Jolene Ng
Bachelor’s in Communications, SMU
4.8/5
Specialist in: PR, campaign analysis, writing reports
Experience: 6 years media, 3 years SUSS support
160 completed · 96% success
View profile of Jolene Ng
For SUSS students checking sources before submission
Citation & Referencing Verification — Every Source Checked Against the Real Record
A wrong year costs a mark. A source that does not exist can cost the module. Since 2017 we have checked SUSS reference lists the way a marker does, flagging anything that cannot be traced.
- Traced, not trusted. Each entry checked against the publisher or journal record.
- Built for AI-assisted drafts. Invented and half-right citations are found and named, not tidied up.
- Private by default. Your reference list never reaches SUSS or your tutor, and files are handled under Singapore's PDPA.
Independent academic support. Not affiliated with or endorsed by the Singapore University of Social Sciences.
How Do I Send My References for Checking?
About 2 minutes. You get a plan and a fixed quote before you pay anything.
Since 2017
Supporting SUSS students
4,800+
Reference lists checked
4.8
Average student rating
24/7
WhatsApp support
Start here
What Is Wrong With My Reference List?
Referencing marks are the easiest to lose. Pick what worries you.
Highest risk
AI gave me the sources
Some of them may not exist.
Check them → VerificationAre my sources real?
How each one is traced.
See the method → MismatchText and list don't match
Cited but missing, or listed unused.
Match them → FormattingIs my APA 7 right?
Punctuation, italics, order.
Fix the style → OutputWhat do I get back?
A corrected list and a flag report.
See the report →
The 2026 risk
How Do I Know If My AI Citations Are Fake?
Some of them probably are. AI tools produce three kinds of broken reference: papers that do not exist, real authors attached to titles they never wrote, and real papers with the wrong year or journal.
A reference list, audited
- VerifiedTan, M. L. (2019). Scheduling autonomy and job satisfaction among nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(4), 812–820.DOI resolves, authors and year match the journal record.
- Year wrongLim, J. (2021). Pay and retention in acute care. Asia Pacific Journal of Human Resources, 59(2), 230–248.The paper exists, but it was published in 2022.
- Author never wrote itChong, S. (2022). Rostering and burnout in Singapore hospitals. Health Policy Review, 14(1), 44–59.Real researcher, real-sounding journal, no such article.
- Does not existNg, A., & Rahman, F. (2020). Shift work and organisational trust. Meridian Academic Press.No record in any index, no publisher by that name.
- Wrong source typeMinistry report cited as a journal article.Real document, wrong format and wrong in-text form.
Illustrative audit. Every flagged entry comes back with the real record, or a note that none exists.
The method
How Do You Verify That a Reference Is Real?
By finding the actual record, not by judging how it looks. Each entry is traced through its DOI or publisher listing, and every field compared.
01
Resolve the identifier
The DOI, ISBN or stable link is opened. No resolution is the first flag.
02
Match title to authors
Against the journal or publisher record, not against how the entry looks.
03
Compare every field
Year, volume, issue, pages, edition and publisher. A single wrong field fails a check.
04
Flag, don't fix silently
Anything untraceable is marked with the reason, so you can replace the claim.
Text against list
Why Must In-Text Citations Match My Reference List?
That is the check markers run first. Every in-text citation must appear in the list, and every entry in the list must be cited in the text.
| What we find | Why it happens | What it costs |
|---|---|---|
| Cited, not listed | The source was added late and never reached the list | Reads as a made-up citation |
| Listed, never cited | A paragraph was cut but the reference stayed | Reads as padding the list |
| Year differs | Text says 2021, list says 2022 | Fails the first check a marker makes |
| Name spelled differently | Two spellings of the same author across sections | Looks like two different sources |
| Secondary citation | Citing a source you only saw quoted elsewhere | Breaks the rule in most briefs |
Styles
Which Referencing Style Does My Brief Want?
APA 7 most often, because that is what most SUSS briefs ask for, plus Harvard, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, OSCOLA and any house style your brief names. Consistency matters more than the style itself.
The same source, three styles
- APA 7Tan, M. L. (2019). Scheduling autonomy and job satisfaction among nurses. Journal of Nursing Management, 27(4), 812–820. https://doi.org/xx.xxxxAuthor initials, year in brackets, sentence case title, italic journal and volume.
- HarvardTan, M.L. (2019) 'Scheduling autonomy and job satisfaction among nurses', Journal of Nursing Management, 27(4), pp. 812–820.Title in quotes, page numbers with pp., no full stop after initials in some variants.
- IEEE[1] M. L. Tan, "Scheduling autonomy and job satisfaction among nurses," J. Nurs. Manag., vol. 27, no. 4, pp. 812–820, 2019.Numbered, initials first, abbreviated journal title.
What comes back
What Do I Get Back From a Citation Check?
Four things: a corrected list, a flag report with reasons, your in-text citations matched to the list, and a note on what to replace. Nothing is invented to fill a gap.
A corrected list
Formatted to one style throughout, alphabetical, with hanging indents where the style needs them.
A flag report
Each problem entry with its failure type: not found, wrong year, wrong author, wrong source type.
Matched in-text citations
Every citation traced to its entry, with mismatches corrected in tracked changes.
A replacement note
Where a source cannot be verified, what would support that claim instead.
How it works
How Do You Check My Reference List, Step by Step?
Five steps, and you approve the plan before any writing starts.
