Terms of Use

1. Acceptance of Terms

By accessing or using our Services, you confirm that you have read, understood, and agree to be bound by these Terms, our Privacy Policy, and any additional guidelines or policies that may apply to specific features or services.

Individual Users

If you are using our Services as an individual researcher, author, reviewer, or reader, you represent that you have the legal capacity to enter into these Terms in your jurisdiction.

Institutional Users

If you are using our Services on behalf of an organization, university, or institution, you represent and warrant that you have the authority to bind that entity to these Terms.

Minor Users

The Service is not intended for individuals under 16 years of age.

2. Eligibility & Account Registration

To access certain features of our Services, including manuscript submission, peer review participation, and personalized content, you must create and maintain a user account. Account registration requires meeting specific eligibility criteria and providing accurate information.

Eligibility Requirements

• Must be at least 16 years old or age of majority in your jurisdiction
• Valid institutional email address (preferred for academic users)
• Legitimate academic or professional interest in life sciences
• Compliance with applicable laws and regulations
• Agreement to uphold academic integrity standards

Account Responsibilities

• Maintain confidentiality of login credentials
• Provide accurate and up-to-date information
• Promptly update changes to affiliations or contact details
• Notify us immediately of suspected unauthorized access
• Take responsibility for all activities under your account

Verification Process

We may require verification of academic credentials, institutional affiliations, or professional qualifications for certain services including institutional email verification, ORCID integration (recommended), professional credential validation, and editorial board appointment verification.

3. Academic Use Guidelines

Life Conflux Press Limited is dedicated to fostering responsible scholarly communication and maintaining the highest standards of academic integrity. All users must comply with these guidelines when using our Services.

Permitted Uses

• Academic research and scholarly investigation
• Educational activities and teaching purposes
• Manuscript submission for peer review
• Participation in peer review process
• Accessing published research content
• Professional networking and collaboration
• Citation and reference purposes (with proper attribution)

Prohibited Uses

• Commercial redistribution without permission
• Automated data mining or scraping
• Circumventing access controls or paywalls
• Submitting plagiarized or fabricated content
• Compromising peer review confidentiality
• Creating fake accounts or impersonation
• Disrupting platform functionality or security

Academic Freedom and Responsibility

We support academic freedom and the open exchange of ideas while maintaining high standards for scholarly discourse. Users are encouraged to engage in respectful debate and constructive criticism while adhering to professional ethics and courtesy. All content must meet academic standards for quality, originality, and scholarly merit.

4. Intellectual Property Rights

Intellectual property rights are fundamental to academic publishing and scholarly communication. These provisions protect the rights of authors, publishers, and the broader academic community while facilitating the dissemination of knowledge.

Platform Content Rights

All content on our platform, including website design, layout, and user interface; software, databases, and technical systems; logos, trademarks, and branding materials; editorial guidelines and policies; and marketing and promotional materials are owned by Life Conflux Press Limited or our licensors and protected by intellectual property laws.

Published Research Content

All articles published in Head and Neck Diseases Conflux are open access under the Creative Commons Attribution 4.0 International License (CC BY 4.0). Authors retain copyright of their work, and any user may access, reuse, distribute, or reproduce the article for any lawful purpose provided the original work is properly cited.

User-Generated Content

When you submit content to our platform, you retain ownership of your intellectual property, grant us necessary rights for publication and distribution, warrant that you have the right to submit the content, and confirm the content does not infringe third-party rights. Specific license terms are detailed in publication agreements.

Copyright Infringement Reporting

If you believe content on our platform infringes your intellectual property rights, please contact our legal department at publication@lifeconfluxpress.com with description of the copyrighted work, location of allegedly infringing material, your contact information, good faith belief statement, accuracy statement under penalty of perjury, and authorization to act on behalf of owner.

5. Manuscript Submission Terms

Manuscript submission to Head and Neck Diseases Conflux involves specific terms and conditions that authors must understand and accept. These terms ensure the integrity of the peer review process and protect the rights of all parties involved.

