at least during the period provided for in item (I) of these instructions of which two researches are published in two discreet journals of different institutions except publishing in journals with impact factor.

Article 4

A teaching staff has the right to apply for scientific promotion to the rank of assistant professor or professor a year before the date of meeting the requirement of the period of time stipulated in article 1 (2) and article 1(3) of these instructions.

Article 5

Research and literature provided for scientific promotion should be:

First: Research should be in the general field of specializations and two of them should be in the specific specialization of promotion for the rank of assistant professor and all in the specific field of specialization to be promoted to the rank of professor.

Second: Published or approved for publication, one of which may be approved for publication.

Third: Not provided for a previous scientific promotion.

Fourth: Non-quoted from diploma, master or Ph.D theses.

Fifth: Published in the field of competence of the scientific journal or in various scientific journals.

Sixth: Completed during the period of time of the current scientific rank of the promotion student.

Article 6

Points of joint scientific output identified in the tables accompanying these instructions shall be counted on condition that the first researcher should receive all points while the second participant would receive (80%) of the points obtained by the first researcher for the same research and (70%) to the third researcher.

Article 7

Subject to the provisions of articles (2) and (3) of these instructions:

First: Research quoted from Diploma, Master and Ph.D theses may be adopted that have been completed under the supervision of the student of promotion for the purposes of scientific promotion if they are published or approved for publication in the name of the graduate student and the student of scientific promotion and can be utilized from only one research.

Second: Authored or translated book with International Standard Book Number (ISBN) can be adopted for the purposes of scientific promotion and is treated as a research in presentation and for once.

Third: A patent may be submitted and treated as a research in presentation and for once.

Fourth: One research presented at a periodic scientific conference may be accepted for the purposes of scientific promotion if was published as a whole during the proceedings of the conference or published in accredited scientific journals but not to accept its summary the purposes of promotion.

Article 8

Ph.D thesis or its equivalent shall be considered as a single, authentic research for a faculty member (the author of the thesis), whether he did not benefit from that thesis in advance to obtain a scientific title higher than his current scientific title according to the rulers of the law.

Article 9

First: The scientific journal adopted for publishing research for the purposes of scientific promotion is required to be:

(a) Issued by university bodies, scientific institutions or recognized specialized entities.

(b) To follow the scientific method in editing its research and that publication would be subject to the scientific calendar.

(c) To be supervised by specialists of Ph.D professors with the title of assistant professor or professor as determined by the ministry of higher education and scientific research.

(d) To include the International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) for journals issued inside Iraq.

(e) To be issued according to the criteria determined by the ministry of higher education and scientific research.

Second: International journals outside Iraq shall be accredited if one of the following conditions is met:

(a) The conditions set out in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) of item (I) of this article.

(b) Issued by a reputable international publishing house registered in one of the searchlights and indexes

(c) To have (Impact Factor) or anything agreed upon by the competent ministerial committee at the ministry.

Third: The local scientific journal which has (Impact Factor) is adopted as equivalent to those issued outside Iraq.

Fourth: Online Electronic Journals is adopted for the purposes of scientific promotion if the conditions set out in paragraphs (a), (b) and (c) are met of item (I) of this article.

Fifth: Availability of International Standard Serial Number (ISSN) for authored books.

Article 10

The following percentages of the total points received by the applicant who have a community service and for only one position, for those who have spent half the minimum time for obtaining a promotion as shown in below:

First: (3%) for associate rectors of universities or the Iraqi Council for Medical Specialties and those of their degree (original or agency).

Second: (5%) of deans, associate deans, chairs of scientific councils in Iraqi Council for Medical Specialties, directors of departments at University Presidency, members of permanent ministerial committees and those of their rank (original or agency).

Third: (10%) per cent of the heads of scientific departments, scientific branches or directors of departments and formations at the ministry and those who are in their rank.

Article 11

First: College Council forms the promotion committee from five (5) faculty members with the rank of professor and members of the teaching staff of the rank of professor or assistant professor in the absence of those with a professor rank and in different disciplines.

Second: If the number of departments or branches of the college increases is more than (7), then the number of members of the Promotions Committee would be (7), including the chairman, and they are selected under the conditions stipulated in item (I) of this article.

