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CiteSwap

Citation checker: are your references real?

Check every reference against 150 million real records. Catch fake AI references, wrong details and retracted papers. Free, no sign-up.

Each reference is looked up in the open Crossref catalogue (and Open Library for books) from your browser. We store nothing.

✓ Verified

The work exists and your details match the publisher’s record.

⚠ Details wrong

The work exists, but the authors, year, journal, volume or pages are wrong. Both versions are shown.

✗ Wrong DOI

The DOI doesn’t exist, or it belongs to a different paper: a classic sign of an AI-made reference.

✗ Not found

No record anywhere. Possibly invented; check your library before using it.

Why check your references?

AI chatbots are good at producing references that look right: real-sounding authors, plausible titles, a journal that exists and even a DOI. Many of them are invented. Submitting a reference that doesn’t exist can cost marks, delay a thesis or damage a journal submission, and supervisors increasingly check.

Even genuine references go wrong: a year copied from the wrong edition, a misspelt author, a volume number from another paper. And some real papers have been retracted, which you would not want to cite as evidence.

How it works

  1. Paste your reference list, in any citation style.
  2. Each reference is looked up by its DOI and by its text in the open Crossref catalogue, and books in Open Library.
  3. The record found is compared with your reference field by field, and checked for retraction notices.
  4. Copy a corrected reference list in APA, Harvard, MLA or any of the other supported styles.

Everything happens in your browser: your references go only to those open catalogues, and CiteSwap stores nothing.

Citation checker: frequently asked questions

How can I tell if a reference from ChatGPT is real?

Paste it into the checker above. Each reference is looked up in the Crossref catalogue of over 150 million articles, books and conference papers (and Open Library for books). If the work exists, you see the publisher’s record next to your reference; if nothing like it exists, it is marked “Not found”. AI chatbots often combine real author names with a made-up title, or attach a real DOI that belongs to a different paper, and the checker catches both.

Does “Not found” mean the reference is fake?

Not always. It means no catalogue CiteSwap searches has a record of it. Fabricated references end up here, but so do some genuine sources that aren’t indexed: older or local journals, conference handouts, government reports and many books without a DOI. Search for it in your library catalogue or Google Scholar before deciding.

What details does the checker compare?

Authors, year, title, journal, volume, issue, pages and DOI, wherever both your reference and the publisher’s record give them. Small differences that are usually harmless, such as an abbreviated journal name or an online-first year that is one year earlier than the print year, are marked as minor.

What is a retracted paper, and why does it matter?

A retracted paper has been withdrawn by its journal, usually because of serious errors or misconduct. Its findings should not be relied on, and citing it as evidence can cost marks or credibility. The checker flags retractions, withdrawals and expressions of concern using Crossref and Retraction Watch data.

Can it fix my reference list?

Yes. After checking, CiteSwap builds a corrected reference list from the publisher’s records in any of its citation styles, ready to copy into Word or Google Docs. References that weren’t found are kept as you wrote them so you can check them by hand.

Can it check websites?

No catalogue lists web pages, so websites are marked “Can’t check”. Open the link to make sure the page still exists and says what you are citing it for.