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Guides to checking references
Practical guides to publication facts, identifiers and retraction notices. Review the evidence behind each reference, whether you are assessing someone else’s work or your own. Read the methodology and limitations
What is a fake or hallucinated citation?
Understand hallucinated citations, invented references and altered publication details. Learn what to check before relying on an academic source.
Read the guide →Why ChatGPT and AI invent fake references
Learn why ChatGPT and other language models generate plausible references to papers that do not exist, and how publication evidence helps you check them.
Read the guide →How to check whether a citation is real
Verify references step by step: search the title, resolve the DOI and compare publication details. Learn when a citation needs a closer review.
Read the guide →DOI hijacking: when citations point elsewhere
A working DOI can point to the wrong paper. Learn how to compare identifiers, titles and authors to spot mismatched references and review the evidence.
Read the guide →Check AI hallucinated references as an editor
A practical guide for editors and reviewers checking manuscript references: spot warning signs, verify publication details and review uncertain matches.
Read the guide →AI hallucinated citations in medical writing
Explore why fabricated citations matter in medical and biomedical writing, and how to verify publication details before using references in a manuscript.
Read the guide →Retractions and fake citations: the difference
A retracted paper exists; an invented reference may not. Learn how to distinguish publication notices from fabricated citations and check each case.
Read the guide →Check BibTeX references before submission
Check BibTeX references for publication matches, DOI errors and retraction notices. Review your bibliography file and final reference list before submission.
Read the guide →Hallucinated citations: how to spot them
Learn how to spot hallucinated citations by comparing titles, authors and identifiers. Investigate missing matches and record publication evidence fairly.
Read the guide →Fake reference checker: scope and limits
Understand what a fake reference checker can establish about publication identity, what unresolved results leave open and how to review the evidence.
Read the guide →Read Hallucite results and publication evidence
Read Hallucite verdicts, field comparisons, source outcomes and retraction information. Review available evidence and decide what to correct or investigate.
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