Checking references
How to tell a real source from an invented one, and how to check a whole list before you hand it in.
References that point at nothing are now common enough that markers look for them. They come from AI tools that write reference-shaped text without looking anything up, from notes taken in a hurry, and from details copied out of another paper’s bibliography. A real source can also turn out to be retracted, which is a different problem with a different fix.
These guides show how to check one reference by hand, what “not found” does and does not prove, how to check a list of thirty in an evening, and, for the person marking, how to spot a fabricated reference without accusing an honest student.
51 guides
October 3, 2026 · 13 min read
Strange retractions: 11 odd cases and what to do if you cited one
What are the strangest retractions in science, and what should I do if I cited a retracted paper?
Eleven strange retractions from the Retraction Watch database and its reporting, each traced to its notice, and what to do if a paper you cited is retracted.
Everyone
October 3, 2026 · 12 min read
The most retracted researchers: the Retraction Watch leaderboard
Who are the most retracted researchers, and can I still cite their work?
Who tops the Retraction Watch Leaderboard in October 2026, what the investigations found in each case, and how to check your reference list for their papers.
Everyone
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Assessment design for AI: assignments with checkable sources
How do I design assignments for the age of AI that ask for sources I can check?
For instructors: assignment designs that make every source checkable, from TEQSA, QAA, Jisc and Sydney guidance, with brief wording and two tool runs.
Instructor
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Checking a thesis reference list: a supervisor's checklist
How should a PhD supervisor or examiner check the reference list of a thesis before submission?
For PhD supervisors and examiners: what nine universities' rules say about references, sampling a long list, retractions, fabricated entries, a checklist.
Instructor
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
How to improve the quality of your sources in an essay
How do I improve the quality of the sources in my essay or paper?
What markers mean by good sources, the CRAAP test and SIFT, weak sources and their stronger replacements, and a real source list improved one source at a time.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
How to improve your reference list in an hour: a timed plan
How do I improve my reference list in an hour?
A timed one-hour plan to make a reference list better, not only correct: weak sources swapped, gaps filled, balance, recency and consistency, then the check.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
October 2, 2026 · 12 min read
Information literacy lesson plan: a one-shot on source checking
How do librarians teach source checking and citation in a one-shot library session?
For librarians: the ACRL Framework and SCONUL pillars read at source, what library instruction studies found, a 50-minute one-shot plan, and AI-made references.
Instructor
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Screening manuscript references for fabrication and retraction
How should a journal editor screen a manuscript's references for fabricated and retracted papers?
For journal editors: what COPE, the ICMJE and publishers ask of a reference screen, what the studies found, and an editorial-office procedure to follow.
Researcher
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Should referencing be marked? The case for checking sources
Should referencing be marked, and should marking criteria check that students' sources are real?
Our case for marking criteria that check sources are real and say what students claim: the rubrics, studies and regulators behind it, and a rubric table.
Instructor
October 2, 2026 · 13 min read
Writing centre tutors and references: what you can and cannot do
What can a writing centre tutor do, and not do, when a student asks for help with citations and references?
What US and UK writing centres let tutors do with a student's references, what tutoring research adds, a session flow and a do and do not table with sources.
Instructor
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
Can't find a reference or its DOI? Why, and what to do next
What should I do when I can't find a reference, or its DOI says not found?
Why a real reference can't be found, from a DOI typo to a romanised title or a thesis, how to tell each cause apart, and what to do if the source is gone.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Citation errors in published research: what studies found
How common are citation errors and quotation errors in published research, according to studies?
The studies of citation and quotation errors in published research: sample, method, finding and limit for each, where they disagree, and how to check your own.
PostgraduateResearcher
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Common referencing mistakes students make: what studies found
What referencing mistakes do students make most often, according to published studies?
Eleven studies of students' referencing mistakes, from essays to PhD theses: who was studied, what went wrong, where they disagree, and how to check your list.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
Deadline tonight: the 30-minute reference check
How do I check my references quickly when the deadline is tonight?
A timed 30-minute reference check for the night of a deadline: the brief's style, citations against the list, real records, DOIs, names and a final read.
Undergraduate
September 26, 2026 · 12 min read
Famous plagiarism cases in literature and scholarship
What are the most famous plagiarism cases in literature and scholarship, and what happened in each?
