From Local Insight to Global Impact: The 2025 Journey of Health Innovation Reports

Abstract

As 2025 draws to a close, Health Innovation Reports (HIR) proudly reflects on a year that marked a transformative stage in our journal’s evolution. What began as a vision to promote accessible, high-quality research from Erbil has grown into a recognized platform where local innovation meets global collaboration. Through dedication, transparency, and scientific rigor, this year reaffirmed our mission: to bridge disciplines and disseminate knowledge that improves lives. The year 2025 brought remarkable milestones for HIR. We successfully published three issues encompassing original studies, reviews, editorials, commentaries, and case reports. Each issue represented an expanding spectrum of health sciences—from clinical nursing and mental health to biomedical engineering and public health policy. HIR achieved full indexing in Google Scholar, integrated with Crossref for DOI registration, and partnered with ReviewerCredits to acknowledge our peer reviewers’ essential contributions. Our articles were accessed thousands of times worldwide, proving that open-access publishing can amplify the voice of regional science to an international readership.

     Behind every milestone lies teamwork. We express sincere gratitude to our authors who entrusted us with their scholarly work, to the reviewers whose constructive feedback strengthened scientific quality, and to the editorial board whose commitment ensured ethical and timely publication. Their collective efforts allowed HIR to uphold its standards of transparency and editorial independence. We are also thankful to our readers and academic partners whose encouragement motivates continual growth and innovation. The year was not without challenges. Managing the increasing volume of submissions while preserving rigorous peer-review standards required resilience and adaptability. Yet these challenges became opportunities—to refine our workflow, enhance editorial efficiency, and expand our reviewer pool across diverse specialties. We learned that sustainability in academic publishing depends not only on output but also on mentorship, inclusion, and accountability. In 2025, HIR reaffirmed that scientific progress is achieved through cooperation, not competition.

     As we close the final issue of 2025, our focus turns toward 2026 with renewed vision. Our foremost priority will be achieving indexing in the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) and strengthening compliance with international best practices. We aim to diversify our editorial board further, invite more interdisciplinary research, and develop thematic special issues on pressing global health challenges. Most importantly, we remain dedicated to nurturing early-career researchers by offering fair, supportive, and transparent publication opportunities.

     To our community of scholars, reviewers, and readers—thank you for being part of this journey. Together, we have transformed Health Innovation Reports from a local initiative into a global voice for health research integrity and innovation. As we welcome 2026, we reaffirm our belief that open, ethical, and inclusive science is the path to a healthier world