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Skills / Starter / Check a citation format

Starter School & college skill

Check a citation format

Check citation format against a named style, source type, edition, locator, and reference-list rule.

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.

Related skills

  • Build a source log — Create a durable research ledger that connects sources, searches, claims, notes, and citation details.
  • Choose a major with data — Compare the majors the person is considering with real numbers.
  • Build a course reading list — Build a course reading list with purposeful sequencing, source diversity, accessibility, workload control, rights, and alternatives.