Editorial standards

The Journal is written and edited in-house by OTTAVA. We are a gear brand, not a research institution, and we do not pretend otherwise. What we can do is read the primary literature carefully, quote it accurately, and say plainly where it is weak.

Where a piece would be better with first-hand testing or a named expert, we would rather say so than imply experience we do not have.

Primary sources first. Where a claim comes from research, we cite the study, the journal and the year, and we link it. Where it comes from a governing body — a rulebook, an event organiser, a meteorological record — we cite that body rather than someone else's summary of it.

We quote effect sizes and confidence intervals rather than adjectives wherever the source provides them, because the size of an effect is usually the interesting part.

We name limitations. A finding from six participants is reported as a finding from six participants. Where the authors of a meta-analysis caution that their underlying studies are of poor quality, we repeat that caution rather than burying it.

We use AI tools for research assistance and drafting, as most publishers now do. That does not change our obligations. Every factual claim is checked against a named source before publication, every citation is opened and read rather than trusted, and a person at OTTAVA is accountable for each page.

We do not publish content at volume for its own sake. If we have nothing useful to add on a subject, there is no page about it.

We sell bags and towels. Where a piece mentions an OTTAVA product, it is because the subject is genuinely adjacent, and the mention is clearly a mention of our own product rather than a neutral recommendation.

We do not take payment for coverage, we do not run affiliate links, and no third party has editorial input. Venues, races and brands named in these pieces are named because they are relevant, not because of any arrangement.

Every article carries a published date and, where it has changed, an updated date. Substantive corrections are made in place and the update date is moved; we do not silently rewrite a claim and leave the original date standing.

Anything time-sensitive — race calendars, venue lists, rules — carries the date it was last checked. Rulebooks and event details change between seasons, and the organiser's own page is always the authority over ours.

If something here is wrong, tell us. Reply to any email we send you, or message us at @ottava.official, and we will correct it and date the change.

Several pieces discuss heat and cold exposure. None of it is medical advice. Cold immersion and sauna use both raise cardiac workload, and there are people for whom either is a genuine risk. Where that applies we say so, and the advice is always to speak to a doctor rather than to read another article.