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Terms of Submission
Article Types
Required Files
Declarations File
Manuscript Structure
Formatting Requirements
References & Citations
Peer Review Process
Contact & Support

Terms of Submission

By submitting to Head and Neck Diseases Conflux, all authors acknowledge the following:

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Originality The manuscript is original work not published elsewhere and not under simultaneous review.
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Author agreement All listed authors have read, approved, and accept responsibility for the content.
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Open Access licence Upon acceptance, content will be published under CC BY 4.0, freely available worldwide.
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Copyright compliance The manuscript does not infringe third-party copyrights or intellectual property rights.
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Data transparency Authors commit to making research data available in accordance with open science principles.

Article Types

Head and Neck Diseases Conflux accepts the following manuscript types. Word limits refer to the main text, excluding abstract, references, and figure legends.

Research Article

3,000 – 6,000 words · 4–6 figures

Original research findings in otolaryngology, head and neck surgery, or allied specialties. Structured abstract required. Ethics approval statement required.

Short Communication

1,500 – 3,000 words · 1–3 figures

Concise reports of preliminary findings or novel observations warranting rapid dissemination.

Fast-track available

Review Article

3,000 – 12,000 words · min. 50 refs

Comprehensive synthesis of current knowledge in a specific area. Unstructured abstract. Expert author credentials required.

Systematic Review / Meta-analysis

3,000 – 12,000 words

Evidence synthesis following PRISMA or equivalent reporting guidelines. PROSPERO registration recommended.

Case Report

1,000 – 3,000 words · 1–4 figures

Clinically instructive individual or small-series cases with clear educational value. Patient consent documentation required.

Editorial / Inaugural

No word limit

Editorial commentary and invited perspectives on topical issues. By editorial invitation only. No abstract required.

Perspective

3,000 – 5,000 words · 2–4 figures

Expert opinion on emerging trends, future directions, or challenges in head and neck diseases research. Unstructured abstract.

Correspondence

No word limit · brief & focused

Letters raising a point of interest or responding to published work. No abstract required.

Required Files

All files must be uploaded through the OJS submission portal. Incomplete submissions will be returned without review.

File	Format	Status	Notes
Manuscript	Word (.docx)	Required	No embedded figures or tables. Provide clean + tracked-changes versions for revisions.
Title Page	Word (.docx)	Required	Author names, full affiliations, ORCID IDs, corresponding author email.
Graphical Abstract	JPG (≥300 DPI)	Required	Visual summary of main findings. Single image, high resolution.
Highlights	Word (.docx)	Required	3–5 bullet points, max 85 characters each, summarising key findings.
Figures	JPG, single ZIP	Required	All figures compressed into one ZIP file.
Figure Legends	Word (.docx)	Required	Describe all symbols, abbreviations, and conditions for each figure.
Declarations File	Word (.docx)	Required	See Declarations section below. All items must be present even if "Not Applicable."
Cover Letter	Word (.docx)	Optional	Explain novelty and significance; address any potential concerns.
Tables	Word ZIP	Optional	Three-line format. Titles above, notes below.
Supplementary Materials	JPG / Word ZIP	Optional	Supporting figures, tables, or raw data. Must not duplicate main content.

Declarations File

All seven items below are mandatory. If a section does not apply to your study, write "Not Applicable." Do not omit any section.

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AbbreviationsAll abbreviated terms in alphabetical order with full names. Write "Not Applicable" if none.
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Author ContributionsDescribe each author's specific role using the CRediT taxonomy (Conceptualization, Methodology, Writing, etc.).
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AcknowledgementsTechnical assistance, editorial support, or other contributions not meeting authorship criteria.
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Funding InformationAll funding sources, grant numbers, and sponsoring organizations. Include indirect funding.
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Ethics Approval & ConsentIRB/Ethics Committee approval numbers, patient consent procedures, and animal research ethics where applicable.
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Competing InterestsFinancial, professional, or personal relationships that could influence the research. If none, write exactly: "The authors declare that they have no existing or potential commercial or financial relationships that could create a conflict of interest at the time of conducting this study."
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Data AvailabilityIf data are fully included in the paper, write exactly: "All data needed to evaluate the conclusions in the paper are present in the paper or the Supplementary Materials. Additional data related to this paper may be requested from the authors." Otherwise provide repository links and access conditions.

