Frequently Asked Questions
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What does this application do?
It checks submitted references against PubMed and Crossref metadata, highlights verification status, helps complete missing details such as DOI, PMID, PMCID, journal, volume and pages, and reformats accepted references into selected citation styles.
Does it use AI?
No. The tool is designed as a metadata-based reference checker. It uses deterministic parsing and scholarly metadata sources such as PubMed and Crossref.
Why do some references require review?
A reference is marked for review when the database result is useful but not strong enough for automatic verification. Typical reasons include similar title but missing DOI/PMID, different PubMed and Crossref suggestions, weak author/year agreement, or possible DOI/PMID conflict. In such cases, compare the submitted reference with PubMed and Crossref before accepting.
What is considered a matched or verified reference?
The app treats a reference as matched when PMID matches exactly, DOI matches exactly after normalization, or when there is a high-confidence title match supported by year and first-author agreement. It can also promote a match when PubMed and Crossref independently return the same DOI. Conflicting DOI or PMID values prevent automatic promotion.
Is title given weightage in matching?
Yes. Title similarity has the highest weight after exact PMID/DOI. A title similarity of about 90% or above, together with the same year and first author, is now treated as a high-confidence match. A very high title match with year and journal agreement can also be accepted automatically.
Can I bulk accept references?
Yes. Exact matches and high-confidence title/year/author matches can be selected and accepted in bulk. Review-required references should be checked carefully before acceptance.
Which reference formats are supported?
The app currently supports ACS, AMA, APA 7th, Cell, Chicago Author-Date, CSE Name-Year, Elsevier Harvard, Harvard, IEEE, MLA, Nature, NLM / PubMed, Science, and Vancouver.
Can I upload a file?
Yes. You can upload or drag and drop reference files such as .txt, .ris, .nbib, or .bib, or paste references manually into the text box.
Will all references be found in PubMed?
No. PubMed mainly indexes biomedical and life-science literature. Books, book chapters, non-indexed journals, and some conference or local journal references may not appear in PubMed. Some of them may still be found in Crossref.
Can I manually edit a reference?
Yes. Use manual edit for references that require correction or are not found in databases. Edited references can still be included in the final formatted output.
What should I do before journal submission?
Export the final list and manually verify important references, especially review-required items, because database metadata may contain errors and journal style requirements may vary.
Who should I contact for support?
Use the Contact us or Feedback page to report issues, request style additions, or suggest workflow improvements.