---
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

1. Identify every citation, note, link, figure credit, quotation, and reference entry.
2. Match in-text citations or notes to exactly one reference-list entry and find orphans.
3. Classify source type before applying the appropriate pattern.
4. Check names, order, titles, containers, dates, editions, locators, DOI or URL, and access dates.
5. Check quotation pages, repeated notes, alphabetical or citation order, punctuation, italics, and capitalization.
6. Mark missing facts as queries rather than guessing.
7. 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