Checking your citations before you submit

Reviewers notice citations. A source that doesn't exist, doesn't say what you claim, or is missing from your reference list undermines the rest of your work. Checking takes less time than fixing it later.

For every citation

• Find the source itself, not only a mention of it elsewhere
• Check the authors, year and title match your reference list
• Confirm it says what you cite it for, in its own findings rather than its introduction
• Prefer the original study over a paper that cites it

For every claim

Read your draft for statements of fact without a source. Either cite a paper that supports the claim, soften it to what the evidence shows, or cut it.

Be wary of generated references

AI tools can produce references that look real but don't exist, or that mix details from different papers. Never cite a source you haven't found and opened yourself.