Submission Requirements

• Original research not published elsewhere
• Not under consideration by other journals
• Compliance with ethical guidelines
• Proper institutional approvals obtained
• All co-authors have approved submission
• Adherence to journal formatting guidelines
• Complete disclosure of conflicts of interest
• Appropriate data availability statements

Author Responsibilities

• Ensure accuracy and integrity of research
• Provide complete and honest reporting
• Respond promptly to editorial communications
• Address reviewer comments constructively
• Maintain confidentiality during review
• Correct errors discovered post-publication
• Comply with data sharing requirements
• Uphold authorship criteria standards

Editorial Rights

• Accept, reject, or request revisions
• Assign appropriate peer reviewers
• Make editorial modifications for clarity
• Determine publication schedule and format
• Withdraw articles for ethical violations
• Issue corrections, retractions, or expressions of concern
• Maintain editorial independence
• Enforce journal policies and standards

Publication License Grant

Upon acceptance, authors grant Life Conflux Press Limited the necessary rights to publish, distribute, and promote their work under the CC BY 4.0 licence. Authors retain ownership of their intellectual property and may use their work for academic and educational purposes, subject to proper attribution.

6. Research Integrity & Ethics

Life Conflux Press Limited is committed to upholding the highest standards of research integrity and publication ethics. All users must adhere to internationally recognized ethical guidelines and best practices in scholarly communication.

Research Ethics Compliance

• Institutional Review Board (IRB) approval for human subjects
• Institutional Animal Care and Use Committee (IACUC) approval
• Informed consent for human participants
• Ethical treatment of animal subjects
• Environmental safety and sustainability considerations
• Dual-use research oversight when applicable

Publication Ethics

• Prohibition of plagiarism and self-plagiarism
• Prevention of data fabrication and falsification
• Proper attribution and citation practices
• Transparent reporting of methodology and results
• Appropriate authorship attribution
• Disclosure of conflicts of interest

Misconduct Response

• Investigation of alleged misconduct
• Collaboration with institutional authorities
• Appropriate corrective measures (corrections, retractions)
• Notification of relevant databases and indexing services
• Protection for whistleblowers and reporters
• Educational interventions when appropriate

Reporting Ethical Concerns

We encourage the reporting of suspected research misconduct, publication ethics violations, or other concerns. Reports can be made confidentially to our Research Integrity Department at ethics@hndconflux.com. All reports will be investigated thoroughly and handled with appropriate confidentiality.

7. Limitation of Liability

These limitations protect Life Conflux Press Limited while ensuring fair and reasonable service provision. Users should understand the scope and limitations of our services and their associated responsibilities.

Service Limitations

Our services are provided "as is" without warranties of any kind. We do not guarantee uninterrupted service availability, error-free operation of all features, specific outcomes from peer review, publication acceptance or timeline, or protection against all security threats.

Liability Exclusions

To the fullest extent permitted by law, we exclude liability for indirect, incidental, or consequential damages; loss of profits, data, or business opportunities; third-party content or user-generated materials; technical failures or system downtime; and unauthorized access or data breaches.

Damages Limitation

Our total liability for any claims shall not exceed the amount you paid for our services in the twelve months preceding the claim, or $100 USD, whichever is greater. These limitations apply regardless of the legal theory on which claims are based.

8. Governing Law & Dispute Resolution

Applicable Law

These Terms are governed by the laws of the jurisdiction where Life Conflux Press Limited is incorporated, without regard to conflict of law principles. International users acknowledge that local laws may also apply to their use of our services.

Dispute Resolution

We encourage resolution of disputes through direct communication. For formal disputes, we support mediation and arbitration as alternatives to litigation, where legally permissible and appropriate for the nature of the dispute.

International Users

International users acknowledge that our services are operated from our primary jurisdiction and that data may be processed in multiple countries. Users are responsible for compliance with their local laws and regulations.