Paste a DOI and check whether OpenAlex flags the paper as retracted before you cite it. Free, no sign-up.
What this tool does
Citing a retracted paper without knowing it can quietly damage your own work. Retractions are recorded in databases, but few writers check them one by one. This tool asks OpenAlex — which carries a retraction flag on each work — for the DOI you paste, and tells you plainly whether the paper is flagged as retracted, plus its title and year so you can confirm you checked the right paper. It takes ten seconds and it belongs in every reference check.
Why it matters
Good citations do quiet work. They let a reader find every source you used, they show that your argument rests on real evidence rather than memory, and they protect you: a clean reference list is much harder to challenge than a vague one. Most marks lost on referencing are not lost on difficult sources. They are lost on small, repeated slips — a missing year, a swapped initial, a title in the wrong case — that a quick tool pass catches before submission.
How to use it
- Paste a DOI, e.g. 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)11096-0.
- Click Check retraction status.
- Read the flag: clear, or retracted — do not cite.
Worked example
The Wakefield 1998 Lancet paper, DOI 10.1016/S0140-6736(97)11096-0, returns: RETRACTED — the tool shows the title and the flag, so you know to remove it from your bibliography and find a sound source instead.
Tips for good results
Check retractions at the end of writing, not the start. Papers get retracted while your draft sits on your desk.
Work from the source itself, not from another paper’s copy of it. And keep one style for the whole list: a single mixed entry undermines an otherwise perfect bibliography.
Honest limits
The flag comes from OpenAlex data, which is strong but not the only retraction record; a paper can be corrected or expression-of-concerned without a full retraction flag. If a result surprises you, cross-check Retraction Watch before deciding. The tool needs OpenAlex to be reachable from your browser.
Common mistakes to avoid
Common mistakes to avoid: copying a reference from another paper without checking it against the original, trusting a PDF filename for the title or year, and mixing two styles in one list. Each of these looks harmless alone and careless together. Run the tool, read its output once, and compare it with the source itself before you paste it into your document.
Before you submit
Run through this short check before you submit: is every author name spelled as it appears on the source, is every year present and correct, and does every in-text citation have a matching entry in your reference list? Read the list once from top to bottom rather than skimming it. Most referencing errors are found in that single slow read, and fixing them there is far cheaper than fixing them after a reviewer finds them. If one entry still looks odd after that read, check it against the original source before you change anything else.
Frequently asked questions
Is this tool really free?
Yes. It runs in your browser on this page, with no account and no payment. For live lookups, your query goes to the public API named in the tool; nothing else is sent anywhere.
Do I still need to check the result?
Yes, once. Tools apply rules; they cannot verify facts about your source. Compare the output with the source itself before submitting.
Can I use the output in my paper?
Yes. The output is a formatted reference or analysis for your own work. Keep the source’s facts accurate and the formatting consistent across your list.
What if the tool’s output differs from my style guide?
Trust the style guide. Tools encode the common rules of a style; your university or journal’s own sheet wins every disagreement. Use the tool to do the routine work, then apply the local rule where it differs.
Also available in Spanish: Centinela de Artículos Retractados – Verifica Retractaciones por DOI con OpenAlex Gratis.