How Research Confidence Scores Work
Every peptide on Peptide Manual carries a research confidence profile. This page explains exactly how those scores are calculated, what they measure, what they do not measure, and why they change over time.
The Overall Research Confidence Score
Each peptide receives an Overall Research Confidence score on a 100-point scale. It is a curated summary of how much published, peer-reviewed research currently exists for that peptide. A 92 means multiple published human studies, extensive mechanistic research, and consistent findings across several research groups — not that the peptide is "better."
The Eight Dimensions
The overall score is supported by eight sub-scores, each rating a distinct facet of the available research.
Human Evidence
Number of human studies, study quality, replication, sample sizes, consistency, clinical trials, and meta-analyses.
Animal Evidence
Published animal studies, replication, consistency, species studied, and study quality.
Laboratory Evidence
Cell-based research, mechanistic understanding, and laboratory validation.
Mechanism Confidence
How well researchers understand target receptors, biological pathways, and the mechanism of action.
Clinical Interest
Current trials, institutions researching it, publication frequency, and scientific attention.
Safety Knowledge
How much is currently known about the peptide's safety profile — and what remains unknown.
Popularity
Search interest, scientific publications, research activity, and educational interest — not commercial popularity.
Emerging Interest
Signals of rising research attention, recency of entry, and early-stage status.
Confidence Levels
Well-established, replicated evidence across multiple research groups.
Solid evidence exists, but some gaps or limited replication remain.
Some evidence, but preliminary, sparse, or not yet replicated.
Little published evidence; much is inferred or unknown.
What the Scores Do NOT Measure
- ✕How well a peptide will work for any individual person.
- ✕Safety for personal use or specific health conditions.
- ✕Commercial demand, sales, or market popularity.
- ✕An endorsement or recommendation to use a peptide.
- ✕A guarantee that findings will hold in future research.
Why Scores Update
Science is iterative. As new studies are published, evidence accumulates or shifts, and scores are re-evaluated. When a peptide's score changes, the reason is documented in its Score History — including the previous score, the delta, the date, and the research that prompted the change. Nothing changes without a recorded reason.
Research Activity
Rather than a number, research activity is shown as a trend label describing the trajectory of research attention:
Knowledge Graph Engine
The Peptide Manual uses an intelligent knowledge graph to automatically connect related content across the site. This helps you discover peptides, mechanisms, body systems, and research that share scientific relationships.
Peptides are linked by shared molecular families, receptor targets, and biological pathways.
Each peptide connects to anatomical systems it's researched to affect, from nervous system to metabolic pathways.
"Connected Content" sections show related peptides, stacks, research studies, protocols, and comparisons.
Cross-references help you explore the science from multiple angles — by mechanism, goal, or body system.
How it works: The graph engine analyzes peptide attributes (molecular family, receptors, categories, biological systems) and builds real-time relationships. When you read about a peptide or mechanism, the "Connected Content" section shows scientifically related content to deepen your understanding.