MediCrab guide

Before you start

• The draft you are submitting or revising (Word, Markdown, or LaTeX).
• The data table behind the numbers, if you have one.
• The references you actually cited. PDFs you already have can go in too.
• A Windows 10/11 PC or a Mac, with an internet connection.

Put them in one folder. That folder is the project. The files stay on your computer and are never uploaded to this website.

Your first check

1. Choose the project folder

   Open MediCrab and pick the folder that holds the paper.

2. Import the manuscript

   Import the draft you are working on. The original file stays read-only; edits happen on the working manuscript MediCrab manages.

3. Run the full check

   Start it from Checks. Numbers, citations, and contradictions come back in one list.

Model review and online literature lookup use compute credits. Your first account activation includes free credits.

Reading the results

Every finding comes with its evidence: the sentence in your manuscript, the source record that was found, or where the lookup stopped. Results are sorted into the groups below, kept separate so that “not found” is never mistaken for “wrong”.

Verified

Matches the source record. Nothing to do.

Needs attention

A number disagrees, a citation points to another paper, or the record differs from the manuscript. Start here.

Not found

The identifier matched no record. That does not make the paper fake; check the number.

Not covered

The databases used for this check do not include the item. Common for some Chinese journals.

Request failed

The lookup did not finish. Try again later; do not read it as “not found”.

What the citation check looks at

A DOI that opens only proves the identifier exists. MediCrab asks three separate questions about each citation:

1. Is it the right paper?

   Does the PMID or DOI point to the work you meant? A common error is a real identifier that belongs to another article.

2. Are the details right?

   Do the authors, title, year, volume, and pages match the record?

3. Does it support the sentence?

   This needs the text. When the full text is in the project, MediCrab pulls out the relevant passages for you to read; without it, this step is limited.

Lookups use PubMed, Crossref, and Chinese DOI services where they apply. When a work has a DOI, Crossref update records are also checked for retractions.

Finding literature and checking sources

You do not need to decide whether something is a “search” or a “chat”. Research directions, clinical questions, and the evidence for a sentence in your manuscript all go in the right-hand panel.

1. Ask in the right panel

   To ask about a sentence in your manuscript, type @ and pick it.

2. Read the answer while sources are checked

   When the answer cites papers, a sources card appears and the Evidence tab opens. In the background MediCrab checks each paper: does it exist, has it been retracted, is there a newer version, and can the answer’s numbers and conclusions be found in its abstract.

3. Add the useful ones

   Only the bibliographic record is saved, with a link to the full text. Download the PDF and drag it onto that row; MediCrab checks that it is the same paper.

Once you have a manuscript, Evidence in the left bar lists your literature table, grouped into Has full text, Missing full text, Title not recognized, and Needs attention, so you can see which references still lack a PDF.

MediCrab checks the papers themselves, not every sentence of the answer. “Not found in the abstract” is a prompt to read the full text, not proof that the paper does not support the claim.

De-identifying data and building table 1

Put an Excel or CSV file in the project folder and it appears under Data in the left bar.

1. Review what identifies people

   The De-identify tab explains, column by column, what could identify someone: a header that says name, or values that look like phone, ID, or record numbers. You can correct any call.

2. Create a de-identified copy

   Names, phone numbers, ID and record numbers become codes such as ⟦P001⟧; dates shift together so follow-up intervals stay true. The same person keeps the same code in every table and chat. The original file is untouched and the key stays on your computer.

3. Build table 1 under Statistics

   Pick a grouping column and the variables to include. You get n (%), mean ± SD, or median (IQR), with optional two-group comparisons. A local program does the arithmetic; nothing is sent out.

Columns that identify people cannot be used as groups or variables. If the table still has unresolved content such as exact dates, results can be viewed and exported locally but not added to a chat.

Statistics currently cover two-group and paired comparisons. For three or more groups, regression, or survival analysis, keep using R, SPSS, or Python.

Identifiers buried in free text are not always recognized. Look through the copy yourself before sharing it with collaborators or publishing.

Drawing figures for your paper

Open Figures in the left bar, choose New figure, and describe what you want in the chat at the bottom right, for example “a diagram of how post-PCI depression may raise MACE risk”.

1. Say what you need

   Describe the content. To draw from your manuscript, say so (for example “based on the manuscript”); otherwise the manuscript is not read.

2. Use Purpose when it helps

   Make it a paper figure, poster, tall or wide image; draw it as a diagram or a realistic picture; with a picture, edit it or draw from it. Leave everything unchecked and MediCrab decides from your description.

3. Refine and export

   Not right yet? Draw another or say what to change. Export SVG or PNG for your manuscript.

Check the text, numbers, and medical details in every figure yourself, especially in realistic pictures.

What you still decide

• Whether to change anything. Suggestions are written to the manuscript only after you confirm them; the original file is never touched.
• What to do with a disagreement. You can ask a second model for an independent opinion. Disagreement means it is worth a look, not that either side is right.
• What leaves your computer. Anything sent to a model or search service is shown and logged. Keep patient identifiers and data your institution does not allow out of it.

MediCrab does not write the paper, guarantee acceptance, or replace statistical review or reading the papers you cite.