Evidence Source Registry
Tiered domains for WebSearch allowed_domains parameter and Tavily include_domains.
Tier 1 -- Primary Research & Systematic Reviews
Highest evidence weight. Peer-reviewed, systematic.
Databases & Aggregators
| Domain |
Description |
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov |
PubMed + PubMed Central (full-text) |
cochranelibrary.com |
Gold standard systematic reviews |
who.int |
WHO guidelines and position papers |
clinicaltrials.gov |
Clinical trial registry |
europepmc.org |
41M+ life science publications, free API |
epistemonikos.org |
300K+ systematic reviews aggregated |
medrxiv.org |
Health sciences preprints (flag as preprint) |
bioRxiv.org |
Biology preprints (flag as preprint) |
WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 1)
ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, cochranelibrary.com, who.int, clinicaltrials.gov, europepmc.org, epistemonikos.org
Tier 2 -- Clinical & Institutional
High evidence weight. Expert institutions, clinical guidelines.
General Medical
| Domain |
Description |
mayoclinic.org |
Evidence-based patient information |
hopkinsmedicine.org |
Johns Hopkins clinical guidance |
clevelandclinic.org |
Cleveland Clinic health library |
health.harvard.edu |
Harvard Health Publishing |
medlineplus.gov |
NIH consumer health information |
nhlbi.nih.gov |
National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute |
cdc.gov |
CDC guidelines and MMWR |
nih.gov |
NIH (general) |
nice.org.uk |
UK clinical guidelines (NICE CKS) |
Condition-Specific Organizations
| Domain |
Description |
Topics |
americanheart.org |
American Heart Association |
Cardiovascular |
cancer.org |
American Cancer Society |
Oncology |
cancer.gov |
NCI (National Cancer Institute) |
Oncology |
cancercare.org |
CancerCare |
Oncology support |
diabetes.org |
American Diabetes Association |
Diabetes |
ndep.nih.gov |
NIH Diabetes Education Program |
Diabetes |
joslin.harvard.edu |
Joslin Diabetes Center |
Diabetes |
alz.org |
Alzheimer's Association |
Neurology |
alzinfo.org |
Alzheimer's Information |
Neurology |
tchin.org |
Congenital Heart Info Network |
Cardiology |
nimh.nih.gov |
National Institute of Mental Health |
Mental health |
Regulatory
| Domain |
Description |
fda.gov |
US FDA (drug safety, approvals) |
ema.europa.eu |
European Medicines Agency |
open.fda.gov |
openFDA API (adverse events, labels) |
WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 2)
mayoclinic.org, hopkinsmedicine.org, clevelandclinic.org, health.harvard.edu, medlineplus.gov, nhlbi.nih.gov, cdc.gov, nih.gov, nice.org.uk, americanheart.org, cancer.org, cancer.gov, diabetes.org, alz.org, fda.gov, ema.europa.eu, nimh.nih.gov
Tier 3 -- Expert Analysis & Evidence Synthesis
Medium weight. Curated expert analysis, evidence-based summaries.
| Domain |
Description |
Best For |
examine.com |
Evidence-based supplement/nutrition analysis |
Supplements, nutrition |
statnews.com |
STAT News - medical/pharma journalism |
Drug development, policy |
healthnewsreview.org |
Health News Review - media watchdog |
Claim verification |
healthfeedback.org |
Scientists fact-check health claims |
Viral claim debunking |
consumerlab.com |
Independent supplement testing |
Supplement quality |
nutritionfacts.org |
Dr. Greger's evidence reviews |
Plant-based nutrition |
acsm.org |
American College of Sports Medicine |
Exercise science |
nsca.com |
National Strength & Conditioning |
Training protocols |
sleepfoundation.org |
National Sleep Foundation |
Sleep science |
nasm.org |
National Academy of Sports Medicine |
Exercise science |
AI-Powered Research (use as supplementary)
| Domain |
Description |
consensus.app |
AI consensus extraction from papers |
scholar.google.com |
Academic search (broad) |
WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 3)
examine.com, statnews.com, healthnewsreview.org, healthfeedback.org, acsm.org, nsca.com, sleepfoundation.org, consensus.app
Tier 4 -- Quality Journalism
Lowest evidence weight. Use for context, framing, public discourse. Never cite as primary evidence.
