How answers are made.
Every ModernDoc answer is the output of a retrieval pipeline you can inspect. This page is the inspection.
Sources we draw from.
- Peer-reviewed medical literatureindexed research passages, searched on every question
- Current, quality-screened web sourcesfor what changed recently
- Public health authoritiesfor guidance and population-level evidence
Five stages, every answer.
- Step 01
Intake
Your question, in plain language. When it needs more, ModernDoc asks a clarifying question before it answers.
- Step 02
Retrieval
The indexed medical research corpus is searched from multiple angles and the results are fused.
- Step 03
Screen
Every source is checked against a retraction index before it can appear in an answer.
- Step 04
Ground
The answer is checked against the evidence it retrieved — claims trace to sources.
- Step 05
Output
Sources arrive ordered strongest-first and graded — shown on the answer, not implied.
29 source-quality markers.
Every answer’s sources are annotated with up to 29 quality markers — the same badges you see in the app.
Elite tier
- Top JournalPublished in a top-tier scientific journal
- Extensively CitedCited by 500+ scientific papers
- Elite InstitutionFrom world-leading medical institutions
Important tier
- Highly CitedCited by 100+ scientific papers
- Clinical GuidelineOfficial clinical practice recommendations
- Systematic ReviewComprehensive review of available research
- Trusted SourceFrom a verified medical institution or journal
- Peer ReviewedReviewed by medical experts before publication
- PubMedFrom PubMed medical database
- NIHFrom National Institutes of Health
- WHOWorld Health Organization
- CDCCenters for Disease Control
- Mayo ClinicFrom Mayo Clinic
- Cleveland ClinicFrom Cleveland Clinic
Default tier
- RecentPublished within the last 3 years
- Original ResearchContains original research findings
- Very RecentPublished within the last 30 days
- Open AccessFreely available without subscription
- Leading InstitutionAuthors from prominent research institutions
- Prominent AuthorAuthor with high h-index or citation count
- Very High ImpactPublished in journal with impact factor > 10
- High ImpactPublished in journal with impact factor > 5
- Reputable FundingResearch funded by respected organizations
- RecentPublished within the last year
- medRxivPreprint from medRxiv
- bioRxivPreprint from bioRxiv
- WebMDFrom WebMD
- HealthlineFrom Healthline
- Medical News TodayFrom Medical News Today
Grades shown on the answer — 29 markers in all
What this is not.
ModernDoc gives you evidence-based health information with cited sources. It is not a diagnosis, and it is not a substitute for your clinician.
See a clinician when symptoms are severe, worsening, or persistent — and for anything that worries you. ModernDoc helps you arrive prepared; it does not replace the visit.
If this is an emergency, call 911.