Wikipedia in the Health Sciences

In addition to the Core Content Policies, biomedical information on Wikipedia must be cited with guidance from MEDRS, or the Medical Reliable Sources guidelines. These stipulate that references for biomedical information should generally be:

1. Recent (less than 5 years old is preferable)
2. Secondary or tertiary sources (systematic reviews, textbooks, etc. rather than single studies)
3. Reflective of scientific consensus

Based on these guidelines, good sources for biomedical information on Wikipedia include:

• Literature or systematic reviews from reputable journals
• Guidelines or position statements from national or international expert bodies like professional associations or government health organizations
• College or graduate-level textbooks published fairly recently

There are cases where these rules are flexible. In some of these cases, references that don't quite fit MEDRS are considered acceptable on a temporary basis. Examples include:

1. An older but excellent reference is better than a recent but questionable reference.
2. Information is new, and may not yet be found in significant secondary or tertiary sources.
3. A reference describes a significant dissenting opinion to the consensus.

Also, note that MEDRS guidelines only apply to biomedical information, or information that could potentially be used to inform a health decision. Historical or cultural information in a biomedical article generally only needs to follow the Core Content Policies. For instance, a statement that Jonas Salk developed the polio vaccine would not need to meet the MEDRS standard.