| Domain |
Description |
theatlantic.com |
The Atlantic |
nytimes.com |
New York Times |
npr.org |
NPR |
theguardian.com |
The Guardian |
fivethirtyeight.com |
FiveThirtyEight (data journalism) |
mosaicscience.com |
Mosaic Science |
wired.com |
Wired (science/tech health) |
vox.com |
Vox (explainers) |
WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 4)
theatlantic.com, nytimes.com, npr.org, theguardian.com, fivethirtyeight.com
Topic-Specific Source Priority
When the question is about a specific topic, prioritize these sources:
| Topic |
Priority Sources |
| Supplements/Nutrition |
examine.com, PubMed, FDA, consumerlab.com |
| Exercise/Training |
PubMed, ACSM, NSCA, Mayo Clinic |
| Sleep |
PubMed, sleepfoundation.org, Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health |
| Heart/Cardiovascular |
AHA, NHLBI, PubMed, Cleveland Clinic |
| Cancer |
NCI, ACS, Cochrane, PubMed |
| Diabetes |
ADA, Joslin, NDEP, PubMed |
| Mental Health |
NIMH, APA, PubMed, Mayo Clinic |
| Medications |
FDA, EMA, PubMed, Cochrane |
| Weight/Body Comp |
PubMed, examine.com, Harvard Health |
| Longevity/Aging |
PubMed, NIA (nia.nih.gov), Harvard Health |
Evidence Grading Quick Reference
| Source Type |
Starting GRADE Level |
Notes |
| Cochrane systematic review |
High |
Gold standard |
| PubMed meta-analysis |
High |
Check heterogeneity |
| Large RCT (>500 participants) |
High |
Check funding/bias |
| Small RCT (<100) |
Moderate |
Underpowered risk |
| Observational/cohort |
Low-Moderate |
Confounding risk |
| Expert opinion/guidelines |
Moderate |
Based on evidence synthesis |
| examine.com summary |
Moderate |
Well-referenced but secondary |
| Case report/series |
Low |
Anecdotal |
| Animal/in-vitro study |
Very Low |
Not directly applicable |
| Preprint (not peer-reviewed) |
Very Low |
Flag prominently |
| News article |
N/A |
Never grade as evidence |
Red Flags to Watch For
When evaluating sources, flag these:
- Industry-funded studies without independent replication
- Retracted papers (check Retraction Watch)
- Predatory journals (check DOAJ for journal quality)
- Supplements with proprietary blends (can't verify doses)
- N=1 or case report presented as generalizable
- Animal studies presented as human-applicable
- Relative risk without absolute risk context
- Correlation presented as causation
1---2name: evidence-source-registry3description: Tiered domains for WebSearch alloweddomains parameter and Tavily includedomains.4---5# Evidence Source Registry67Tiered domains for WebSearch `allowed_domains` parameter and Tavily `include_domains`.89## Tier 1 -- Primary Research & Systematic Reviews1011Highest evidence weight. Peer-reviewed, systematic.1213### Databases & Aggregators14| Domain | Description |15|--------|-------------|16| `ncbi.nlm.nih.gov` | PubMed + PubMed Central (full-text) |17| `cochranelibrary.com` | Gold standard systematic reviews |18| `who.int` | WHO guidelines and position papers |19| `clinicaltrials.gov` | Clinical trial registry |20| `europepmc.org` | 41M+ life science publications, free API |21| `epistemonikos.org` | 300K+ systematic reviews aggregated |22| `medrxiv.org` | Health sciences preprints (flag as preprint) |23| `bioRxiv.org` | Biology preprints (flag as preprint) |2425### WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 1)26```27ncbi.nlm.nih.gov, cochranelibrary.com, who.int, clinicaltrials.gov, europepmc.org, epistemonikos.org28```2930## Tier 2 -- Clinical & Institutional3132High evidence weight. Expert institutions, clinical guidelines.3334### General Medical35| Domain | Description |36|--------|-------------|37| `mayoclinic.org` | Evidence-based patient information |38| `hopkinsmedicine.org` | Johns Hopkins clinical guidance |39| `clevelandclinic.org` | Cleveland Clinic health library |40| `health.harvard.edu` | Harvard Health Publishing |41| `medlineplus.gov` | NIH consumer health information |42| `nhlbi.nih.gov` | National Heart, Lung, Blood Institute |43| `cdc.gov` | CDC guidelines and MMWR |44| `nih.gov` | NIH (general) |45| `nice.org.uk` | UK clinical guidelines (NICE CKS) |4647### Condition-Specific Organizations48| Domain | Description | Topics |49|--------|-------------|--------|50| `americanheart.org` | American Heart Association | Cardiovascular |51| `cancer.org` | American Cancer Society | Oncology |52| `cancer.gov` | NCI (National Cancer Institute) | Oncology |53| `cancercare.org` | CancerCare | Oncology support |54| `diabetes.org` | American Diabetes Association | Diabetes |55| `ndep.nih.gov` | NIH Diabetes Education Program | Diabetes |56| `joslin.harvard.edu` | Joslin Diabetes Center | Diabetes |57| `alz.org` | Alzheimer's Association | Neurology |58| `alzinfo.org` | Alzheimer's Information | Neurology |59| `tchin.org` | Congenital Heart Info Network | Cardiology |60| `nimh.nih.gov` | National Institute