verify-citation

# verifyCitation Cross-checks a _claimed_ citation (title, plus optional authors/year/container and one identifier) against the metadata resolved from that identifier. Catches the dominant fabrication pattern documented by Topaz et al. (Lancet, 2026): a real, resolvable DOI paired with an invented title and authors. `resolveIdentifier` alone never catches this — it returns whatever the registry has for the identifier. `verifyCitation` is the only tool that compares the _claim_ against _reality_. ## When to use - A user pastes a citation from an LLM transcript and asks "is this real?" - An agent is auditing references in a manuscript draft for hallucinations. - A reviewer wants to flag suspected fabricated citations before submission. ## Inputs Wrap the citation fields inside a `claimed` object (one citation per call): - `claimed` (object, required): - `title` (string, required) — the title exactly as cited. - one identifier — `doi`, `pmid`, `pmcid`, `isbn`, `arxiv`, `issn`, `ads`, or `whoIrisUrl`. - `authors` (array, optional) — `[{ "family": "...", "given": "..." }]`; sharpens the verdict. - `year` (number, optional); `container` (string, optional — the journal or book title). - `options` (object, optional) — e.g. `{ "bypassCache": true }`. ## Outputs ```json { "ok": true, "verdict": "matched" | "mismatch" | "not_found" | "ambiguous", "confidence": "high" | "medium" | "low", "matched": { "...": "the resolved CSL item, when one was found" } } ``` - `matched` — the claim agrees with the record at the identifier. - `mismatch` — the identifier resolves but the title does not (the fabrication pattern; flag it clearly). - `ambiguous` — the identifier resolves to one paper but the claimed title matches a _different_ real paper (a wrong-identifier error, not a fabrication). - `not_found` — neither identifier nor title resolves anywhere. Every produced verdict returns `200 OK` — the verdict _is_ the answer, not a failure. 4xx/5xx are reserved for protocol errors. ## Underlying surfaces - **REST**: `POST /api/verify` with `{ "claimed": { … } }`. One citation per call. - **Web UI**: [`/tools/citation-verifier`](https://scholar-sidekick.com/tools/citation-verifier). - **MCP tool**: `verifyCitation` in `scholar-sidekick-mcp` v0.7.0+. ## Example ```bash curl -sS -X POST "https://scholar-sidekick.com/api/verify" \ -H "Content-Type: application/json" \ -d '{"claimed":{"title":"The title exactly as cited","doi":"10.1038/nphys1170","authors":[{"family":"Verlinde"}],"year":2011}}' ``` ## See also - `checkRetraction` for retraction status (different concern — fake vs. retracted). - [`/citation-integrity`](https://scholar-sidekick.com/citation-integrity) for the broader trust surface.