Frequently asked questions.

Does Ref-Check detect plagiarism?

No. Ref-Check does not detect plagiarism or academic misconduct. It focuses on the accuracy and completeness of citations and reference lists.

Ref-Check is designed to complement, not replace, plagiarism detection tools such as Turnitin. It supports conversations about referencing quality and academic integrity by making technical issues visible.

Does Ref-Check use AI?

No. Ref-Check does not use generative AI or machine-learning models to analyse uploaded work.

Its checks are rule-based and explainable. Ref-Check looks for citation, reference, formatting and source-verification issues using structured logic and trusted bibliographic or metadata sources where available. Uploaded content is not used to train AI models.

Does Ref-Check provide an AI risk indicator?

Yes. Ref-Check includes an AI risk indicator to help users identify work that may need closer review.

This is shown as a risk range, such as low, moderate, high or very high, rather than as a percentage. The indicator is based on reference-related signals, including source verifiability, DOI or identifier concerns, internal consistency, and other patterns that may warrant further investigation.

It should not be treated as proof that AI has or has not been used. Ref-Check supports human academic, editorial or professional judgement by making reference-integrity concerns easier to see.

Are Ref-Check results definitive?

No. Ref-Check highlights issues that may need closer attention, but its findings should be interpreted by the user.

Some references, sources, institutional styles or document structures may require human judgement. Ref-Check is designed to make the reference trail clearer, not to replace academic, editorial or professional decision-making.

Can Ref-Check flag withdrawn, corrected or retracted sources?

Ref-Check attempts to flag references that may have been withdrawn, corrected, retracted, or are no longer available. This is done by comparing bibliographic metadata against recognised scholarly indexing and publication databases where possible.

Because publication records can change over time and not all retractions are consistently indexed, these checks are intended to highlight potential issues rather than provide a definitive judgement. Users should apply academic, editorial or professional judgement when interpreting the results.

Does Ref-Check store uploaded work?

Yes. Uploaded documents are stored securely so users can access their checks, reports and review history within the platform.

Ref-Check Ltd is registered with the Information Commissioner’s Office (ICO), and we take data protection, privacy and the protection of uploaded work seriously.

Uploaded content is not used to train AI or machine-learning models. Documents are not made public by default. If you choose to use Share for Feedback, the people you invite can access the material shared with them for review. Users can manage their submissions within the platform, including removing documents and reports from their workspace. For further information, see Privacy & data handling.

What file types are supported by Ref-Check?

Ref-Check works with text-based documents where the content can be reliably extracted. This includes common formats such as Word documents, text-based PDFs, and other standard text files.

For best results, documents should contain clear, extractable text, in-text citations, and a structured reference list. Image-only or scanned documents are not supported.

Does Ref-Check assess writing quality or evaluate ideas?

No. Ref-Check focuses solely on the technical accuracy of citations and reference lists. It identifies missing entries, inconsistencies, and formatting issues but does not interpret or evaluate the quality of writing, arguments, or academic ideas.

This means Ref-Check can support the technical review of referencing while leaving the quality of the argument, evidence and writing to the reader.

Which referencing styles are supported?

Ref-Check supports recognised author–date referencing styles, including Harvard variants and APA. Where institutional or programme-level guidance exists, this guidance is treated as the authoritative source.

The focus is on clarity, consistency, and alignment with local requirements rather than enforcing a single generic version of a style.

Does Ref-Check check in-text citation formatting?

Yes. For confidently recognised standalone parenthetical author–date citations, Ref-Check can highlight possible issues with punctuation, spacing, separators and how missing dates are presented, using the selected referencing style as guidance.

Open a formatting finding to review the explanation, and compare any suggested change with your institution's or publisher's official referencing guidance.

Does Ref-Check check every citation and reference-list formatting rule?

No. Formatting guidance currently focuses on supported, confidently recognised citation forms. It is not a complete style-compliance audit, and it does not check every possible citation format or reference-list rule.

A document with no formatting warnings is not necessarily correctly formatted. Your official style guide should always take precedence.

How can I find and understand a citation-formatting issue?

Select the relevant finding in your results to open its focused explanation. Where Show Me is available, use the supporting guidance or document location to examine the citation in context. Make any necessary changes in your original document; Ref-Check does not automatically rewrite it.