Seven documented plagiarism cases, from Helen Keller to zu Guttenberg and Harvard: what each university, publisher or court found, and what followed.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
Final checks before submitting a thesis or dissertation
What should I check in the last week before submitting my thesis or dissertation?
A last-week checklist for a thesis or dissertation, from seven universities' own rules: word count, front matter, format, references, declarations, file and portal.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Hoax papers that fooled journals, from Sokal to SCIgen
Which hoax papers fooled academic journals, and what did each one show?
Sokal, SCIgen, Bohannon's sting, the grievance studies papers and tortured phrases: what each hoax showed, what critics said, and how to check a source.
Everyone
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
How to teach referencing to first-year students in one session
How do I teach referencing to first-year university students in one session?
A 50-minute referencing session for first-year students, built from library and writing-centre practice: timings, activities, AI and fake references, assessment.
Instructor
September 26, 2026 · 14 min read
Retracted papers still being cited: what the studies found
How often are retracted papers still cited, and do the people citing them know they were retracted?
The studies of retracted papers still being cited, each with its sample, method, finding and limit, what publishers must show, and how to check your list.
PostgraduateResearcher
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Teaching students to cite sources: a guide for secondary teachers
How do I teach secondary school students to cite their sources?
For secondary teachers: what the Common Core, the IB, AQA's EPQ and national curricula ask about citing, a progression from 11 to 18, and three lessons.
Instructor
September 26, 2026 · 13 min read
Why did I lose marks for referencing? Feedback comments decoded
Why did I lose marks for referencing, and what does my marker's feedback mean?
The referencing comments markers really write, what each one means and how to fix it, and how five universities weigh referencing in their marking criteria.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 24, 2026 · 12 min read
How fabrication scandals in journalism and science were caught
How were the famous fabrication scandals in journalism and science caught?
Six documented fabrication cases, from Janet Cooke to Diederik Stapel: what was invented, the check that exposed each, and what it teaches about sources.
Everyone
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Check your paper before you submit: the complete checklist
What should I check before I submit a paper, and in what order?
Every check to run on a paper before you hand it in, in the order that saves time, with the time to allow, what each finding means and the tool for each.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Checking submissions against the assignment brief and rubric
How do I check student submissions against the assignment brief and rubric, and mark essays faster?
For markers: keeping rules apart from judgements, what marking policy and rubric research ask, a real MIT brief read into a checklist, and the tools.
Instructor
September 23, 2026 · 12 min read
How to check your paper against the marking rubric
How do I check my paper against the marking rubric before I submit it?
Analytic and holistic rubrics, what research says about self-assessment with one, and a criterion-by-criterion check on real rubrics from CMU, the LSE and MIT.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
How to mark APA formatting faster and more consistently
How can I mark APA formatting and citations faster and more consistently?
For markers: what APA 7 asks of a student paper, what rubrics give it, a comment bank, and a real Mechanics QA run on a sample paper, finding by finding.
Instructor
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
How to run a reference check for a whole class, fairly
How do I check the references in a whole class's submissions fairly, including fabricated and retracted sources?
For markers: when to check every script or a sample, what "not found" and "could not check" mean, how to confirm by hand, and how to talk to the student.
Instructor
September 23, 2026 · 14 min read
In-text citations that do not match the reference list
How do I check that my in-text citations match my reference list?
Why in-text citations and the reference list drift apart, the rule in six styles, what markers do, and a real mismatch report from EdCitation's free check.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Leftover comments, tracked changes and template text in a paper
How do I make sure no comments, tracked changes or template text are left in my paper before I submit it?
Why hidden tracked changes and resolved comments still reach a marker, how to clear every leftover in Word and Google Docs, and what your file says about you.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Replace a weak or retracted source with a better one
How do I replace a weak or retracted source in my paper with a better one?
Why a source is weak or retracted, how to find stronger support for the same claim, and how to rewrite the sentence so it says what the new source says.
Undergraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Upload your paper and check every reference before you submit
How do I check that every reference in my paper is real before I submit it?
Why a finished paper's references fail, how to check them by hand, and what EdCitation's References from a file found when we uploaded a sample paper.
UndergraduatePostgraduate
September 23, 2026 · 13 min read
Writing tutor feedback against the brief, without editing
How should a writing tutor give feedback on a student's draft against the assignment brief, without editing it?
For tutors and writing centres: what centre and proofreading policies allow, what feedback research says, and a 30-minute session built on the brief.
