How we research
Octans Research covers the under-covered — US small and mid-caps and Greater China listings the terminals and sell-side skip. This is how we choose those names, how we ground the facts, and how we keep our opinion visibly separate from them.
How we select names
We start from coverage gaps, not from what is already crowded. A name earns a report when it is genuinely under-followed — US small and mid-caps, and Greater China names across venues (US-listed ADRs, Hong Kong, Mainland A-shares, and Taiwan) — and when we believe we can add something a reader cannot easily get elsewhere. Selection reflects editorial judgment about where independent work is most useful; it is not a ranking, a screen output, or a claim about expected return.
The Screener and Octans Selects are the two sides of this: the Screener filters the covered universe on real, disclosed figures, and Selects is a human-curated shortlist. Neither is populated by paid content — selection lives entirely in the independent lane.
How we source facts
Every factual claim aims to trace back to a primary source: a company’s SEC or exchange filings, an official print or release, or primary market data. Where a figure carries a specific meaning we state it plainly — for example, the Screener labels valuation as trailing price-to-earnings (roughly a five-year lookback), not a forward or NTM estimate, because the honest label is part of the fact.
Charts and data on a report carry their source and an “as of” date, so a reader can see where a number came from and how fresh it is. When we cannot verify a figure, we leave it out rather than present it unverified.
What every report has to clear
Sourcing standards are only meaningful if something enforces them, so ours are gates rather than intentions. A report that fails any of the following is not published:
- Every piece is built from recorded sources. Full reports draw on several publishers. A short brief may rest on a single primary filing, and when it does its source list shows exactly that one source. Where a piece’s source links pass our link safety checks, they are listed and numbered at its foot.
- Every figure traces to a source. Each number in a report is checked against the source record behind it before publication. A figure that cannot be traced is removed rather than softened.
- Citations must resolve. A numbered marker in the text that does not point at a listed source blocks publication outright, so a citation on this site is never decorative.
- Market data is labelled, never borrowed. Prices and moves carry their source and their “as of” date. Where a figure is indicative rather than live, it says so on the figure itself, not in a footnote.
- No invented authority. We do not quote analysts who do not exist, attribute a view to a firm that has not published it, or claim a regulatory registration. Any of these blocks a piece.
These are checks a reader can audit: open any report, follow a citation, and see whether the number is where we said it was. If one is not, tell us and we will correct it in public. Our corrections log is the record of every time we have.
How articles are produced
Octans Research articles are drafted with AI from the sources they cite and pass automated source and figure checks before publication.
An AI writer drafts each piece from source material we capture first: company filings, official releases, primary market data, and reporting from named publishers. An automated review then decides whether the draft can publish. It checks that the sources were captured, that the figures in the text appear in those sources, that every citation marker points at a listed source, and that the piece reads as analysis rather than promotion. A draft that fails stays unpublished. Not every piece is read by a person before it goes live; the people behind Octans Research set these rules and can correct or withdraw any piece, and every correction is logged in public.
How we separate fact from opinion — the Semaform report
Every report follows the same fixed structure, top to bottom. The order is the point: sourced facts come first and stand on their own, and our opinion is set apart behind an accent rail so you always know which is which. Blocks may be absent, but they never change order and facts are never merged with opinion.
1Snapshot
An answer-first summary of what the report concludes and why, up top.
2What We Know
Sourced facts only — from filings, prints, and primary data. No opinion here.
3Octans View
Our opinion, set behind an accent rail so the fact/opinion boundary is visible, never blended into the facts above.
4Bear Case · Room for Disagreement
The case against our view, stated fairly — the balanced treatment we hold ourselves to.
5Disclosure
The standing disclosure that closes every report; a mandatory §17(b) disclosure on any sponsored item.
Put simply: the facts are sourced and shared; the view is ours and labeled as such. We hold this separation whether a report is a quick note or a full analysis.
Byline policy
Our independent research is published under the Octans Research Team byline, which reflects that a report is the work and the responsibility of the desk as a whole rather than of any single named individual. Editorial questions and corrections go to research@octanscap.com.
Named individual bylines and analyst credentials are not yet published; when a report is attributed to a named author, the author’s background will be disclosed on that author’s page.
Independence
This methodology applies to our independent research. Sponsored and issuer-paid content is a separate lane with its own labeling and disclosure, and it is never selected into Selects or blended into an independent report.
Independent research is informational only and is not investment advice, a recommendation, or an offer to buy or sell any security. This page describes editorial practice, not legal advice.