Transparency about sourcing is not optional for health content — it is a baseline requirement. This page explains how Holy Rosary Healthcare researches, verifies, and cites the information in our published articles. It also lists the primary authoritative sources we rely on across our content verticals.
Research Methodology
Primary Source Priority
Holy Rosary Healthcare prioritizes primary sources in all content research. A primary source, in this context, means the original data, clinical guidelines, or peer-reviewed research — not secondary summaries, news articles, or website aggregations of that research.
For epidemiological data (prevalence rates, incidence figures, demographic breakdowns), we rely on government surveillance data and peer-reviewed epidemiological studies rather than secondary summaries. For clinical guidance (treatment recommendations, diagnostic criteria, medication protocols), we rely on guidelines from recognized professional organizations and federal health agencies rather than interpretive summaries of those guidelines.
When we use secondary sources to identify relevant research, we locate and review the primary source before incorporating any claims into published content.
Source Currency Requirements
For clinical guidance and treatment recommendations, Holy Rosary Healthcare uses sources current within the past five years. Clinical practice evolves — diagnostic criteria change, new medications receive approval, treatment paradigms shift based on new research. Content based on outdated guidelines is potentially harmful, regardless of how well-written it is.
For foundational science (neurobiological mechanisms, established pharmacology), older foundational research is acceptable when it remains the consensus scientific view and has not been superseded by new findings.
All articles display a "Last Updated" date. When we update content to reflect new guidelines or research, we note the update at the top of the article.
Handling Contested or Uncertain Evidence
Not all health topics are scientifically settled. Treatment outcome research in behavioral health is particularly complex — comparing interventions across heterogeneous populations, in real-world settings with multiple confounding variables, produces results that are often mixed, context-dependent, or contradictory across studies.
When evidence is contested, uncertain, or actively evolving, our content says so explicitly. We do not assert as settled fact what is genuinely uncertain in the clinical literature. We present the range of current evidence and note where expert opinion or clinical practice guidelines diverge from each other or from emerging research.
Primary Sources by Vertical
Addiction Recovery & Substance Use Disorders
- Substance Abuse and Mental Health Services Administration (SAMHSA) — National Survey on Drug Use and Health (NSDUH), Treatment Episode Data Set (TEDS), clinical guidelines, Treatment Improvement Protocols (TIPs)
- National Institute on Drug Abuse (NIDA) — Drug facts, research summaries, treatment research
- American Society of Addiction Medicine (ASAM) — The ASAM Criteria (levels of care), clinical practice guidelines, position statements
- Peer-reviewed journals: Journal of Substance Abuse Treatment, Drug and Alcohol Dependence, Addiction, Alcoholism: Clinical and Experimental Research
Mental Health & Co-Occurring Disorders
- National Institute of Mental Health (NIMH) — Prevalence data, condition fact sheets, treatment information, research summaries
- SAMHSA Co-Occurring Disorders Resources — TIP 42 (Substance Abuse Treatment for Persons With Co-Occurring Disorders), integrated treatment frameworks
- DSM-5-TR — American Psychiatric Association Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders, used for diagnostic criteria
- APA Clinical Practice Guidelines — American Psychological Association treatment recommendations
- Peer-reviewed journals: Journal of Dual Diagnosis, Psychiatric Services, Journal of Consulting and Clinical Psychology, Journal of Traumatic Stress
Medical Conditions
- Centers for Disease Control and Prevention (CDC) — Chronic disease surveillance, National Health Interview Survey (NHIS), prevention guidelines
- National Institute of Diabetes and Digestive and Kidney Diseases (NIDDK)
- American Diabetes Association — Standards of Medical Care in Diabetes
- American Heart Association / American College of Cardiology — Cardiovascular risk and hypertension guidelines
- Peer-reviewed journals: JAMA, NEJM, Annals of Internal Medicine, Diabetes Care
Health Insurance & Patient Resources
- Centers for Medicare & Medicaid Services (CMS) — Medicare and Medicaid program rules and coverage
- HealthCare.gov — ACA marketplace information
- Department of Labor — MHPAEA Guidance
- U.S. Preventive Services Task Force (USPSTF) — Preventive care recommendations
- State insurance commissioner bulletins and regulatory guidance where applicable
Citation Standards
Holy Rosary Healthcare articles cite sources in two ways: inline hyperlinks (where the linked text identifies the claim being sourced) and end-of-article reference lists for key sources used throughout the article. We prefer inline citation for specific factual claims because it allows readers to immediately access the source without navigating to a reference list.
All external links in citations point to the original source — the actual SAMHSA page, the actual NIH study, the actual CDC data table — rather than to secondary summaries. Links are checked for availability at time of publication and during content updates.
What We Do Not Use as Sources
Holy Rosary Healthcare does not use the following as sources for clinical claims:
- Wikipedia or user-generated encyclopedias
- Treatment facility websites (which typically have commercial incentives to present treatment favorably)
- News media articles as primary sources for clinical information (though news reports may alert us to new research we should then locate and review directly)
- Social media, forums, or patient community posts
- Content marketing from pharmaceutical companies or commercial health organizations without independent verification
- Sources more than five years old for treatment recommendations, unless the underlying evidence has not been superseded
If you have questions about how we sourced a specific claim, or believe a source we've cited is inaccurate or outdated, please contact us.