Publication Ethics

All submissions are screened using plagiarism detection tools prior to peer review. Manuscripts containing plagiarised content will be immediately rejected.

• Original work only Submissions must present original findings not previously published or under review elsewhere.
• Exclusive submission Manuscripts may not be simultaneously submitted to multiple journals.
• Self-plagiarism Substantial text overlap (>30%) with authors' own previous publications requires explicit disclosure and attribution.
• Proper attribution All referenced work, including the authors' own prior publications, must be fully cited.

All submitted images and data are subject to integrity screening. Authors must provide original, unprocessed files upon request during review or post-publication investigation.

All image processing must be documented in the Methods section, including software used and rationale.

Head and Neck Diseases Conflux employs single-anonymous peer review. Reviewers, editors, and authors must disclose all potential conflicts of interest before participating in the review process.

• ✗
  Identity falsification Creating fake reviewer profiles or credentials.
• ✗
  Review collusion Coordinating with others to manipulate review outcomes.
• ✗
  Report fabrication Plagiarising or fabricating peer review reports.
• ✗
  Coercion Pressuring authors or editors for favourable evaluations.
• ✗
  Confidentiality breach Sharing manuscript content outside the review process.

Head and Neck Diseases Conflux expects manuscripts to use respectful, inclusive language that acknowledges the diversity of research participants and the global readership.

• Cultural sensitivity Acknowledge and respect diverse cultural perspectives in research contexts.
• Gender-inclusive language Avoid gendered assumptions; use inclusive pronouns and terminology.
• Person-first language Refer to patients and participants as people first, not by condition or diagnosis.
• Current terminology Use up-to-date, community-preferred terminology in clinical and social contexts.

The editorial team will flag language concerns and work constructively with authors to revise where needed.

• Editorial appeals Must be submitted within 30 days of the decision. Appeals require substantive new evidence or demonstration of a procedural error. Review is completed within 14–21 days.
• Corrections Authors who discover errors in published work should contact the editorial office immediately. Corrections are published as a linked erratum.
• Expressions of concern Issued when an investigation is ongoing and readers need to be aware of potential issues.
• Retractions Issued for work with major errors or ethical violations, following COPE retraction guidelines. Retracted articles remain online with a clear retraction notice.

Any person may submit a complaint about a published article, editorial decision, or conduct of a journal participant. All complaints are treated confidentially.

• Step 1 — Submit Email ethics@hndconflux.com with a clear description of the concern, the article DOI or manuscript ID, and any supporting evidence.
• Step 2 — Acknowledgement You will receive an acknowledgement within 5 business days.
• Step 3 — Investigation The editorial team investigates following COPE guidelines. Complex cases may be referred to an independent committee. Timeline communicated on a case-by-case basis.
• Step 4 — Resolution Outcome communicated to the complainant. If unsatisfied, cases may be escalated to COPE.