About CitationCheck

Why this exists

Fabricated, malformed, and mismatched references have always existed — writing tools that generate plausible-looking citations have simply made them more common. Checking a reference by hand means searching several databases, comparing fields, and knowing where coverage gaps hide. CitationCheck automates the mechanical part of that work and shows its evidence, so the human part — reading and judging the source — gets your full attention.

What it does — and does not do

It parses citations, resolves identifiers, searches scholarly metadata providers, and compares records field by field, classifying each check into one of five documented states. It does not write essays, detect plagiarism, manage references, score source quality, replace peer review, or determine whether a paper supports a claim. It cannot guarantee that every fabricated citation is caught, and it never treats "not found" as proof of fabrication.

Why it's free

Citation verification is most useful as a routine habit, and habits don't form behind paywalls. The core checker is free, requires no account, and uses no dark patterns — no fake scarcity, no credit counters, no forced registration.

Who operates it

Operator attribution, organizational status, and licensing details are published here only once they are verified. This page states nothing about the operating organization until that verification is complete — a deliberately boring policy that also applies to every claim on this site.

How the methodology is maintained

Matching rules and thresholds live in configuration, are exercised against a fixture suite of representative citations, and change when incorrect-result reports show systematic error. Substantive changes are dated on the methodology page.

Reporting errors

Wrong classification? Email support@citationcheck.org with the citation and, if you have it, the DOI or a link to the correct record. These reports are the primary driver of parser and threshold fixes.

Code and contributions

The code is not currently published as an open-source repository. If that changes, a repository link and license will appear here and in the footer — not before.