For more help, see the User Guide's citation-formatting section.

Does Ref-Check support local or organisational referencing conventions?

Yes. Ref-Check is designed to work alongside local, organisational, or institutional referencing guidance. Its checks focus on internal consistency, completeness, and traceability, rather than enforcing a one-size-fits-all standard.

Where specific local rules are published and clearly defined, Ref-Check can align its checks to reflect those requirements.

What if the version of a referencing style used by Ref-Check doesn’t match the current version used by my institution?

Referencing guidance can change over time, and institutional or programme-level rules always take precedence. If you believe there is a difference between the version used by Ref-Check and the current guidance for your course or organisation, we’re very happy to review this.

If you can share the relevant official referencing guidance, we can assess whether an update is required and, where appropriate, adjust our implementation accordingly. Please get in touch with the details.

What if my author–date referencing style isn’t listed in Ref-Check?

Ref-Check supports recognised author–date referencing styles and common institutional variants. If your specific style is not currently listed, this does not necessarily mean it cannot be supported.

Where a clear set of author–date referencing rules is available, we can review the guidance and, where appropriate, add support for that style. If you would like us to consider a particular approach, please contact us and share the relevant referencing guidance.

Is Ref-Check suitable for long-form documents, such as dissertations, theses, or reports?

Ref-Check works best with clearly structured documents that include in-text citations and a defined reference list, such as essays, reports, and standard academic assignments.

More complex documents, such as full theses or multi-section manuscripts, can vary significantly in structure and may not always be processed as reliably in their entirety. In these cases, results may depend on how consistently references are presented throughout the document.

Enhanced support for complex and long-form academic documents is in development as Ref-Check continues to evolve.

Is Ref-Check suitable for professional, research, or non-academic writing?

Yes. Ref-Check can be used wherever accurate citation and referencing are required, including research reports, professional documents, policy writing, and editorial workflows. It focuses on technical accuracy rather than academic judgement.

How do credits work?

Credits are used to analyse documents. One credit covers analysis of up to 1,000 words. Larger documents require more credits based on word count.

Credits can be added within the platform when needed and do not expire.

What is Share for Feedback?

Share for Feedback lets you invite specific people to review a document alongside its Ref-Check findings. Invited reviewers can examine the material, highlight passages and leave comments, giving you focused human feedback to consider.

It can support student–tutor discussions, supervision, colleague review and editorial or peer-review activity without taking the place of human judgement.

How do I invite someone to review my work?

Open the document or completed check in Ref-Check, choose Share for Feedback and follow the invitation process. The intended reviewer signs in with their own Ref-Check account to access the shared document and findings.

Invitations are time-limited, and you can invite more than one person for independent feedback. Check that you have selected the correct recipient before sharing. See the User Guide for an overview.

Can a reviewer edit my document or change my Ref-Check results?

No. Invited reviewers can highlight passages, add annotations and submit feedback, but they cannot change your original uploaded document or rewrite Ref-Check's findings. The document owner decides whether and how to act on the comments.

Does Share for Feedback use credits?

No. Sending a sharing invitation or reviewing a document shared with you does not consume checking credits. Credits are used when a document is analysed, as explained above.

Can I use Share for Feedback with confidential manuscripts or in peer review?

It can support editors and peer reviewers who want to discuss citation, source or referencing concerns. However, Ref-Check is not a journal submission or peer-review management system, and the sharing feature should not be assumed to provide anonymous or double-blind review.

Before inviting anyone to see unpublished, confidential or third-party material, make sure you are authorised to share it and that the relevant journal, institution or organisation permits the use of the service.

Can Ref-Check be used by institutions or teams?

Yes. Ref-Check can support individual users, teaching teams, academic skills teams, libraries, publishers, research organisations and professional teams.

Institutional or organisational access can be arranged through tailored licensing, depending on size, context and expected usage.

Is Ref-Check designed to be accessible for neurodiverse users?

Yes. Ref-Check is designed with clarity, predictability, and low cognitive load in mind. Its structured output and transparent logic support a wide range of users, including those who benefit from clear and consistent presentation of information.