How to read PaperFren
Evidence you can inspect
Read the original sources, check the limitations, and help us correct mistakes.
An explanation is not a verdict
PaperFren explains selected open-access studies and links to their sources. Findings apply to the populations, methods, and outcomes studied. An evidence label is not a percentage chance that a claim is true, and a count of supporting studies is not a strength score.
AI-assisted explanations and study materials can contain errors. Compare important claims with the original paper. Public reading, sources, limitations, cards, and quizzes are available without a subscription.
What we have read and what we have indexed
The research index contains metadata records as well as papers with completed explanations. Finding a paper in the index does not mean PaperFren has read its full text. Ask retrieves existing explanations, claims, and matching passages from readable private uploads. It does not perform a new systematic review for each question.
A PDF that cannot be extracted is stored as unreadable and is not used by Ask. A no-match response means we did not find suitable material in the selected sources; it does not mean no research exists.
What an update means
Claim monitors report changes to evidence links on PaperFren concept pages. These can include older research added to an explanation. Corpus monitors report newly indexed records in supported Europe PMC slices. A new record is a reading suggestion, not proof that a scientific conclusion changed.
Publication dates and explanation dates serve different purposes. Radar shows the last successful check and identifies checks it could not complete. Its coverage is not the whole literature.
Report an error or missing context
Send the PaperFren page link, the statement in question, and a source or passage that explains the issue. Reports about missing limitations, incorrect quotes, corrections, and retractions are welcome from readers and authors.
Report an evidence issue. Please do not include private research files or sensitive personal information in your report.
Corrections can be reported without a paid account. Automatic comprehensive retraction checking is not currently part of Radar.