Check an AI-generated reference in two stages: identify the actual publication, then read the part that supports the claim. A plausible title or a working link is only the beginning. You need the right work, the right version and evidence that matches the sentence you plan to write.

Use the lookup below when the reference includes a DOI. If you have only a title, start with an exact-title search in a suitable scholarly database or the publisher’s site, then compare the authors and publication details.

Look up a DOI

Crossref DOI lookup

Paste a DOI or a doi.org link. Clicking Look up sends that DOI to Crossref’s public API.

The publication title, authors and year will appear here.

Crossref’s REST API returns publication metadata deposited in its registry. Compare the returned title, authors, year and journal with the citation you were given. Then open the publisher’s record to inspect the work itself.

Step 1: separate the claim from the reference

Copy the exact sentence you want to support into your notes. Under it, put the full reference as supplied: title, authors, year, journal or publisher, DOI and link. Keeping the two together makes it easier to see when a real paper has been attached to a different claim.

Ask what kind of evidence the sentence requires. A claim about a product’s current price needs the seller’s current page. A claim about a clinical trial needs that trial’s report. A citation to a general overview may help with background while leaving a specific numerical claim unsupported.

For several references, make one row per claim rather than one row per article. A single paper can support one part of a paragraph and leave another part unaddressed.

Step 2: match the publication details

Detail	What to compare	What to do if it differs
Title	Exact wording and subject	Search the title separately and inspect the publisher record
Authors	Names and order where available	Check whether the citation combines different papers
Year	Online publication, issue date or version date	Record the date relevant to the version you are using
Journal or publisher	The actual publication venue	Follow the publisher record rather than trusting an abbreviation
DOI	The identifier attached to that work	Replace it only after identifying the correct publication

Small differences can have ordinary explanations, such as an online-first date followed by an issue date. Record the explanation when you find it. If the title and authors point to different works, resolve that mismatch before using the reference.

Step 3: read the relevant passage

Open the paper and find the result, table or methods section relevant to your sentence. Record the page, section or table number and summarize what it actually establishes.

For a numerical result, check the population, sample size, timeframe, comparison group, units and uncertainty reported by the authors. For a recommendation, find who issued it and whether it applies to your situation. These checks often determine whether your sentence needs a narrower subject or a more precise number.

If you only have access to an abstract, keep your statement within what the abstract establishes. Look for an authorized open version through the publisher, repository or library before describing details you have not read.

Step 4: check the publication’s status

Look on the publisher page for corrections, updates, expressions of concern or retractions. If a correction changes the result you are citing, use the corrected information and record the relevant notice.

Crossref provides Retraction Watch data and documentation as another route for checking publication status. The lookup on this page displays basic bibliographic metadata; use the publisher and status resources for the additional review.

For biomedical literature, PubMed’s user guide explains searching and the links provided in its records. Search the title and author together when a supplied reference is incomplete, then inspect the linked publication and any associated notices.

Step 5: decide what to do with the sentence

Use one of these outcomes in your notes:

Supported: the identified source supports the wording and scope of the claim.
Revise: the source supports a narrower or different statement; rewrite the sentence to match it.
Find another source: the reference is real but does not provide the needed evidence.
Leave unresolved: the publication or relevant passage cannot yet be verified; keep the claim out of the finished work until it can.

This decision is more useful than giving a citation a single “real” or “fake” label. It tells you what to change in the actual document.

What to do when the DOI lookup finds nothing

First check for a copied trailing period, a missing slash or an extra space. Try the DOI resolver at https://doi.org/ and search the exact title. Some DOIs belong to registration agencies other than Crossref, and some legitimate publications have no DOI.

If the API is temporarily unavailable, return to the publisher or database directly. A network failure and a missing record are different outcomes; save enough details to retry the lookup without reconstructing the whole reference.

A reusable verification worksheet

Claim	Verified source	Passage or table	Status checked	Decision
Exact sentence to support	Title, author, DOI or URL	Page / section / table	Publisher notices and date checked	Keep / revise / replace / unresolved

Keep this worksheet with your draft. When a reviewer asks where a number came from, you can point to the exact evidence instead of repeating a search. If the document is updated later, the same notes identify which sources and facts need another check.

How to Check AI-Generated Citations: DOI Lookup and a Verification Checklist