Third: In the absence of the requisite competencies or degrees in the members of the Scientific Promotions Committee within the same college, then other teaching staff from other colleges would be of benefit within the same university or other Iraqi universities to form this committee.

Fourth: The Committee selects a Rapporteur from among its members.

Fifth: The Scientific Promotions Committee shall have a secretary who is fluent in a living foreign language and who can use computer and internet.

Sixth: Term of office of the committee is (3) years renewable once.

Article 12

First: A member of the teaching staff may submit a written request for scientific promotion to head of the competent department or the head of the branch in the college where there are no sections, from the date of finishing the required period for scientific promotion, with a copy of each of his research or scientific works and a CD containing research and literature in PDF format with one copy of his activities approved by the Scientific Committee at the department and head of department.

Second: Head of department or branch shall transmit the request together with research or literature and the approval of the Scientific Committee regarding citation and the general and exact specialization to the Promotions Committee at the college or institute within (7) days from the date of submission of the application.

Article 13

First: Scientific Promotions Committee would check the application of the faculty member at the College and when finding it unfulfilling, informing the head of department or branch of this within a period not exceeding (7) days from the date of transmission of the application, but if fulfilling the conditions, it forwards research and literature by secret books to three (3) specialized experts experienced and of a higher rank than the applicant rank in case of upgrade to the rank of teacher and assistant professor on condition that no one of them is his supervisor with the use of experts from other Iraqi universities in case that the applicant’s specialization is not available at his university.

Second: The experts shall submit their scientific assessment within (30) days of the date of arrival of research or literature to them and if the duration expires without any answer received, then sending research and literature to other experts with the same specifications and for the same period.

Third: Scientific Promotions Committee would check the application of a member of teaching staff for promotion to professorship rank and if finding it unfulfilling the conditions, they would inform head of department or branch within (7) days from the date of transmission of the application and if fulfilling the conditions, it forwards research and literature by secret books to three (3) specialized experts, one of them from outside Iraq and two from Iraq with a copy of scientific and administrative activities approved by the Scientific Committee at the department and head of department to completes the promotion transaction procedures.

Fourth: Upon completion of the audit process, the Promotion Committee shall transmit within (7) days the transaction of promotion to the College Council with recommendations for promotion while the Rapporteur of the committee submits a summary of the promotion transaction to the chairman of the committee and ten the College Council shall raise its recommendation for promotion in a period of (15) days to the Promotions Committee at University Presidency.

Article 14

First: The Rector shall form a Central Scientific Promotion Committee consisting of members of teaching staff in the rank of professor not less than (7) members and not more than (11) members with different terms of reference on condition that one of them is specialized in law and the Rector has the right to make use of Iraqi universities to form this committee in the absence of scientific positions and competencies.

Second: The term of office of the committee is (3) years, renewable once.

Article 15

The Central Scientific Promotion Committee examines the promotion transaction procedures and prepares a summary including a report of the Promotions Committee at the college and College Council concerning its opinion on promotion to the Rector in case of promotion to the rank of teacher or assistant professor and to the University Council in case of promotion to professorship to be approved.

Article 16

A ministerial committee is formed at the ministry from teaching staff with a rank of professor to consider scientific promotions inside and outside the ministry and members of the Divan of the Ministry of Higher Education and Scientific Research.

Article 17

Promotion shall be granted from the date of submission of the application for promotion or from the date of completion of its requirements with no financial implications.

Article 18

When a promotion is refused or postponed, the Rector or the University Council shall be informed by the dean on the rejection decision with reasons and the latter will notify the student of promotion about this within (7) days of the decision date.

Article 19

The applicant for promotion has the right to object to the decision of rejection to the Committee of Objections at the university when upgrade to teacher or assistant professor ranks and to the Ministerial Committee of Objections when upgrade to professorship rank within (30) days from the date when he was notified of the rejection decision.

Article 20

First: An Objection Committee is formed in each university consisting of (5) members of the university with the rank of professor representing different disciplines and one of them is specialist in law who are selected by the University Council and the University Rector is called as its Chairman.

Second: Members of the Objections Committee may not be deans or members of Scientific Promotions Committee at the college or the Scientific Promotions Committee at the university.

