Citation & Reference Integrity Checker
Upload an existing Word thesis or paper. Get a complete, honest audit of citations, references, DOI metadata, retractions, and citation-manager fields without changing your file.
Choosing a style only turns on the hanging-indent check. It never changes your file.
Your Word file is read to build the report and is never rewritten. Only minimal bibliographic queries go to metadata providers, never your manuscript text.
Methodology
TypesetOS inspects your .docx package as stored: Word fields (including Zotero and other citation-manager instructions), a References/Bibliography section when present, DOI/URL identifiers, and author–year or numeric citation patterns. Identity checks use public scholarly metadata (Crossref first). Retraction signals come from authoritative Crossref update metadata when available.
Privacy: your document is processed to produce your report. We do not send manuscript body text to metadata providers, sending only minimal bibliographic queries. Unpaid results follow the platform retention window described in our privacy policy.
What the Citation & Reference Checker audits
Built for existing academic manuscripts in Microsoft Word format (.docx) or pasted bibliographies.
In-text & bibliography matching
Flags citations in your text that are missing from your bibliography, and entries in your reference list that were never cited.
DOI & Crossref verification
Validates DOI syntax and checks publication metadata through Crossref, including retraction signals when Crossref metadata provides them.
Reference manager safety
Detects live Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote field codes. The audit is strictly read-only and never corrupts or alters dynamic fields.
Honest academic integrity boundaries
- No text alterations: Your uploaded Word document is never modified by this diagnostic tool.
- Unverifiable is not fabricated: Sources without public DOIs (books, archives, preprints) are marked for manual review, not labeled fake.
- No generative writing: TypesetOS does not write, rewrite, or invent citations.
- Submission authority: Your university handbook and target journal guidelines remain the final authority for citation style compliance.
Frequently asked questions about citation checking
Direct answers to common questions regarding citation audits, reference managers, and file security.
Need thesis or dissertation formatting?
TypesetOS can format your entire Word document according to university guidelines or style manuals (APA 7, Chicago, Turabian, IEEE). Inspect the rendered result for free before purchase.