Reading Source Evidence
Check source provenance, publication dates, versions, and the passage supporting an answer.
MARCUS now shows source evidence instead of overall authority ratings. A source record helps you inspect who wrote a document, who published it, when it was published, and which version is available. These fields support your review; they do not establish that a document is correct, approved, or applicable to a particular decision.
Use documents you are authorized to process, without patient information. A metadata label does not grant permission to upload or use a source.
Read The Source Record
| Field | How to use it |
|---|---|
| Authors | Check that the named authors match the original document. Missing authors remain unknown. |
| Publisher | Check the issuing organization or publisher. PDF producer software is not a publisher. |
| Published | Check the document's actual publication date or known year. An upload date or PDF modification date cannot supply a missing publication date. |
| Uploaded / Indexed | Understand when the document entered MARCUS and became searchable. These dates do not establish its currency. |
| Version | Check the recorded version and supersession status. Unknown status means the available record does not establish whether this is current. |
| Document type / Tags | Use these to find and organize material. A classification such as guideline or protocol is not a quality rating. |
Understand Provenance Labels
Provenance describes where a field's value came from:
- Extracted: read from the document or its supported metadata. Extraction can still be wrong.
- Inferred: derived during processing. Check it against the original source.
- Provided by user: supplied by a user. This is not a record of independent review or approval.
- Provenance unknown: the value's origin is not recorded. Historical records retain this label until a supported correction exists.
Unknown means a value is unavailable. MARCUS does not fill missing publication dates with the current year or upload time.
Check The Supporting Passage
Open the citation beside the statement you want to verify. Read the exact displayed passage, including its numbers, qualifications and exceptions. The citation drawer labels each group Referenced source; a larger internal ranking value does not give a document a primary-source endorsement.
Compare the passage with the current original document when version or local applicability matters. A relevant passage elsewhere in the document cannot rescue an unrelated displayed citation. If the needed evidence is missing, add an authorized source or leave the question unresolved.
Use Draft Questions Deliberately
When personalized questions are unavailable, MARCUS may offer Example drafts naming a current available source. Selecting one fills the composer. Review or edit the question and send it explicitly. Changing projects clears the previous project's suggestions.