Oxton Science Journal follows the principles and good-practice guidelines of the Committee on Publication Ethics (COPE) and applicable international standards on research and publication integrity. Ethical conduct is expected from all parties: authors, reviewers, editors and the publisher.

Research Ethics

Studies involving human participants must comply with the Declaration of Helsinki and be approved by a research ethics committee; the approval body and protocol number must be reported. Informed consent is required, including consent for publication in case reports. Studies involving animals must follow applicable welfare regulations and report ethical approval.

Authorship and Disclosure

Authorship must follow ICMJE criteria (see the Authorship policy). All authors must disclose conflicts of interest and funding sources, and provide statements on data availability and the use of AI tools. These declarations are published with the article.

Originality and Integrity

Manuscripts must be original, not under consideration elsewhere and free of plagiarism, data fabrication or falsification, and image manipulation. Redundant or duplicate publication, "salami slicing" and undisclosed overlap with the authors' own work are unacceptable.

Editorial Responsibilities

Editors evaluate manuscripts impartially, base decisions on scientific merit, protect the confidentiality of submissions and reviewer anonymity, recuse themselves in case of conflict and document every decision. Editorial decisions are structurally independent of any financial consideration.

Handling Misconduct

Suspected misconduct — before or after publication — is investigated following COPE flowcharts, with due process and the right of response. Outcomes may include rejection, correction, an expression of concern or retraction. Allegations may be sent to editorial@oxtonjournals.com. Related procedures are detailed in the Corrections, Retractions and Expressions of Concern policy.