The Kirkuk Journal of Medical Sciences is the current title of a peer-reviewed, open-access journal originally established in 2013 under the name Journal of Kirkuk Medical College. It retained its original name until 2020 and was rebranded in 2021 to better reflect its broader scientific scope.

From its inception in 2013 until 2014, the journal published one volume annually, each containing two issues. From 2015 to 2020, this was adjusted to one issue per volume per year. Beginning in 2021, the journal resumed publishing two issues per year, appearing in April and October. As of 2025, the journal continues with one volume annually, containing two issues. To avoid delays for authors whose manuscripts have completed peer review and revisions, each issue is published as an in-progress issue: Issue 1 covers the period from January 1 to June 30, while Issue 2 runs from July 1 to December 31.

The Kirkuk Journal of Medical Sciences, based in Kirkuk City, Iraq, is published by the University of Kirkuk. It operates fully open access in accordance with the BOAI definition, allowing users to read, download, copy, distribute, print, search, link to full-text articles, or use them for any lawful purpose, without requiring prior permission from the publisher or authors.

To uphold publication integrity and originality, all submissions are screened using iThenticate plagiarism detection software. A rigorous double-blind peer-review process ensures that all accepted manuscripts meet high scientific and ethical standards. The journal welcomes submissions of original research articles, review papers, commentaries, letters to the editor, images in clinical practice, and case reports in all areas of medical sciences.

It is important to note that although the journal is affiliated with a governmental university, it does not receive any financial support from governmental or non-governmental sources. It relies solely on its own resources for covering publication costs.