Receipts, not vibes.
Our four-rule policy for citing the science you read here.
Cite the claim, not the page
Each science statement points to the source that actually establishes it - usually a primary study or a meta-analysis. We do not cite a popular article that cites a study; we go to the study.
Prefer peer review
Peer-reviewed journals and major institutional reviews (NIH, NIMH, Cochrane, APA) are our default. Preprints are used sparingly and labeled when they are.
Direct, durable links
Where possible we link to DOIs or stable institutional URLs so a reader can find the source years from now, not just today.
Calibrate confidence
Strong evidence is stated strongly. Tentative or mixed evidence is hedged in plain language - 'research suggests', 'one large 2022 study found', 'this remains debated'.
Found a mistake?
We mean it: tell us. If a citation is wrong, outdated, or missing, we'll fix it and credit the catch. See our editorial standards for how corrections move through the pipeline.