OxJournal is an academic platform for intellectually engaged young people. We publish high-quality, university-level research papers produced by 12-18 year olds under the supervision of an expert academic or researcher in their chosen field of study. We hope the papers published here will inspire you to further explore your own academic interests and potential.
Business, Economics & Finance
The Economics of Fast Fashion: How Do the Low Prices of Fast Fashion Reflect Hidden Costs for Workers, Consumers and the Environment?
Fast fashion has transformed the global clothing industry by making trend-driven garments available at low prices and in increasingly high volumes. This paper examines the economic foundations of the fast-fashion business model, including global sourcing, outsourcing, rapid inventory turnover and consumer demand.
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To What Extent Do AI-Driven Trading Models Improve Trading Decisions Without Increasing Systemic Risk?
Trading has been revolutionised by the rapid adoption of AI-driven trading models. This paper explores to what extent do these trading models improve trading decisions without increasing systemic risk during periods of market volatility.
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Computer Science & Coding
Explainable Artificial Intelligence: A Comprehensive Review of Methods, Applications, Challenges and Future Directions
Explainability is a significant weakness of artificial intelligence. While modern AI delivers outstanding performance, its black box creates significant trust and safety difficulties for users. This paper provides an overview of explainable AI (XAI), a field dedicated to making AI decisions more transparent and interpretable.
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The Evolution of Explainable AI: Applications, Ethical Considerations and Responsible Use
This paper seeks to explore the history of artificial intelligence (AI) and explainable AI (XAI), including its recent role in a multitude of disciplines, such as healthcare, finance and law. The paper seeks to explore both the advantages and disadvantages of deploying XAI in the concerned fields and to visualise its use in the future.
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Engineering
How Does Electric Propulsion in Modern eVTOL Aircraft Compare with Traditional Rotor-Based Systems?
This paper asks how electric propulsion in modern eVTOLs compares with traditional ways of flying and what challenges will decide whether electric flying vehicles become part of everyday travel.
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Applications of Ceramic Matrix Composites in Hydrogen Turbines
Greenhouse gases are an increasingly present threat to our environment, and to preserve the lifetime of our planet, reductions in emissions are necessary. This paper examines hydrogen turbines for reducing emissions, explores the current operational challenges and presents one potential solution in the form of ceramic matrix composites designed for this application.
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Law
Gateways to Justice: Assessing the Fitness, Reform and Reach of English Jurisdictional Rules
The expansion of cross-border commerce has made the question of when English courts may exercise jurisdiction over foreign defendants one of the most contested issues in private international law. This paper evaluates the English jurisdictional framework in three stages.
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Artificial Intelligence and Its Influence on Competition Law
Competition law aims to promote healthy competition within a country. In this research paper, the authors focus on traditional aspects of competition law, regulated by the European Commission (EC), and discuss how AI can have positive and negative implications in the region of competition.
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Medicine
What Factors Explain the Variation in Clinical Response and Tolerability to Beta-Blocker Therapy Among Patients with Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy?
This research paper investigates the factors that explain the variation in clinical response and tolerability to beta-blocker therapy among patients with hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
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How Does Lipoprotein(a) Cause Residual Cardiovascular Risk Even in Patients with Low LDL Levels?
Lipoprotein(a) is now seen as a major contributor to residual cardiovascular risk. Using recent clinical trials and mechanistic studies, this review demonstrates the reasons for testing Lp(a) levels, examines the mechanistic process behind Lp(a) and considers future breakthroughs.
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Politics & International Relations
Under What Conditions Does Political Foreign Aid Work?
Political foreign aid can create dependency and weaken recipient sovereignty when donor interests take precedence over local needs. This paper asks under what conditions political foreign aid produces positive outcomes and when it instead reinforces dependency or institutional weakness.
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Rethinking Foreign Aid: Comparing Western Assistance and Emerging Development Finance Models
This paper compares two categories of foreign aid using OECD reporting and AidData’s record of Chinese lending, examining economic growth, association, infrastructure development and the militarisation of aid, with China and Türkiye representing the non-Western cases.
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Psychology & Neuroscience
Music’s Positive Neurological Effect on the Brain While Going Through a Heartbreak
This paper synthesises multiple studies related to the neurological effects of romantic heartbreak. The author argues that music may help to regulate the reward system, attachment system and social rejection system after the dissolution of a relationship.
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How Does Childhood Neglect Influence Neural Development, and Can This Explain the Impact of Childhood Neglect on Adult Romantic Relationships?
Difficulties in adult romantic relationships often trace back to early childhood experiences. This paper argues that childhood neglect is associated with long-term changes in neural systems involved in attachment, reward and threat processing which may explain difficulties in adult romantic relationships.
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