Instructor
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Academic integrity policy wording for AI and references
How should an academic integrity policy word its rules on AI and references?
Template clauses for checkable references, AI use by level and rubric lines, grounded in real policies, with a fair process when a reference is missing.
Instructor
September 22, 2026 · 12 min read
Are Elicit, Consensus and Scite citations reliable?
Are the citations from AI research assistants like Elicit, Consensus and Scite reliable?
Elicit, Consensus and Scite cite real papers and still get the claim, the count or the label wrong. Where each fails, and where EdCitation is the better tool.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Are Perplexity's citations accurate? Real links, wrong claims
Are Perplexity's citations accurate?
Perplexity's links usually open. The failures are the sentence the page does not support, the summary cited instead of the paper, and the overstated finding.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
ChatGPT fake citations and how to find and fix them
How do I find and fix fake citations from ChatGPT?
What OpenAI says about ChatGPT's sources, how often each version invented references, and how to get citations from ChatGPT that can be checked.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Claude fake citations and how to find and fix them
Does Claude make up citations, and how do I check them?
What Anthropic says about Claude's sources and search, what the studies found, the prompts that help, and how to check every reference Claude gives you.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Do Meta AI, Mistral and other chatbots invent references?
Do Meta AI, Mistral and other chatbots invent references?
What Meta and Mistral say about search and sources, what studies found for Meta AI, Llama and Le Chat, and a one-minute test for any other chatbot.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Does DeepSeek make up references, and how to check them
Does DeepSeek make up references?
What DeepSeek says about sources and Search, what seven published tests of its references found, how it goes wrong, and prompts that make its citations checkable.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Does Grok make up sources, and how to check its citations
Does Grok make up sources?
What xAI says Grok does with the web and X, what three tests found about Grok's references, and how to ask Grok for sources you can check.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Gemini fake citations and how to find and fix them
Does Gemini make up sources, and how do I check them?
What Google says about Gemini's sources, what the studies of Bard and Gemini found, what double-check and grounding really do, and how to check each reference.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
How to check your references before journal submission
How do I check my reference list before submitting a manuscript to a journal?
What studies of published papers say about reference and quotation errors, and a pre-submission checklist for citations, metadata, DOIs, retractions and style.
Researcher
September 22, 2026 · 12 min read
How to detect fake citations in a literature review
How do I detect fake citations in a literature review?
A sampling routine for markers, a table of the ways a literature review's citations fail and how each is caught, and a worked check of one claim against its source.
Instructor
September 22, 2026 · 12 min read
How to mark reference lists faster, in five minutes a paper
How can I mark reference lists faster?
A marker's five-minute routine for reference lists, in order of what matters, with rubric lines, a plan for a cohort of eighty and what to write in feedback.
Instructor
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
How to spot fabricated references in student work
How can instructors spot fabricated references in student work?
The signs of an invented reference, a five-minute spot check, what "not found" does not prove, a fair process, and assessments that make sources checkable.
Instructor
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
How to teach students to verify sources in one lesson
How do I teach students to verify sources in one lesson?
A 40-minute lesson on verifying sources: a warm-up vote, a four-step check, a printed six-reference worksheet with its key, a debrief and an exit ticket.
InstructorSecondary school
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Microsoft Copilot fake citations, and how to check them
Are Microsoft Copilot's citations real?
What Microsoft says Copilot's citations are, what tests of Bing Chat and Copilot found, and how to get references from Copilot that can be checked.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
What to do if an AI detector wrongly flags your writing
What should I do if an AI detector wrongly flags my writing?
AI detectors estimate, and they are sometimes wrong about human writing. What the evidence says about false positives, and what to do, step by step, if flagged.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
Why AI tools invent references, and how to catch them
Why does ChatGPT make up references, and how do I catch them?
Language models write reference-shaped text without looking anything up. What the studies measured, what web search changes, and a six-step check that catches fakes.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 13 min read
How to check whether a reference is real
How do I check whether a reference is real?
How to check by hand that a reference exists, what "not found" does and does not mean, and how to check a whole reference list in one pass.
Everyone
September 22, 2026 · 12 min read
What a retraction is and how to check your reference list for one
How do I check whether a paper in my reference list has been retracted?
What a retraction means, how to find out whether a paper you cite has been withdrawn, and how to cite a retracted paper in APA 7 if you have to.
PostgraduateResearcher