Generated references

Use generated references as leads, not evidence.

Writing assistants can produce plausible citations that are incomplete or nonexistent. Paste the output, inspect each record and keep only sources you can independently open and verify.

A safer research loop

  1. Ask for candidate sources.
  2. Verify every candidate against a scholarly record.
  3. Read the source before citing its claims.

What verification does and does not do

It checks identity

Titles, authors, dates, venues and identifiers are compared with available records.

It exposes uncertainty

Possible matches and missing records remain visible for manual review.

It does not replace reading

A real paper may not support the claim for which it was suggested. Open and evaluate the source itself.

Good research practice

Treat any generated bibliography as a search starting point until every source has been independently verified.