Question 1

How do I check if a citation is real?

Accepted Answer

Paste the full citation into Sourcely's verifier. It checks the author, title, journal, publication year, and DOI against academic databases. You'll get a verdict — real, fake, or unverified — with a specific explanation for each result.

Question 2

What databases does Sourcely check?

Accepted Answer

Sourcely cross-references citations against CrossRef, Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, PubMed, arXiv, Scopus, JSTOR, and other major academic indexes — over 200 million papers in total.

Question 3

Can I verify citations in any format?

Accepted Answer

Yes. APA, MLA, Chicago, Harvard, IEEE, Vancouver, and dozens of other styles are supported. You don't need to reformat before checking — the AI parses the citation structure automatically.

Question 4

What if only part of the citation is wrong?

Accepted Answer

Sourcely flags partial matches too. A real author with a wrong journal, a valid title with an invented year, or a DOI that resolves to a different paper — each issue is reported separately so you know exactly what to fix.

Question 5

Should I verify citations I found myself?

Accepted Answer

It's still worth checking. Even citations from classmates, tutoring centers, or secondary sources can contain errors. A 10-second verification costs nothing and can save your grade.

Check If a Citation Is Real — In 3 Steps

Paste your citation

Sourcely queries academic databases

Get a clear verdict

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