No mistake goes unnoticed

The APA Citation Checker uses smart algorithms to analyze your in-text citations for stylistic errors and inconsistencies, presenting you with simple instructions that help fix them.

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Stylistic issues

We’ll help you eliminate stylistic errors like missing commas or periods, incorrect usage of “et al.”, and ampersands (&) in narrative citations.

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Inconsistent information

We’ll cross-check your in-text citations with your reference list to detect missing references and discrepancies in author names or publication dates.

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Resolve issues in seconds
(and learn from them)

We don’t just point out issues, but we help you solve them. With a single click, you can copy the solutions to your clipboard where they’re ready to be pasted into your text.

And with a short, simple explanation of each issue, we also help you learn from your mistakes.

Next time, you can do it yourself!

Check out the example report.

Smart AI technology New

At Scribbr, we’ve spent years learning APA Style inside out. Now we’ve developed an innovative tool to make you an instant APA expert.

Perfect citation is no easy task. Even students who know their way around APA can miss small mistakes and overlook obscure rules. That’s why our team has worked hard to:

  • research every APA rule and explore every exception;
  • identify students’ most common citation mistakes;
  • design and build a smart tool that can recognize those mistakes.

The result is the Scribbr Citation Checker: a unique AI software that scans your text and detects your citations. It points out every error, tells you exactly what’s wrong, and explains how to fix it.

Ready to perfect your APA citations?

Quick Check

Free

Run a quick check to see how many APA citation errors your paper contains before submitting your work.

  • Checked on over 100 APA guidelines
  • Result within one minute
  • No registration needed


Try for free

Full report

$9.95 $19.95

Receive a full report that will help you identify and resolve all APA citation errors in no time.

  • Detailed overview of all citation errors
  • Clear explanation of every error
  • Actionable suggestions for improvement
Start now View example report

Getting started is simple

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1. Upload

Upload a PDF or Word file of your paper, and let us know your language and APA edition.

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2. Wait a minute

The APA Citation Checker automatically detects and checks all citations in your document.

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3. Resolve issues

Browse through the issues and resolve them one by one in the intuitive interface.

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4. Double-check

After fixing all issues, you can upload your revised document to make sure it’s flawless.

Features you’ll love

Copy to clipboard

You can copy solutions with just a click, so there is no risk of introducing new typos.

Free second check

After fixing all issues, you can upload your revised document for a free second check.

Live chat support

Our support team is ready to answer your questions over chat, email, or phone.

PDF download

Easily download your citation report as a PDF file in case you need it at a later stage.

APA 6th & 7th edition

Whether you’re still using APA 6 or you’ve already switched to APA 7, we’ve got you covered!

Knowledge Base

Becoming better at citing is simple with the help of our highly-rated citation guides.

APA reference example

What do we need from you?

For the APA Citation Checker to do its job, citations in your paper should roughly follow APA Style guidelines, meaning:

  • In-text citations follow the author-date format: (Smith, 2020) or Smith (2020).
  • The reference list gives information about the author(s), publication date, and title of each source.

If your citations do not meet these requirements, we recommend using Scribbr’s Citation Editing Service or free APA Citation Generator instead.

100% happiness guaranteed

We’re confident that you’ll like the APA Citation Checker, but if you’re not 100% happy, we won’t hesitate to refund your money. Your complaint is always justified – no denial, no doubts.

The APA Citation Checker is perfect if you…

  • Are a student or researcher writing an academic paper.
  • Have cited your sources in APA Style.
  • Want to avoid losing marks for inaccurate citations.
  • Are pressed for time or have difficulty editing citations.
  • Want to become better at citing sources.

Need more personalized help? Check out our Citation Editing Service!

Start the Citation Checker now

Questions?

Ask our team

Want to contact us directly? No problem. We are always here for you.

Frequently asked questions

See all
Does the APA Citation Checker check my reference entries?

Reference entries are cross-checked with in-text citations to make sure there are no inconsistencies or missing entries. However, the APA Citation Checker does not check the contents or formatting of the reference entries themselves.

Which languages are supported?

The APA Citation Checker can check documents in the following languages:

  • English
  • Spanish
  • German
  • French
  • Dutch
Which citation styles are supported?

The APA Citation Checker currently supports APA Style 6th edition (2009) and 7th edition (2020). We are working hard to support more citation styles in the future.

Need help with a different citation style? Check out Scribbr’s Citation Editing Service.

Can I check my document multiple times?

Yes. After fixing your citations, you can upload your revised document and perform a second check free of charge. This way, you can rest assured that you haven’t introduced any new mistakes.

What’s the difference between the APA Citation Checker and Citation Editing?

The APA Citation Checker is an automated tool that helps you detect and resolve issues with your in-text citations. Citation Editing is performed by human citation experts who will edit your in-text citations and reference entries.