Evidence Standards

Source priorities

We prioritize current government and regulatory sources, professional clinical guidelines, systematic reviews, meta-analyses, major randomized trials, and well-designed observational research appropriate to the claim.

Evidence hierarchy is contextual

No single design answers every question. Recommendations consider study design, consistency, directness, sample size, effect size, risk of bias, recency, and applicability.

Claim language

Language should match evidence strength: “is recommended” for strong authoritative guidance, “may” or “is associated with” for limited or observational evidence, and explicit uncertainty for early or conflicting findings.

Citations

Substantive educational pages should link to the most relevant authoritative or primary sources and identify when a source is older, indirect, preliminary, or limited.

Conflicts and updates

When credible sources disagree, the disagreement should be described rather than hidden. Time-sensitive medication, safety, and guideline content requires periodic review.

Effective and last reviewed: September 4, 2026