Journal of Otolaryngology Advances · Aims and Scope
Aims and Scope of the Journal of Otolaryngology Advances
Journal of Otolaryngology Advances (JOA) publishes clinical, surgical, translational and basic-science research in otolaryngology–head and neck surgery. Its scope includes ear, hearing and balance; sinonasal disease; voice, swallowing and upper-airway disorders; head and neck disease; facial reconstruction; pediatric ENT; and skull-base disorders.
ISSN 2379-8572 (electronic) Crossref DOI prefix 10.14302 Published by Open Access Pub
What the journal publishes
JOA is a specialist otolaryngology journal. Its subject is research concerning the ear, hearing and the vestibular system; the nose and paranasal sinuses; the upper airway, larynx, voice and swallowing; and the head and neck — together with the diagnosis, medical and surgical management, rehabilitation, outcomes, and the biology and function of those structures and their disorders.
The journal aims to advance understanding, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation and outcomes across ENT subspecialties. Contributions may concern clinical care, surgical practice, disease mechanisms, auditory or vestibular function, or methods and technologies with a defined otolaryngological purpose.
Subject fit requires a central, substantive contribution to otolaryngology. Authors should explain the scientific or clinical question and what the findings add. Merely mentioning an ENT structure, using an ENT dataset or describing a device is insufficient. Evidence quality and reporting are assessed according to the study design; demonstrated patient benefit is not a universal condition of scope eligibility.
Research domains
The journal's scope is organized as seven domains. Each is stated with the subjects it covers, so that a manuscript can be placed — or found not to belong — without guesswork. The lists are the subjects the journal covers, not an exhaustive index of conditions.
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Otology, neurotology and audiology
Disease of the ear and temporal bone, the measurement of hearing and balance, and their medical, surgical, rehabilitative and device-based management.
- Middle-ear and temporal-bone disease, including cholesteatoma
- Tympanoplasty, ossicular reconstruction and other otologic surgery
- Conductive, sensorineural and mixed hearing loss
- Audiological assessment: pure-tone and speech audiometry, tympanometry, immittance and otoacoustic emissions
- Auditory physiology, including evoked-potential measurement
- Implantable hearing devices and cochlear implantation
- Lateral skull-base and neurotologic surgery, including vestibular schwannoma
- Vestibular disorders and the assessment of balance
- Tinnitus
- Occupational, noise-induced and ototoxic hearing loss
- Hearing rehabilitation and the measurement of hearing outcomes
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Rhinology and the anterior skull base
Sinonasal inflammatory disease, the nasal airway, olfaction, and endoscopic surgery of the sinuses and the anterior skull base.
- Chronic rhinosinusitis, with and without nasal polyps
- Nasal obstruction and nasal airway function
- Allergic and non-allergic rhinitis in ENT practice
- Endoscopic sinus surgery and its outcomes
- Endoscopic anterior skull-base surgery
- Sinonasal tumors
- Olfactory disorders
- Patient-reported sinonasal outcome instruments
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Laryngology, voice and airway
Disorders of the larynx, voice, swallowing and the upper airway, and the surgery and rehabilitation that address them.
- Voice disorders and vocal-fold disease
- Laryngeal and airway surgery
- Dysphagia and the assessment of swallowing
- Functional outcomes after partial and total laryngectomy
- Upper-airway obstruction and airway management
- Sleep-related upper-airway disorders
- Objective measurement of voice, airway and swallowing function
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Head and neck surgery and oncology
Neoplastic and non-neoplastic disease of the head and neck, its surgical management, and the reconstruction and function that follow treatment.
- Head and neck cancer: diagnosis, staging and management
- Mucosal, salivary, thyroid and parathyroid disease
- Ablative surgery and neck dissection
- Reconstruction after ablative surgery, including facial reconstructive outcomes
- Oral and maxillofacial pathology within head and neck practice
- Multidisciplinary management of head and neck disease
- Functional outcomes, rehabilitation and survivorship after treatment
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Facial plastic and reconstructive surgery
JOA's facial plastic scope covers functional and reconstructive indications within otolaryngology–head and neck practice.
