When Heidi Evidence provides an answer, there are a number of labels and features. Alongside each source, you'll see small labels that tell you how authoritative the source is, how heavily its journal is cited, and whether it's relevant to your region. This article explains what each label means and how to read it.
These labels are signals to support your judgement. They describe the source, not a guarantee that the answer is correct for your patient. Always apply your own clinical judgement and follow local policy.
Where you'll see the labels
Labels appear in two places in an Evidence answer.
On the citation hover card — hover over (or tap) a citation badge inside the answer to see the source's labels.
Citation hover card example
Citation hover card showing Impact score 3.2 and Tier 1
In the References list — the numbered list of sources at the end of the answer.
Not every source shows every label. A label only appears when Heidi holds the relevant information for that source, so it's normal to see different labels on different citations.
Source reliability
This label tells you how clinically authoritative and trustworthy the website the source sits on is, for example: a college, regulator, or major journal. It's based on the source's domain (such as racgp.org.au), not on the individual article, and it isn't a judgement of whether the specific quote is correct for your patient.
The same underlying rating is shown in three forms depending on where you're looking:
What you'll see | Where it appears |
Reliable (or no badge) | References list |
Tier 1 / Tier 2 / Tier 3 | Hover card, when an Impact Factor is also shown |
High / Moderate / Low confidence | Hover card, when no Impact Factor is available |
These map to the same reliability bands:
Reliability | Tier | Confidence |
Reliable | Tier 1 | High confidence |
No badge | Tier 2 | Moderate confidence |
How to read it:
Reliable / Tier 1 / High confidence — strongly clinician-grade sources, such as regulators, guideline producers, specialty societies, and major journals.
No badge / Tier 2 / Moderate confidence — usable intermediate sources; treat with normal clinical judgement.
Evidence is designed to draw on reliable and moderate-standing sources, so lower-standing sources aren't surfaced in your answers.
Hover card showing a Tier label next to an Impact Factor
Hover card showing a High confidence label on a source with no Impact Factor
References list showing Reliable badges against sources
Journal Impact Factor
Journal sources may show a compact IF: x.x badge in the References list (for example, IF: 1.7 or IF: 25.3). The same number appears on the hover card labelled Impact score. They are the same value.
References list showing IF: 1.7 and IF: 25.3,
Citation hover card showing Impact score 3.2
The Impact Factor is an estimate of how often articles from that journal are cited by other researchers. It reflects the journal's standing in the literature, not the quality of the individual paper and not whether the quoted extract answers your question.
How to read it:
A higher number means the journal is more heavily cited (major general and high-impact specialty journals can reach the tens or higher).
A lower number (for example around 1–3) is common and does not mean unreliable — many excellent regional and specialty journals sit here.
No Impact Factor usually just means the source isn't a scored journal (for example guideline bodies, regulators, and societies). It isn't a mark against the source, so look at the reliability label instead.
The Impact Factor and the reliability label are separate signals. A source can be highly authoritative without a high Impact Factor, and vice versa.
Regional relevance
Region labels tell you whether a source matches the location set in your account. They appear on both the hover card and the References list, next to the publisher name, once you've set your country (and, where relevant, your state or jurisdiction) in your Evidence settings.
References list and hover card showing In region, Global and Out of region labels
Label | What it means | Why it matters |
In region | The source matches your country, state, or wider region — for example, an Australian college guideline for a user set to Australia. | Useful when you need location-specific guidelines, drug availability, or management recommendations. |
Global | The source is recognised as globally relevant — for example, WHO or GINA. | Useful when there's no local guidance, or when region-specific guidance isn't essential. |
Out of region | The source doesn't match your location — for example, a Victorian source for a user set to New South Wales. | A prompt to check local applicability. It isn't an automatic reliability flag: foreign guidance may be excellent science, but may not match your local formulary or regulations. |
Region labels are independent of the reliability and Impact Factor labels.
Partner sources
Some citations come from partner sources (for example, DynaMed). These show partner branding instead of the reliability, Tier, confidence, and Impact Factor labels above.
What these labels are not
They describe the source website, not the specific article or extract.
They are not GRADE or evidence-hierarchy grades for a clinical recommendation.
They are not a guarantee that the quoted text is the best answer for your patient.
They do not replace clinical judgement or local policy.
As with any Evidence answer, open the citations to review the original material and apply your professional judgement.