Reference List Checker: find missing citations and uncited references instantly

Paste your manuscript and your reference list. The tool compares them locally, flags citations that have no matching reference, and finds references that are never cited in the text. Everything runs in your browser: your text never leaves your device.

Citation style APA
The style guides the citation extraction patterns.
Manuscript text Text
0 characters
Reference list Refs
0 characters
Ready. Paste your manuscript and references, then press Check.
Private by design. Your text is processed only in this browser using pure vanilla JavaScript. Nothing is uploaded and no external libraries are used.

How to use the Reference List Checker

  1. 1
    Choose your citation style Select APA, Harvard, MLA, IEEE, or Vancouver to guide the extraction.
  2. 2
    Paste your manuscript Paste the body of your paper into the manuscript input box.
  3. 3
    Paste your reference list Paste the reference list into the references input box.
  4. 4
    Check consistency Press Check. The tool compares citations and references, then shows missing entries and uncited sources.

Special features

Missing reference detection Finds in-text citations that do not have a corresponding entry in your reference list.
Uncited reference detection Finds entries in your reference list that are never cited in the manuscript.
Style-aware matching Supports APA, Harvard, MLA, IEEE, and Vancouver, with normalization for author names and years.
Detailed report Shows a count of citations, references, missing references, and uncited references, plus a full issue list.
100% private No upload, no account, no analytics, no cookies, no external libraries. Everything runs in the browser.
Offline capable Because the tool is built entirely with vanilla JavaScript, it works completely offline after the page loads.

Frequently asked questions

Is this reference list checker free?

Yes. The BlowFix Reference List Checker is completely free, with no account, no signup, and no usage limit.

Which citation styles are supported?

The tool supports APA, Harvard, MLA, IEEE, and Vancouver. It extracts author-year and numeric citation patterns.

Is my text safe?

Yes. Your text is processed entirely in your browser. It is never uploaded, stored, or sent anywhere. The tool does not use cookies, analytics, or localStorage.

Does the tool work offline?

Yes. Because the tool is built entirely with vanilla JavaScript, it works completely offline after the page loads.

What does it mean if a reference is uncited?

An uncited reference is an entry in your reference list that does not appear as an in-text citation in your manuscript. The tool helps you find these so you can either cite them or remove them.

How does the matching work?

The tool extracts author surnames and years from citations and from the reference list, normalizes them, and then compares the two sets. It is a heuristic that works best with standard APA or Harvard formatting.