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DOI checker

Look up a DOI here and compare the returned title, authors and year with your citation. For a full reference list or a conflicting record, continue to Verify.

One reference at a time. Add the author and year to narrow the results.

Free metadata lookup uses no LitSource credits. Verification and evidence search require an account and credits. A match does not establish support for a claim.

Does a working DOI mean a citation is correct and supports my claim?

No. A resolving DOI identifies a record. Compare its title, authors and year with the citation, then read the study and evidence in context to decide whether it supports your claim.

  1. Enter a DOI or a reference containing one and inspect the corresponding source record.
  2. Compare the record title, authors and year with the reference to identify mismatches.
  3. Review conflicting or unmatched entries manually at the source; do not automatically label them fabricated.
  4. Read the study separately to assess support for the specific statement in your manuscript.

Capabilities

Move from a claim to traceable sources with less friction

Find supporting literature, inspect source details, and continue with the right research workflow.

01
DOI presence check
Retrieve the bibliographic record for a DOI. A record match is an identity check, not proof that the paper supports a claim.
02
Metadata comparison
Compare the DOI record against the title, authors, and year in the citation.
03
Fast screening
Review a single identifier here, then use Verify to investigate conflicts across a full reference list.

Use cases

How people use it

Use LitSource when you already know which claim, citation, or reference list you need to investigate.

1
Review a reference list
Check a batch of references before editing or submission.
2
Catch a copied DOI typo
Verify that the DOI actually resolves to the expected paper.
3
Triage imported citations
Screen imported references before spending time on manual cleanup.

FAQ

Questions before you start

Review common questions before searching for sources or checking citations.

A DOI checker starts with an identifier you already have and helps you inspect its record. A DOI finder can search a paper title when you do not know the identifier. This lookup accepts either; compare returned titles carefully before copying a DOI.

A returned record means the identifier or title query matched available metadata. Compare its title, authors, year and journal with your reference. A working DOI attached to the wrong title is still a citation error. An empty result may reflect a typo, missing metadata or source coverage, and does not prove fabrication.

No. It can also mean the DOI was copied incorrectly or the citation is incomplete.

Because a valid DOI can still point to a different paper than the one you expected.

Anyone doing a quick DOI-first validation pass before deeper verification.

Related workflows

Continue with nearby research checks

Move between source discovery and citation verification workflows without returning to the home page.

Verify citation authenticityOpen workflowVerify if a paper is realOpen workflowFake citation checkerOpen workflow

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Start searching for sources or checking citations in LitSource.

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DOI Checker | Verify DOI Records and Citation Metadata