- Functional nasal surgery, including septoplasty, nasal valve repair and functional rhinoplasty
- Reconstruction of facial and nasal defects after trauma or tumor surgery
- Facial trauma management in ENT practice
- Facial reanimation and the management of facial paralysis
- Scar revision and reconstructive techniques of the head and neck
- Functional and patient-reported outcomes of facial reconstruction
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Pediatric otolaryngology
ENT disease in children, where presentation, airway anatomy, hearing development and management differ from adult practice.
- Congenital airway conditions and pediatric airway management
- Childhood ear disease and hearing loss
- Neonatal and childhood hearing screening
- Congenital anomalies of the ear and craniofacial structures
- Tonsil and adenoid disease
- Pediatric sinonasal disease
- Pediatric otolaryngologic surgery and its outcomes
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Imaging, diagnostics and outcomes
The methods by which ENT disease is detected, measured and followed, and the validation of the instruments used to do it.
- Computed tomography and magnetic resonance of the temporal bone, sinuses and neck
- Ultrasound and functional imaging in ENT practice
- Endoscopic assessment and documentation
- Audiometric, vestibular and electrophysiological methods
- Biomarker and laboratory-marker validation in ENT disease
- Device and diagnostic validation, with protocol detail and validation steps
- Development, validation and cross-cultural adaptation of outcome instruments
- Patient-reported outcome and quality-of-life measurement
Interdisciplinary research
Interdisciplinary research is welcome when the central question and contribution concern otolaryngology. Clinical, biological, engineering and computational methods may contribute, with evaluation appropriate to the scientific claim.
Work of the following kinds is in scope where that test is met. Where it is not met, the same work is usually better placed in a journal of the discipline it does contribute to.
- Audiology and auditory or vestibular neuroscience, where the question concerns hearing or balance function
- Oncology, where a head and neck site or its management is the subject
- Respiratory and sleep research, where the upper airway is the structure under study
- Speech-language pathology and voice or swallowing science with a direct ENT, communication or swallowing-function contribution
- Allergy and immunology concerning sinonasal or upper-airway disease in ENT practice
- Biomedical engineering that advances hearing devices, ENT instruments or surgical systems, evaluated using relevant technical, biological, audiological, clinical or patient-reported measures appropriate to its development stage
- Imaging science and diagnostic method development applied to ENT structures
- AI and computational methods with a substantive ENT application, appropriate validation and transparent limitations, rather than generic benchmarks using an ENT dataset
- Rehabilitation research on hearing, voice, swallowing or airway function
- Molecular and genetic studies of an ENT disease
Basic, mechanistic and early-stage methodological research is eligible when it advances understanding of ENT biology, function or disease, or develops an ENT-relevant diagnostic or intervention method. Laboratory experiments, bench testing, simulations and preclinical models may provide appropriate evidence. Clinical deployment or demonstrated patient-outcome improvement is not required for every study; claims must remain within what the design and evaluation support.
Evidence and reporting
Relevant study designs include randomized clinical trials and comparative studies, prospective and retrospective cohorts, laboratory and preclinical studies, methodological and device evaluations, systematic reviews and meta-analyses, technical reports and surgical innovations, and case reports or series with a substantive ENT lesson. Manuscript categories, limits and file requirements are on the instructions for authors page.
Scope eligibility depends on the ENT contribution. Evidence strength, ethics and reporting determine whether the manuscript supports its claims and is suitable for publication. Apply the following expectations according to the study design.
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Outcomes
Define the outcomes, endpoints or performance measures appropriate to the research question. Clinical studies should report follow-up and patient-safety considerations where applicable. Laboratory and technical studies should report suitable controls, comparators, measurement validity and limitations; clinical efficacy must not be inferred from preclinical or bench results alone.
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Patient-reported measures
Where the question allows it, patient-reported outcomes or quality-of-life measures strengthen clinical relevance and are encouraged.