of Mental Health | Mental health |6162### Regulatory63| Domain | Description |64|--------|-------------|65| `fda.gov` | US FDA (drug safety, approvals) |66| `ema.europa.eu` | European Medicines Agency |67| `open.fda.gov` | openFDA API (adverse events, labels) |6869### WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 2)70```71mayoclinic.org, hopkinsmedicine.org, clevelandclinic.org, health.harvard.edu, medlineplus.gov, nhlbi.nih.gov, cdc.gov, nih.gov, nice.org.uk, americanheart.org, cancer.org, cancer.gov, diabetes.org, alz.org, fda.gov, ema.europa.eu, nimh.nih.gov72```7374## Tier 3 -- Expert Analysis & Evidence Synthesis7576Medium weight. Curated expert analysis, evidence-based summaries.7778| Domain | Description | Best For |79|--------|-------------|----------|80| `examine.com` | Evidence-based supplement/nutrition analysis | Supplements, nutrition |81| `statnews.com` | STAT News - medical/pharma journalism | Drug development, policy |82| `healthnewsreview.org` | Health News Review - media watchdog | Claim verification |83| `healthfeedback.org` | Scientists fact-check health claims | Viral claim debunking |84| `consumerlab.com` | Independent supplement testing | Supplement quality |85| `nutritionfacts.org` | Dr. Greger's evidence reviews | Plant-based nutrition |86| `acsm.org` | American College of Sports Medicine | Exercise science |87| `nsca.com` | National Strength & Conditioning | Training protocols |88| `sleepfoundation.org` | National Sleep Foundation | Sleep science |89| `nasm.org` | National Academy of Sports Medicine | Exercise science |9091### AI-Powered Research (use as supplementary)92| Domain | Description |93|--------|-------------|94| `consensus.app` | AI consensus extraction from papers |95| `scholar.google.com` | Academic search (broad) |9697### WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 3)98```99examine.com, statnews.com, healthnewsreview.org, healthfeedback.org, acsm.org, nsca.com, sleepfoundation.org, consensus.app100```101102## Tier 4 -- Quality Journalism103104Lowest evidence weight. Use for context, framing, public discourse. Never cite as primary evidence.105106| Domain | Description |107|--------|-------------|108| `theatlantic.com` | The Atlantic |109| `nytimes.com` | New York Times |110| `npr.org` | NPR |111| `theguardian.com` | The Guardian |112| `fivethirtyeight.com` | FiveThirtyEight (data journalism) |113| `mosaicscience.com` | Mosaic Science |114| `wired.com` | Wired (science/tech health) |115| `vox.com` | Vox (explainers) |116117### WebSearch Domain List (copy-paste for Tier 4)118```119theatlantic.com, nytimes.com, npr.org, theguardian.com, fivethirtyeight.com120```121122## Topic-Specific Source Priority123124When the question is about a specific topic, prioritize these sources:125126| Topic | Priority Sources |127|-------|-----------------|128| **Supplements/Nutrition** | examine.com, PubMed, FDA, consumerlab.com |129| **Exercise/Training** | PubMed, ACSM, NSCA, Mayo Clinic |130| **Sleep** | PubMed, sleepfoundation.org, Mayo Clinic, Harvard Health |131| **Heart/Cardiovascular** | AHA, NHLBI, PubMed, Cleveland Clinic |132| **Cancer** | NCI, ACS, Cochrane, PubMed |133| **Diabetes** | ADA, Joslin, NDEP, PubMed |134| **Mental Health** | NIMH, APA, PubMed, Mayo Clinic |135| **Medications** | FDA, EMA, PubMed, Cochrane |136| **Weight/Body Comp** | PubMed, examine.com, Harvard Health |137| **Longevity/Aging** | PubMed, NIA (nia.nih.gov), Harvard Health |138139## Evidence Grading Quick Reference140141| Source Type | Starting GRADE Level | Notes |142|-------------|---------------------|-------|143| Cochrane systematic review | High | Gold standard |144| PubMed meta-analysis | High | Check heterogeneity |145| Large RCT (>500 participants) | High | Check funding/bias |146| Small RCT (<100) | Moderate | Underpowered risk |147| Observational/cohort | Low-Moderate | Confounding risk |148| Expert opinion/guidelines | Moderate | Based on evidence synthesis |149| examine.com summary | Moderate | Well-referenced but secondary |150| Case report/series | Low | Anecdotal |151| Animal/in-vitro study | Very Low | Not directly applicable |152| Preprint (not peer-reviewed) | Very Low | Flag prominently |153| News article | N/A | Never grade as evidence |154155## Red Flags to Watch For156157When evaluating sources, flag these:158- **Industry-funded studies** without independent replication159- **Retracted papers** (check Retraction Watch)160- **Predatory journals** (check DOAJ for journal quality)161- **Supplements with proprietary blends** (can't verify doses)162- **N=1 or case report** presented as generalizable163- **Animal studies** presented as human-applicable164- **Relative risk** without absolute risk context165- **Correlation** presented as causation
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