APA Citation Checker
Paste a reference list. Each reference is checked against its published record, with corrections listed, and compared with the formatting of the style you pick, APA 7 to start.
APA Citation Checker
My references (0)Saved in this browser.
Your reference list starts here
Each source is checked against its published record, formatted in APA Style (7th Edition), and kept in this browser. No sign-up.
What each label means
- Confirmed
- A published record matched the reference, and no detail you pasted differs from it.
- Confirmed, with the corrections listed
- A published record matched, and a detail you pasted differs from it. The row names each change, and you can keep your pasted version.
- Not confirmed
- No registry we ask holds one matching record. Registries miss many real works, so this is not a sign the reference is wrong.
- As written
- The row is formatted from the details you pasted, with no registry record applied. A BibTeX or RIS paste reads this way, and so does a row where you keep what you pasted.
- Retracted
- A registry marks the work as retracted. Read the notice before you cite it.
What the formatting check compares
A pasted reference is compared with the same work written in the style you pick. The report names each part that differs.
The formatting check covers APA, MLA, Harvard, and Vancouver only. Other styles get the record check without a format report.
- Title capitals
- Author names
- Joining the authors
- Et al.
- Year position
- Volume and issue
- Page range
- DOI form
- Punctuation
What this page cannot do
- One paste checks up to 100 references.
- The formatting check reads a pasted reference, not a DOI or a link, because only a pasted reference has a format of its own.
- Italics and hanging indents are not part of the formatting check.
- A title made only of proper names can read as a capitals error. Compare it with the style guide.
- A reference whose lookup did not finish counts as not checked in the summary, and its row says the check is incomplete.
Frequently asked questions
What does the APA citation checker look at?
It looks each reference up in registries such as Crossref and PubMed. A match reads Confirmed, and each detail that differs is listed as a correction on its row. For a pasted reference it also lists where the formatting differs from the style you pick. Examples are the joining of authors, the year position and the DOI form.
Does Not confirmed mean a reference is fake?
No. Registries miss many real works, including books, reports, web pages and new papers. Check a Not confirmed reference against your source, or paste its DOI to look it up directly.
Where does my reference list go?
Each reference is sent to the CiteTools server to be looked up, and the privacy page names who may receive it. The list you keep is saved in this browser only.