Academic Referencing Complete Course
Match a citation to the source actually used
Adapted from the course lessons: Design a claim-to-source audit; DOI and metadata verification. Original fictional public exercise aligned with the complete course's citation-audit lessons. It demonstrates one checking method, not every included referencing style, editorial sign-off or human assessment. The same lessons and this sample are also available through the Citation Audit specialist; buying both repeats that material.
Check source identity and support before changing a citation to make it match the reference list. Compare author, title, year, publication details and the passage used. A matching surname or a working link alone does not complete these checks.
Worked example
Fictional practice packet: the writer consulted Asha Rao's 2024 article Evening Study Spaces, page 24, describing evening-hour preferences among 24 adult volunteers. The manuscript says 'Longer hours improve every student's exam marks (Rao, 2024)', but the reference list identifies Rao's different 2023 article Library Opening Hours. No exam-mark measurement or DOI is supplied.
Try it yourself
Should you simply change the in-text year to 2023? Identify the source correction and the separate claim correction. What should happen to the missing DOI?
Reveal the answer and reasoning
No. Use the supplied source record to identify the 2024 article actually consulted, then repair the reference entry and citation consistently in the required style. Rewrite the claim to reflect evening-hour preferences among the 24 adult volunteers; the packet does not support improved marks or a claim about every student. Keep page 24 as the recorded passage locator. Do not invent a DOI. In a real manuscript, verify the publication record and relevant text, and leave unavailable metadata explicitly unresolved.
Try your own answer before comparing it with the worked explanation. This optional check is not a grade or a saved course-completion record.