Citations & Formatting
Citation Checking Checklist: What to Review Before Submission
Use this list to review citations, references and source details in a document you already have. It is a practical check, not an official university list, a style manual, a plagiarism scan, a certificate that sources were verified, or a guarantee of compliance. Follow the current instructions you were given.
A separate file is not available yet. This page is the checklist. You can print it from your browser, and the boxes reset when you refresh.
- Review a document you already have
- Citations, references and source details
- A manual pass, not a scan
- Sources must stay real
How to use this checklist
Use it when the document is substantially complete, the citations are already in the text, and the reference list exists. Where you can, check details against the original publication or an authoritative record. This page does not verify those sources for you. A pass done while large sections are still moving may need to be repeated.
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Confirm the sources
Check that each cited source exists, and that you did not keep a citation only because a tool produced it.
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Match the text to the list
Where the style expects both, connect each in-text citation to a reference entry and remove duplicates.
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Check the details
Author, date, title and the other fields the style uses should agree with the source. Do not invent a missing field.
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Check the instructions
Quotations, paraphrases and presentation follow the current brief, handbook or journal guide, not a general habit.
What the checklist covers
Ten groups for a final citation pass. They are not a replacement for APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard or any other manual.
- Source reality and attribution You confirm the sources. This page does not.
- In-text citations Names, dates, punctuation and placement, in the style you were given.
- Citation and reference matching Numbered and note-based styles may match differently. Follow the style you were given.
- Reference-list details Include a field where that source type and style use it. A DOI on this list has not been resolved automatically.
- Direct quotations Accuracy and the locator the style requires. Not a full quotation manual.
- Paraphrasing Own wording, accurate meaning, and a citation where one is required.
- Style consistency One required style, including the Harvard variant you were actually given.
- Tables, figures and other sources Examples only. This group does not set a format for every source type.
- Official requirements These documents override general guidance on this page.
- Final review A manual pass. Placeholders such as [REF], (Citation needed), Author, Year, or TODO citation should not remain in a final document.
The checklist
Source reality and attribution
In-text citations
Citation and reference matching
Reference-list details
Direct quotations
Paraphrasing
Style consistency
Tables, figures and other sources
Official requirements
Final review
What to review first
Settle whether the sources are real before you polish punctuation. A detail checked before a large edit may have to be checked again.
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The source exists
Can you find the work, and do the author, date and title match it?
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The citation and the reference agree
Does each in-text citation have the entry this style expects, without a duplicate or a changed name?
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The fields that apply are present
Have you included the details this source type uses, and left out anything you would have had to invent?
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Quotations and paraphrases stay accurate
Does the wording you kept match the source, and is the idea you restated still the source's idea?
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The current instructions win
Have the brief, the handbook and any journal or template been checked after the last edit?
Citation checking is a different pass
Citation checking
This list reviews citations, references and source details in a document you already have. It does not revise the argument or rewrite the paragraphs.
Citations and formatting resourcesEditing and proofreading
Editing looks at clarity and organisation. Proofreading looks at final language. Neither pass matches a reference list or confirms that a source exists.
Editing vs ProofreadingWhen to use this checklist
Use it near the end, when the writing is no longer changing shape. It does not search the file for you.
- The main document is substantially complete
- Citations have already been added
- The reference list exists
- Major content revisions are mostly settled
- You can still check details against the original or an authoritative record
Also relevant: Dissertation editing checklist .
Academic integrity
This checklist is for reviewing citations in work you wrote. It does not confirm that every source or DOI exists, calculate a plagiarism or originality score, or guarantee that a style has been followed. Sources, details and quotations must be real, and attribution should match how the source was used. A citation from an automated tool still has to be checked against the original. Correct formatting does not make a source credible, relevant, current or methodologically strong.
Read the academic integrity commitmentQuestions
Does this checklist verify my sources?
No. You compare details with the original publication or an authoritative record where you can. Ticking a box does not mean ClarityScholar has checked the source, the DOI, or the quotation.
Is this a plagiarism check?
No. Citation review and plagiarism-detection software are different things. This page does not produce an originality percentage or a plagiarism-free result.
Will a correct citation prove the source is a good one?
No. Formatting does not show that a source is credible, relevant, current or methodologically strong. This list does not evaluate evidence.
Does the page give the Harvard, APA, MLA or Chicago rule?
No. It asks whether the style you were given has been followed consistently. Harvard in particular can mean different institutional variants. Use the variant in your instructions.
Can I download the checklist?
No separate file is available. This page is the checklist. You can print it from the browser. The boxes are not saved, and they reset when you refresh.