Build a reference audit sheet
Work from one manuscript version and export a copy of the reference library before making changes. Use columns for citation number, manuscript location, source title, unresolved detail and action taken. For example, “reference 8: page range missing; checked publisher record; corrected” is more useful than a general note saying references fixed. Keep unresolved items separate from completed checks.
Check first appearances in the text
Read from the opening paragraph through the tables and legends, noting where each source first appears. In the ICMJE numbered system, a repeated source keeps its original number and the sequence follows first citation. After moving a paragraph, refresh reference-manager fields and inspect the result. A number that looks correct in one section can point to a different paper after a manual edit.
Match each record to its source type
Journal articles, books and online material need different bibliographic details. NLM’s examples show these patterns. For an article, check the author names, title, journal, year, volume and page range or article identifier against a reliable record. Check the journal’s rule for shortening long author lists. Do not apply an article template to a book chapter or invent a missing issue number.
Verify abbreviations and identifiers
Use the NLM Catalog to check a journal abbreviation where the target style requires it. Open a supplied DOI and compare the landing record with the cited work. A DOI that resolves is not necessarily the right DOI. If a source has no DOI, leave it out rather than constructing one. Record the date you checked online material when the applicable format asks for an access date.
Read for relevance and publication status
Check the actual passage behind a claim, particularly a number, comparison or strong conclusion. A reference-manager match only identifies a record; it does not establish that the paper supports your sentence. Inspect linked corrections or retractions and decide with the research team whether the citation remains appropriate. Keep a note of any replacement and update the sentence as well as its reference.
Run a final two-way check
Confirm that every citation has one matching reference and that every listed reference is used. Search for duplicated records entered under slightly different titles, temporary notes and broken field codes. Check the exported PDF because line wrapping or conversion can alter links. If the editor needs a different journal style later, retain the verified library so formatting can change without repeating the source audit.
Worked examples
These invented teaching examples show an editing decision. They are not client records or research results.
- Before
- A source first appears as reference 4, then is entered again as reference 19.
- After or author query
- Keep one reference record and use its existing citation number wherever that same source is cited. Recheck the sequence after refreshing the document.
This is an invented numbering problem, not a citation to a real paper.
- Before
- The reference contains a DOI, but its landing page has a different title.
- After or author query
- Flag the mismatch. Find the correct record from the source title and authors, then correct or remove the DOI only after verification.
A successful link is not sufficient evidence that an identifier belongs to the cited work.