CheckIfExist - Reference Verification Tool 🔍

CheckIfExist is a tool for researchers and academics to verify the authenticity of references. It cross-checks citations against the CrossRef, Semantic Scholar and OpenAlex databases to detect hallucinations, verify metadata, and ensure accuracy in your bibliography.

🚀 Features

• Quick Verification: Verification of single references via text selection or clipboard.
• Batch Mode: Paste a list of BibTeX entries to verify them all at once.
• Advanced Logic:
  • Detects partial matches (e.g., correct title but wrong author).
  • Handles "First Name Last Name" vs "Last Name First Name" variations.
  • Penalizes scores for missing authors in the query.
• Output Formats:
  • APA Style: Get the correct APA citation instantly.
  • BibTeX: Generates a valid BibTeX entry for the found paper.

🛠 Run Locally

If you want to run the code yourself:

1. Clone the repo

   git clone https://github.com/zabbonat/References-Validation.git
   cd References-Validation

2. Install dependencies

   npm install

3. Run the web app

   npm run dev

If you use CheckIfExist in your research, peer-review process, or academic workflow, please cite:

Abbonato, D. (2026). CheckIfExist: Detecting Citation Hallucinations in the Era of AI-Generated Content. arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.15871.

@article{abbonato2026checkifexist,
  title={CheckIfExist: Detecting Citation Hallucinations in the Era of AI-Generated Content},
  author={Abbonato, Diletta},
  journal={arXiv preprint arXiv:2602.15871},
  year={2026}
}