How we choose what to decode
Inspired by the plain-language summaries written for patients and caregivers, every piece follows the same clear structure and is based on published, peer-reviewed research.
Our criteria
- Published in a peer-reviewed journal or by an official guideline body.
- Relevant to preventing disease or staying healthy.
- Large enough, and well-designed enough, to be meaningful.
- Free of undisclosed conflicts of interest.
Evidence ratings
Strong evidence Randomised trials or formal guidelines.
Moderate evidence Large, consistent observational studies or pooled analyses.
Early evidence Promising but limited or mixed findings.
Our open-access promise
Every summary is free to read in full, for everyone, always. We link to the original study wherever possible. Science Decoded is funded by readers who choose to support it, never by locking knowledge away.
How "Ask the evidence" picks sources
- Searches Europe PMC, which covers PubMed and peer-reviewed journals.
- Peer-reviewed journal articles only — no preprints, and retracted papers are excluded.
- Prefers guidelines, meta-analyses, systematic reviews and randomised trials.
- Only publications from the last 10 years with an abstract.
- The AI answers only from those abstracts and links every claim to its source. These answers are not reviewed by our team.
Science Decoded is for information only and is not a substitute for professional medical advice.