- 01
You send the list
Your draft or reference list, and the brief so we apply the right style.
- 02
We trace every entry
Identifier resolved, title matched to authors, every field compared. Then a fixed quote.
- 03
You approve the plan
Which entries are verified, which are flagged, and what needs replacing.
- 04
We correct and format
The list rebuilt in one style, in-text citations matched both ways, and a flag report with reasons.
- 05
We walk you through it
So you can replace weak sources yourself before submitting, with free follow-up questions under our terms and conditions.
Your expert
Who Checks My References?
Your reference list goes to someone who works in this subject. See all experts.
Fiona Tay
MSc in Organisational Psychology, NUS
4.9/5
Specialist in: Workplace dynamics, assessment reports
Experience: 6 years HR OD, 4 years SUSS writing
211 completed · 98% success
View profile of Fiona Tay
Samantha Chew
BA in Applied Psychology, James Cook University Singapore
4.9/5
Specialist in: Intervention reports, case assessments
Experience: 6 years in social work, 4 years academic
210 completed · 98% success
View profile of Samantha Chew
Denise Loo
Master’s in Business Communication, SMU
4.8/5
Specialist in: PR case analysis, business writing
Experience: 6 years corporate, 4 years academic
182 completed · 97% success
View profile of Denise Loo
Kenneth Lee
Bachelor’s in Political Science, NUS
4.8/5
Specialist in: Policy analysis, governance, ethics
Experience: 5 years govt, 5 years writing
170 completed · 97% success
View profile of Kenneth Lee
Kai En Lim
MSc in Sustainability Studies, NTU
4.8/5
Specialist in: Green supply chains, CSR policy
Experience: 5 years corporate ESG, 3 years academic
150 completed · 95% success
View profile of Kai En Lim
Student reviews
What Do Students Say About Our Referencing Help?
4.8 average from students since 2017 · Read all reviews
"You saved my skin. I had to do a media strategy analysis — which I had zero clue about — and they gave me such good direction. Loved working with them."
"You can tell they care. The way they corrected my ethics writeup without being judgmental… very professional. They preserved the meaning while improving the structure."
"I don't usually write reviews but this one deserves it. Really solid help. They explained everything from GDP to fiscal tools in easy terms. Scored higher than I expected!"
"OMG I got an A! Their suggestions for my digital campaign project were next level. Felt like I was working with a creative team. Highly recommend them."
Clear pricing
How Much Will Checking My Reference List Cost?
You pay for the help you actually need. A formatting pass costs less than a full verification.
| Per 20 references | 5+ days | 48 hours | 12 hours |
|---|---|---|---|
| Reference list checked against your stylemost students start here | S$30 | S$40 | S$55 |
| In-text citations matched to the list | S$35 | S$48 | S$65 |
| Full rebuild in APA 7 or your course style | S$55 | S$75 | S$100 |
| Conversion between two styles | S$40 | S$55 | S$75 |
- Your quote is confirmed in writing before anything is charged.
- One price, quoted once. We do not inflate a price and discount it back.
- Every source is opened and verified, not just pattern-matched.
- Lists under twenty sources are quoted at the twenty-source rate.
Indicative rates in Singapore dollars, to show how the work is priced. Your own brief, length and deadline decide the quote, and you see it in writing first. Nothing is charged until you confirm the scope, and revisions and refunds follow our terms and conditions.
Why Is One Bad Reference Not Worth the Risk?
Send the reference list and the draft. We reply with what fails a check, what cannot be verified, and a fixed quote.
FAQs
What Else Do Students Ask About Citation Checks?
Straight answers on verification, AI sources, styles, privacy and price. More in our full FAQ.
Can someone check my references before I submit?
Yes. Send the draft or just the reference list with the style your brief names. We check every source against the real publication, match every in-text citation to the list, and correct the formatting.
How do you verify that a reference is real?
By finding the actual record: resolving the DOI, matching the title and authors against the journal or publisher, and confirming the year, volume and pages. No record means a flag, not a reformat.
What is a fake or hallucinated citation?
A reference that looks correct but does not exist. AI tools invent whole papers, attach real authors to titles they never wrote, and give real papers the wrong year or journal.
I used AI to help write. How risky are the references?
Risky enough to check every one. A single fabricated source can turn a marking query into an academic integrity case, and it is the easiest thing for a marker to test.
Which referencing styles do you cover?
APA 7 most often, since that is what most SUSS briefs ask for, plus Harvard, MLA, Chicago, IEEE, OSCOLA and any house style your brief specifies.
Do you fix in-text citations too?
Yes. Every in-text citation is matched to an entry in the list and vice versa, so nothing is cited but missing, and nothing sits in the list uncited.
What do I get back?
Your reference list corrected, a flag with the reason on every source that could not be verified, your in-text citations fixed, and a note on what to replace before submitting.
Can you add references to a draft that has none?
We can suggest where evidence is needed and find credible sources for those points, but we do not attach citations to claims they do not support.
How long does a reference check take?
A typical list of 10 to 30 sources comes back within a day. Longer lists, such as a dissertation bibliography, are quoted on the number of entries.
Does this replace an assignment review?
No. This checks sources and referencing. If you also want the argument, structure and rubric criteria checked, that is the assignment review service.
How much does a citation check cost?
It depends on the number of references and how soon you need it. You get a fixed quote in writing before anything starts.
Last reviewed 5 October 2026 by the SUSS Assignment Help referencing team.
