In-text citation review
Free APA Citation Checker
Check narrative and parenthetical citations for author–date structure, et al., years, page details, and matches with your Reference List. Missing facts are never invented.
100,000 characters remaining
Your text or DOCX is sent only to the secure checker API. DOCX metadata is discarded, temporary encrypted objects are deleted within 30 minutes, and paper content is excluded from logs and optional analytics. AI receives only redacted finding fragments.
What this checker does
An APA citation checker reviews in-text citations for APA 7 author–date rules and can compare them with a reference list to find missing or mismatched sources. It should flag uncertain cases instead of inventing missing authors, years, or page numbers.
What the checker reviews
Supported text checks
- Narrative and parenthetical forms
- Author–date structure
- et al. and multiple-source patterns
- Direct-quote location reminders
- Citation-to-reference matches
Cannot reliably verify
- A cross-match without a Reference List
- Whether the cited claim is factually correct
- Missing author, year, or page facts
- Special-source exceptions without context
How it works
Paste synthetic or personal text
Nothing is added to the URL or optional analytics.
Run deterministic rules
The same text and ruleset produce the same findings.
Review localized findings
Each issue includes a rule ID, location, and uncertainty boundary.
Copy safe corrections only
Ambiguous changes stay manual and missing facts are never invented.
Continue the Citation Review
When a citation has no confident match, inspect the source entry as well as the citation. Use the APA Reference List checker to review supported author, date, title, DOI or URL, ordering, and duplicate patterns without inventing missing source details.
Citation-focused review does not cover the rest of the paper. If you also need supported checks for headings, document structure, references, and citation-to-reference matches, check your full paper’s APA format.
Free APA Citation Checker FAQ
How do I check an APA in-text citation?
Paste the passage and, when available, its Reference List. Review the localized author–date findings and verify each source.
Does the checker compare citations with the reference list?
Yes, when both are present. A single citation alone does not provide enough information for a two-way match.
Can it check narrative and parenthetical citations?
Yes. The text parser recognizes common forms such as Smith (2020) and (Smith, 2020).
Does APA 7 require page numbers for every citation?
No. Page or paragraph locators are especially important for direct quotations; requirements vary for paraphrases and unusual sources.
Will the tool create missing source details?
No. It never invents authors, dates, page numbers, DOIs, or bibliographic fields.