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Free tools for medical manuscripts / Reference checker

Reference checker: does each citation point to the right paper?

Paste your reference list. Each reference is looked up in PubMed and Crossref to see whether its DOI or PMID exists, whether it belongs to the paper you cited, whether the authors, year, volume and pages match, and whether the paper has been retracted.

Lookups go from your browser directly to PubMed, Crossref and doi.org; your list is not sent to MediCrab

What the reference checker checks

  • Whether the DOI or PMID exists in PubMed, Crossref or the DOI system. When a reference gives both, both are checked.
  • Whether it belongs to the paper you cited. A real identifier that leads to a different paper is flagged separately.
  • Wrong DOIs: when a DOI is not found or leads to another paper, the paper is searched for by title and the DOI registered for it is shown.
  • Details: authors, title, journal, year, volume, issue and pages are compared with the record. Differences in capitalization, punctuation or how a page range is written are not flagged.
  • Retractions and corrections recorded in Crossref and PubMed, including expressions of concern, with a link to the notice.
  • References without a DOI or PMID are searched for by title, year, volume and pages. They count as found only when one record clearly fits.
  • The list itself: missing or repeated reference numbers.

How to read the results

  • Found · details match: the identifier and the details agree with the record.
  • Found · some details differ: this is the paper you meant, but at least one detail, such as the year or the pages, differs from the record.
  • DOI is wrong, or the DOI or PMID belongs to a different paper: the identifier does not lead to the paper you cited. When the paper was found by title, its registered DOI is shown.
  • DOI not found or PMID not found: no record was found for the identifier (for a DOI, a title search found nothing either). This happens with typing errors and with references invented by AI chatbots.
  • No matching record found: there is no identifier and no record matched. Books, guidelines, reports, web pages and journals not indexed in PubMed or Crossref end up here, so check these by hand.
  • Possible match: a similar record exists but could not be confirmed as the same paper.
  • Couldn’t check: PubMed or Crossref did not respond. Use “Retry failed”.

What it does not check

  • Whether the cited paper supports the sentence that cites it. That needs the full text and your manuscript.
  • Citation style, such as APA, Vancouver or AMA.
  • Most books, guidelines, conference abstracts, theses and web pages, which are not in PubMed or Crossref.
  • Citation numbers in the main text. Only the reference list is checked.

Frequently asked questions

How can I tell whether ChatGPT made up a reference?

Paste it here. A made-up reference usually has a DOI or PMID that does not exist, an identifier that belongs to a different paper, or a title that matches no record in PubMed or Crossref. “No matching record found” is a reason to look the reference up by hand, not proof that it is fake.

Is my reference list uploaded?

It is not sent to MediCrab. The page runs in your browser and sends each lookup directly to PubMed, Crossref and doi.org. Each lookup contains the identifier or the bibliographic details needed to search, so those services receive them, just as when you search their websites yourself.

How many references can I check, and how long does it take?

Up to 200 at a time. Three references are looked up at once to stay within the public limits of PubMed and Crossref; 20 references usually take under half a minute.

Is it free? Do I need an account?

It is free and needs no sign-up.

Does it check or fix citation style?

No. Some people call this a citation checker, but it checks whether each reference is real and correctly cited, not whether it follows APA, Vancouver or AMA style.

Why is a real paper shown as not found?

PubMed and Crossref do not cover everything. Books, book chapters, guidelines, reports, theses, web pages and some regional journals are often missing, and a reference with a garbled title may not match. Check these on the publisher’s or library’s page.

How do I find out whether a cited paper has been retracted?

Retraction notices are linked to the original paper in Crossref and PubMed. For each reference it identifies, this tool reads those links and shows the notice. For papers it could not identify, check the publisher’s page or the Retraction Watch Database.

Check the numbers, statistics and in-text citations in your whole manuscript with MediCrab before you submit.

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