Citations & Evidence

[SCREENSHOT — Consult response with in-text citation superscripts visible, and the References drawer open alongside]

Purpose

This article explains how Consult grounds its responses in evidence, where citations appear within a response, and how to interpret the references and data that accompany each answer.

In-Text Citations

Where a statement in a Consult response is supported by peer-reviewed literature, a superscript citation number appears inline (for example, ¹). These citations are:

  • Clickable. Selecting a citation number by clicking on it (if on the web) or tapping on it (if on iOS) opens a popover showing the reference title, authors, journal or source, and year of publication.
  • Sequentially numbered. A response may include multiple citations at different points; each is numbered in the order it appears.

A citation indicates that the specific claim is directly supported by the referenced source. Statements reflecting broad clinical consensus may not carry individual citations.

[SCREENSHOT — in-text superscript citation with the hover popover open, showing reference metadata]

Items On An In-Text Citation

Each reference has associated information that can be accessed within the summary or by opening the Reference drawer. Different information will appear if you access the reference by tapping or hovering in the summary versus viewing in the drawer.

In The Summary

  • Title
  • Type Tag (indicates Journal or Web source)
  • Publication Year
  • Journal Name (If applicable)
  • Blue “View Article” button

In The Reference Drawer

  • Reference sequence number
  • Title
  • Type Tag (Journal or Web)
  • Publication Year
  • Journal Title and/or Website Title
  • Authors

Note: In the Reference drawer, click on the title of the reference to view it. 

The References List

Every Consult response that includes citations provides a full reference list. To access it:

  1. Select the References control at the bottom of the response.
  2. The References drawer opens, listing all cited sources by sequence number.
  3. Select any entry to expand it and view full bibliographic details: title, authors, journal or source name, year, volume, issue, and identifiers.
  4. Select the source link to open the original publication.

Each entry displays a source favicon to identify the publisher at a glance. 

Where the reference list includes content sourced from PubMed, the following disclaimer appears below the list: "This product uses publicly available data from the U.S. National Library of Medicine (NLM), National Institutes of Health, Department of Health and Human Services; NLM is not responsible for the product and does not endorse or recommend this or any other product."

[SCREENSHOT — References drawer open, showing multiple entries with source favicons and expanded bibliographic detail]

Citation Quality Badges

Each reference may display a single quality badge indicating its standing in the literature. Badges are assigned based on a ranked hierarchy; only the highest applicable badge appears per reference:

  1. Highly Cited
  2. Important Author / Highly Cited Author
  3. Top Institution
  4. Impactful Journal
  5. New and Noteworthy

Not every reference carries a badge. The absence of a badge does not indicate lower quality — a reference may simply fall outside the criteria for any category.

[SCREENSHOT — reference entry with a citation quality badge displayed]

Real-World Data in Responses

In addition to peer-reviewed literature, Consult responses may include data visualizations drawn from real-world claims. These charts show patterns such as prescribing rates, and utilization trends at the specialty or population level, providing practice-level context alongside the literature response.

Real-world data visualizations are labeled within the response. When claims data is available, the chart reflects real-world data at the broader claims level drawing from specialty or location level data.

For information on data availability and privacy limitations that apply to these charts, see Limitations & Safety Guardrails.

[SCREENSHOT — Consult response with a real-world data chart embedded below the text response]

Important To Remember

  • Abstract text is not displayed in the in-text citation popover or the References drawer. Only bibliographic metadata is shown.
  • References are sourced from peer-reviewed literature databases provided via licensing partners such as NEJM and Wolters Kluwer, as well as PubMed. The presence of a citation reflects that a claim is supported by that source — physicians should assess the quality and applicability of each study independently.
  • CME credit eligibility for a Consult session is linked in part to the presence of references in the response. Sessions that do not generate references may not qualify for credit.

Related Articles

Version History & Approval

Updated: 5/9/2026

Reviewed by: Nikhil Illa, Director of Clinical Product

Approved by: [Name, Title]

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