Osenpa
CiteFlow guide

Review PDF Source Details Before Creating a Bibliography

Check authors, titles and publication details against the original source, then decide how incomplete sources should affect a CiteFlow bibliography.

By Osenpa · Updated
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Short answer

Let source preparation finish, then generate the bibliography. If CiteFlow opens Review source details, choose Edit sources and check the marked fields against the PDF or publisher's record. Save each correction and review the generated bibliography before using it. Skipping sources affects this output only; removing them changes the project.

Before you start

  • CiteFlow on Windows with a project containing imported sources.
  • The original PDFs or reliable publication records for checking the details.
  • A chosen citation style and a clear decision about whether to include uncited sources.

Start here

  1. Wait for the source details

    Import your PDFs and watch the project's preparation status. Bibliography generation can ask you to wait while source details are still being prepared. Do not import the same PDFs again just because preparation is unfinished.

  2. Choose the bibliography scope

    Open Bibliography, review the project citation style and the option to include uncited sources, then generate the output. When Some sources need attention appears, read which sources and fields need review. A source omitted by the chosen scope will not necessarily appear in this review.

  3. Edit from evidence

    Choose Edit sources. Use Open PDF when available, or consult the original publication record. Check the marked fields, including the source type, authors, title, year and any style-specific title or language fields. Keep organization names as organization authors when appropriate; do not invent missing details to clear a warning.

  4. Save each reviewed source

    Choose Save and next for the current source, then Finish review for the last one. Read any validation message before continuing. If you need to stop, cancel the review; corrections already saved remain saved, but the current bibliography generation is canceled.

  5. Check the generated references

    Compare the bibliography with the intended source list. Inspect author order, publication dates, title capitalization and identifiers, then check the copied or exported result in the destination document. Automatic checks can find missing or conflicting values; they cannot prove that every publication detail is correct.

Check your result

  • Every source intended for this bibliography is present, unless deliberately excluded.
  • Corrected details agree with the PDF or a reliable publication record.
  • The chosen citation style and uncited-source setting match the assignment.
  • The final references remain correct after copying or exporting.

Skip this output or remove from the project?

Skip these sources in this output excludes the listed sources only from the current generation. It does not complete their metadata or remove them from the project; a later generation can ask about them again.

Remove these sources and continue removes the listed sources from the current project. Do not choose it merely to postpone research. Cancel and return later when you want to retain all project sources without generating an incomplete bibliography.

Review ahead of time

When several sources need attention, the project can offer Review sources with a count. You can also edit an individual source's metadata before generating output.

CiteFlow may save a passage even when its source still needs citation review. Saved passage text is not proof that a final formatted citation is ready. Correct the source and check the newly generated citation before using it.

Source preparation is not an accuracy guarantee

Imported or automatically filled details are a starting point. A filename, a cover-page heading or an OCR reading can be the wrong bibliographic title. Use the publication itself to resolve uncertainty.

OCR is optional for scanned text and is separate from confirming source details. Canceled OCR is not treated as completed. An available PDF can still be read without applying OCR; check whether the operation you need requires searchable text.

If review cannot finish

If Open PDF is unavailable, check whether the local source file still exists. Use a reliable publication record for the details rather than guessing. A validation message may concern title capitalization or language, not just a blank author or year.

Canceling output review does not undo earlier saved corrections or project removals. If removing sources fails, inspect the project before trying again: some removals may already have completed. Regenerate after the project is in the state you intend.

The app used in this guide

CiteFlow

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Related guides

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