Sources and evidence

A source standard, not a list of endorsements

Use systematic reviews, meta-analyses and clinical guidelines for the overall picture. Use relevant randomized trials and other primary studies to inspect specific claims. Prefer direct access to the original paper or guideline over a press release or a second-hand summary.

The right design depends on the question. A review can have weak methods, and a single well-designed study rarely resolves a broad health question. Assess evidence quality and applicability rather than relying on a label alone.

What we check

Check the population, intervention or exposure, comparator, outcomes, study size, uncertainty, funding and conflicts. Check publication dates, updates, corrections and retractions. Distinguish laboratory findings from evidence in people.

How references appear

Published articles must include a Sources / References section with identifiable titles and direct HTTPS links. Specific claims should link to the relevant source where useful. Do not cite a paper solely because another page mentions it.

Useful starting points

MedlinePlus explains how to assess health information. PubMed helps locate biomedical literature, while Cochrane publishes evidence syntheses. These are starting points for research, not substitutes for reading and evaluating a source.