Assertion and citation pairs
Each conclusion is an assertion linked to the published records it cites.
Methodology
How TCI reviews published evidence
TCI is an experimental evidence-review tool that retrieves and organizes published literature associated with dietary-supplement ingredients.
Output
TCI generates calibrated and accurate source-linked dossiers automatically.
Automated checks
The software includes automated checks that cited PubMed records resolve and that quoted snippets match retrieved source text.
Process
How an audit runs.
When a stage does not complete, the dossier shows that state instead of a result.
- 01
Submit
A partner submits a product and the label claims to review.
- 02
Search
TCI searches PubMed, OpenAlex and Europe PMC for the product's ingredients, and for the label claims whose outcomes it covers.
- 03
Screen
Retrieved records are screened for eligibility. Scanned, screened, eligible and analyzed counts are shown; an unrecorded count is marked unrecorded, never zero.
- 04
Extract
Findings are taken from the source text and written as assertions paired with their citations.
- 05
Check
The software includes automated checks that cited PubMed records resolve and that quoted snippets match retrieved source text.
- 06
Record
The dossier is stored as a versioned, append-only record, with its coverage gaps and failures intact.
Artifact contract
Built around sources and visible limits.
A dossier shows its evidence beside the sources, and shows what could not be assessed.
Quoted source text
Where recorded, supporting, contrary, no-effect and context excerpts are quoted beside the citation, with a link to the record.
Search record
Where recorded, the dossier lists the searches it ran: provider, query and date. A missing search record is shown as a coverage gap.
Coverage gaps
Where TCI lacks the reference data, the dimension is marked not assessed. It is never averaged away.
Hazard states
Safety is reported as explicit hazard states, never as a single number.
Failures
A stage that did not complete stays visible with its state. It is never shown as no evidence, complete or safe.
Result states
Every check ends in an explicit state.
An unanswered question never becomes a number. A missing result is shown as missing.
Evidence dimensions · 5 states
- Measured finding
MEASURED_FINDING
The required check ran and recorded eligible evidence.
- Completed search — no eligible evidence identified
NO_ELIGIBLE_EVIDENCE_IDENTIFIED_AFTER_COMPLETED_SEARCH
The search completed and identified no eligible evidence. This is not a weak positive.
- Not applicable
NOT_APPLICABLE
This check does not apply to this subject.
- Not assessed — coverage gap
NOT_ASSESSED_COVERAGE_GAP
TCI lacks the required reference or execution record here. No conclusion was made.
- Processing failure — retry required
PROCESSING_FAILURE_RETRY_REQUIRED
The check did not complete. This is not no evidence, complete, or safe.
Safety · 4 hazard states
- Hazard identified — review required
HAZARD_IDENTIFIED_REVIEW_REQUIRED
- No listed hazard found in covered checks
NO_LISTED_HAZARD_FOUND_IN_COVERED_CHECKS
- Hazards not assessed
NOT_ASSESSED
- Hazard processing failure
PROCESSING_FAILURE
A hazard state describes the cited evidence. It is not a safety determination.
Scope of the output
This output is an evidence-review aid. It does not determine that a supplement is safe, effective, legally compliant, or approved or endorsed by the FTC or FDA.