Third: In the absence of the requisite competencies or degrees in the members of the Objections Committee, other Iraqi universities can be of use to form this committee.

Article 21

First: A Ministerial Objections Committee shall be composed of (11) members from distinguished members of the faculty of Iraqi universities with the rank of professor and with different specialties, one of them is specialist in law and the minister is called as its Chairman whose functions are as the following:

(a)  Consideration of the objection submitted by the applicant to the professorship and its decision is considered absolute.

(b) Consideration of the objection submitted by the applicant to the rank of (teacher, assistant professor) according to the resolution of the ministerial committee formed in article (16) of these instructions.

Second: The Committee shall meet at the ministry of higher education and scientific research and it has a Secretary and a Rapporteur from its members.

Article 22

First: The Quorum of the objections committees provided for in articles (20) and (21) with the presence of at least two thirds of the members and their decisions shall be made by a majority of the attendees.

Second: The term of office in this committee is (3) years, nonrenewable.

Article 23

The Central Scientific Promotion Committee at University considers  the objection submitted by the promotion applicant to upgrade to the rank of (teacher and assistant professor) on the decision of the College Council and if its decision is contrary to the decision of the College Council then the promotion transaction is forwarded to the Rector to decide upon, but if the objection is on the Rector’s decision or that the Objection Committee has issued a decision contrary to the decision of the Rector, then the promotion transaction is forwarded to the University Council to decide upon.

Article 24

The promotion applicant is not asked to submit an individual research for the scientific disciplines of the rank (teacher, assistant professor, professor) in accordance with the following conditions:

First: When his sequence is the first in one of the research submitted for scientific promotion.

Second: The research should not be quoted from MA or Ph.D theses that the applicant for promotion has supervised on.

Third: The research should be published in scientific journals registered in (Nature), (Science), (Thomson Reuters) or (Scopus) databases.

Article 25

Research published or accepted for publication in scientific journals registered in (Nature), (Science), (Thomson Reuters), or (Scopus) databases are considered original researches not subject to evaluation.

Article 26

The applicant for promotion shall not benefit from the same research provided for scientific promotion to obtain the points specified in table (2) attached to these instructions.

Article 27

The faculty members working in the associated scientific research institutions at the university or at the research units in Technical Education Authority are eligible for the scientific promotion and shall be treated as their peers in terms of duration on condition that they have taught for less than a year with at least (6) hours, and they would offer two additional researches to what is required of their peers of the teaching staff per class and according to the requirements of promotion.

Article 28

Members of the teaching staff shall retain the right to scientific promotion in the event of appointment or transfer to posts outside the ministry if the necessary conditions are met without the requirement of teaching.

Article 29

The quotation percentage in a published or accepted research for publication is not to exceed (20%).

Article 30

The scientific promotion transaction is not to be exchanged only after the points specified in the articles (1), (2) and (3) have been met of these instructions.

Article 31

Researchers in humanities disciplines may benefit from the differentiation points in the table No. 1(a) for calculation of points of scientific rank for scientific disciplines when publication conditions are available in journals rankings.

Article 32

The holder of the scientific title of Ph.D or its equivalent and the workers at universities and reputable institutions outside Iraq shall retain his scientific title when appointed to Iraqi universities in accordance with the provisions of section (IV) of article (11) of the University Service Law, No. 23 of 2008.

Article 33

The terms of artistic promotions and procedures at the college of fine arts are governed by the provisions of the Revolution Command Council Decree (dissolved), No. 340 of 1981.

Article 34

The provisions of these instructions shall not apply to scientific promotion transactions promoted prior to the effective date.

Article 35

The promotion provisions set forth in these instructions shall apply to members of the teaching staff at the Iraqi Council of Medical Specializations and the University of Technology and the department replaces the faculty and the Department Council replaces the College Council and the head of the department replaces the dean and heads of scientific branches replace heads of scientific departments for the purposes of applying these instructions.

Article 36

The instructions for scientific promotions at universities and the Technical Institutes Authority No. 36 of 1992 shall be repealed.

Article 37

These instructions are to be implemented after (60) days from the date of publication in the Official Gazette.

His Excellency Prof. Dr. Abdul Razaq Abdul Jaleel Al Essa

Minister of Higher Education and Scientific Research