CiteMe uses real scholarly metadata and avoids fabricated references.
Where your citations come from
CiteMe can consult 13 scholarly databases and metadata services. The sources used depend on the identifier, document type, language, and availability for each request.
See the role and coverage of each source
250M+
Scholarly Works
13
Data Sources
150M+
DOIs Indexed
1.5B+
Citation Links
Evidence-first product statements
Each statement points to a primary page that can be cited by search assistants.
CiteMe publishes full LLM context.
CiteMe verifies metadata through a four-step pipeline: multi-source search, deduplication, enrichment via CrossRef/Unpaywall/OpenCitations, and CSL formatting. No generative AI is used to create metadata.
CiteMe's Reference Checker cross-checks a pasted bibliography against scholarly databases (CrossRef, OpenAlex, PubMed, Semantic Scholar, Europe PMC, and others) and flags references that cannot be verified — the typical signature of AI-hallucinated citations. It runs in the browser, free, with no signup required for up to 10 references per check.
Academic Papers
(7)
OpenAlex
PrimaryOpen catalog of the global research system
250M+ works
Semantic Scholar
PrimaryResearch index operated by the Allen Institute for AI
200M+ papers
PubMed
BiomedicalBiomedical literature from MEDLINE and life science journals
36M+ citations
B
BASE
Open AccessRepository index with theses and regional open-access literature
400M+ documents
Europe PMC
BiomedicalWorldwide life-science literature and full-text links
43M+ life-science records
H
HAL
RegionalFrench national multidisciplinary open-access archive
French repositories
arXiv
PreprintsOpen preprints in physics, mathematics, computer science, and more
2.4M+ preprints
Books
(2)
Theses & Dissertations
(1)Metadata Enrichment
(3)
How we verify citations
Database-sourced results move through search, matching, enrichment, and formatting. Availability and metadata completeness vary by source.
1
Multi-source search
CiteMe selects lookup services for the query and document type. Not every source runs for every request, and an upstream service may be skipped when it is unavailable or outside the request budget.
2
Deduplication & matching
Candidate records are compared by identifiers, title similarity, and available author data. Similar records may be merged, but the original source metadata can still contain errors.
3
Metadata enrichment
When identifiers are available, services such as CrossRef, Unpaywall, and OpenCitations can add DOI metadata, open-access links, or citation counts. Enrichment is not guaranteed.
4
CSL formatting
Retrieved metadata is formatted with Citation Style Language definitions. Formatting cannot correct inaccurate upstream fields, so the final reference should still be checked against the work.
What CiteMe does not do
Always review the final citation
No citation tool is 100% accurate. Upstream databases occasionally contain incomplete or incorrect metadata. For theses, dissertations, and journal submissions, verify each reference against the original source.
Metadata quality depends on upstream sources
CiteMe can consult 10+ scholarly databases and metadata services, but the set varies by request. If a work is missing from the relevant indexed sources—for example, a recent preprint or regional publication—it may not appear in search results.
Where AI is used
Generative models may help extract search terms, translate a query, rank candidates, or parse uploaded documents. They are not treated as scholarly sources. AI-generated citation recovery is an emergency feature disabled by default; when enabled, its results are marked as needing verification.
No one-click browser capture
Unlike Zotero Connector, CiteMe does not capture arbitrary web pages into your library with a single click. Citations are generated from verified academic databases, not from page scraping. You can save results to your library, organize them into projects, and export BibTeX/RIS.
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Ready to cite with confidence?
Search scholarly sources, inspect the retrieved metadata, and review the final reference against the original work.