Methodology

Practora ranks search results for discoverability. Ranking is not a measure of evidence quality, study rigor, or clinical appropriateness.

Data sources

• OpenAlex: primary scholarly works search and metadata
• Crossref: DOI-based citation verification when a DOI is available

Search ranking formula

Each result receives a transparent composite score (0–1). Weights:

• Text relevance to parsed keywords: 35%
• Recency of publication year: 15%
• Citation count (log-scaled): 15%
• Open-access availability: 10%
• Presence of an abstract: 10%
• Social-work relevance keyword matches: 15%

Higher rank means the item is more likely to match your query terms and practice-context keywords, not that it is stronger evidence.

Citation verification

When a DOI is present, Practora requests metadata from Crossref and prefers Crossref fields for APA 7 formatting. Missing fields are shown as “Not available.” Unverified or partially verified citations include an explicit warning.

Automated inference

Population, setting, intervention, and related practice labels may be inferred from titles and abstracts using keyword patterns. These labels are marked “Automated inference” and must not be treated as author claims.

Related reading

• Appraising research for practice decisions — what to check once a search returns something promising
• Frequently asked questions — coverage gaps, verification labels, and how to cite results
• Search — try a query and compare it against these weights