Manuscript Structure

Research Articles should follow the IMRaD format. The structured abstract template below applies to all article types that require a structured abstract.

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Title & AbstractTitle ≤200 characters. Structured abstract 200–250 words with: Background, Methods, Results, Conclusions. Include 5–7 keywords separated by semicolons.
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IntroductionResearch context, knowledge gaps, and clearly stated objectives.
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MethodsStudy design, patient selection, surgical/clinical protocols, statistical analyses, and ethics considerations. Sufficient detail for replication.
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ResultsKey findings with statistical significance presented with appropriate figures and tables.
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DiscussionInterpretation, comparison with literature, clinical implications, limitations, and future directions.
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ConclusionSynthesis of key findings and broader implications for clinical practice or policy.

Technical Formatting Requirements

Manuscripts must be submitted as separate Word documents without embedded figures or tables. Figures are uploaded as a separate ZIP file.

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Font & layoutArial 11pt, double-spaced, 1-inch margins on all sides. Page numbers at bottom centre.
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HeadingsBold, no numbering, hierarchical structure (no italics for headings).
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NumbersComma separation for numbers >9,999. Use × for multiplication. Statistics: p < 0.05 (spaces around operators).
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FiguresJPEG (photos) or TIFF (graphics), minimum 300 DPI. Arial 8–12pt labels. Colorblind-friendly palettes recommended.
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TablesThree-line format only. Title above, notes below. Consistent decimal places throughout.
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ListsOxford comma required (A, B, and C).

References & Citations

Head and Neck Diseases Conflux uses the Vancouver referencing system with sequential numeric citations in order of first appearance.

In-text: Superscript (text¹) or bracket format (text [1]). Multiple citations: [1,3,5–7]. DOI required when available.

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Journal article (≤6 authors)
Ji Q, Chai W, Li D, Feng C, Wang L, Xie F. Research on the incidence of high jugular bulb in the lateral position among otitis media patients. Head Neck Dis Conflux. 2025;1(1):e245. https://doi.org/10.71321/kbecdm40
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Journal article (>6 authors)
Xing M, Feng C, Wu W, et al. Use of autologous hematopoietic stem cell transplantation for a patient with primary nasal NK/T-cell lymphoma. Head Neck Dis Conflux. 2025;1(1):e248. https://doi.org/10.71321/sx17sm66
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Book
Cummings CW, editor. Otolaryngology — Head and Neck Surgery. 6th ed. Philadelphia: Elsevier; 2015.
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Online resource
World Health Organization. Deafness and hearing loss [Internet]. Geneva: WHO; 2024 [cited 2024 Oct 15]. Available from: https://www.who.int/news-room/fact-sheets/detail/deafness-and-hearing-loss

Peer Review Process

Head and Neck Diseases Conflux employs single-blind peer review: reviewers are anonymous, authors are known. Each manuscript is evaluated by 2–3 independent domain experts.

Editorial screening ~3 business days Assessment of scope, quality, and ethics compliance. Plagiarism detection included.

Peer review ~20 days Evaluation by 2–3 independent reviewers matched by domain expertise.

Editorial decision ~23 days from submission Accept / Minor revision / Major revision / Reject, with detailed reviewer feedback.

Production & publication 5–7 days from acceptance Typesetting, DOI assignment via Crossref, and open access publication.

Contact & Support

Editorial Office

editorial@hndconflux.com

Submission enquiries, scope questions. Response within 48 hours.

Technical Support

technical@lifeconfluxpress.com

OJS platform, file uploads, system issues.

Publication Ethics