| name | check-a-citation-format |
| category | school |
| description | Check citation format against a named style, source type, edition, locator, and reference-list rule. Use when citations must be consistent and traceable before submission. |
check-a-citation-format
Formatting supports traceability; it does not substitute for source verification.
When to use
- Use for papers, reports, theses, exhibits, slides, or bibliographies.
- Do not invent missing authors, dates, identifiers, locators, or publication details.
Preconditions
- Obtain the required style and edition, local exceptions, draft, reference list, and source records.
Procedure
- Identify every citation, note, link, figure credit, quotation, and reference entry.
- Match in-text citations or notes to exactly one reference-list entry and find orphans.
- Classify source type before applying the appropriate pattern.
- Check names, order, titles, containers, dates, editions, locators, DOI or URL, and access dates.
- Check quotation pages, repeated notes, alphabetical or citation order, punctuation, italics, and capitalization.
- Mark missing facts as queries rather than guessing.
- Recheck a rendered copy for wrapping, indentation, links, and special characters.
Failure plan
- If the source type is ambiguous, document the chosen rule and request review.
- If the authoritative source differs from imported metadata, preserve evidence and correct the record.
Worked example
A checker finds two orphan references, a chapter cited as a whole book, and a quotation without a page, then queries the missing locator.
Done
- A citation-check report lists matched citations, corrected entries, unresolved queries, and the style edition used
- Source-type, locator, orphan, metadata, rendered-format, and live-link checks verify consistency and traceability