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Reporting standards
Use reporting guidance appropriate to the design, such as CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE or ARRIVE. Report limitations and adverse events where applicable; detailed requirements remain on the author and policy pages.
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Methods and analysis
Describe the study design, participant or sample selection, experimental or intervention protocols, analysis and outcome definitions as applicable. State assumptions, controls and sources of uncertainty so readers can assess scientific rigor and the ENT contribution. Conclusions must be proportionate to the evidence, including when results are negative or inconclusive.
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Imaging and device studies
Protocol details, device specifications and validation steps are reported, so that a measurement can be interpreted and repeated.
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Data
Every empirical research manuscript must include a data-availability statement.
A case report or small series is in scope when it carries a lesson beyond the individual patient — a diagnostic problem, a management decision, an unexpected outcome or a technique worth describing — and reports its method and outcomes. An uncommon presentation is not on its own sufficient, and a single case does not establish efficacy, causality or prevalence.
Scope-fit checklist
Use this checklist to assess subject fit and preparation. A central ENT contribution establishes scope eligibility; evidence and reporting requirements depend on the study and manuscript category. Final suitability is assessed during editorial screening.
- The otolaryngological focus is clear in the title and the abstract
- The methods and evaluation are appropriate to the ENT research question and the claims made
- Ethics approval or exemption, informed consent and animal-welfare requirements are addressed where applicable
- Every empirical research manuscript includes a data-availability statement
- The discussion explains the scientific or clinical contribution to ENT, with limitations and without unsupported clinical claims
All submissions undergo initial editorial screening. Manuscripts that meet the journal's scope and minimum requirements proceed to independent peer review. Peer review is single-blind by default; double-blind review is available on request. Manuscripts that proceed to external peer review are normally evaluated by at least two independent subject-matter experts.
Editorial decisions are based on scope, scientific quality, methodological rigor, ethical compliance, reporting quality, and relevance to the journal. The editorial policies page states the ethics, consent, trial-registration and data requirements in full, and the about page explains how a manuscript is handled once it arrives.
Generally outside scope
Studies focused solely on non-ENT conditions without a clear otolaryngology contribution are outside scope. A manuscript must make a substantive contribution to ENT science, prevention, diagnosis, treatment, rehabilitation or outcomes.
The boundaries below describe JOA’s editorial remit. Facial plastic submissions are limited here to functional and reconstructive indications; this is a journal-specific selection, not a definition of the entire specialty.
- General medicine, general surgery or general oncology without a substantive ENT scientific or clinical contribution
- Neuroscience without an auditory, vestibular or otolaryngological question
- Dentistry and oral health without a head and neck or ENT contribution
- Epidemiology and health-services research without a substantive ENT question or contribution
- Laboratory, device or engineering work without a defined contribution to ENT biology, function, disease, diagnosis or intervention
- Cosmetic-only procedures without a functional or reconstructive indication within JOA’s chosen remit
If you are unsure whether a manuscript fits, the editorial office will carry out a scope check before submission. Write to [email protected] with the title and the abstract.
Where to go next
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Instructions for authors
Manuscript categories, limits, reporting requirements, file formats and the submission checklist.
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Editorial policies
The requirements a submission must satisfy, stated in full rather than in summary.
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About the journal
What the journal is, why it exists, who it serves and how it publishes.
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Editorial board
The editors who apply this scope, with role, affiliation and specialty.
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Archives
The published record, which shows the scope in practice.
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Submit a manuscript
The submission routes, once you have confirmed that the work fits.
Before you submit
Read the instructions for authors, and confirm that the manuscript satisfies the scope-fit checklist above. A scope check from the editorial office before submission is faster than a return after it.
Journal of Otolaryngology Advances (JOA)
ISSN 2379-8572 · Crossref DOI prefix 10.14302 ·
Published by Open Access Pub ·
Articles are published under CC BY 4.0 with copyright retained by the authors.