Updates & release notes

A record of meaningful updates to Ref-Check, documented to support transparency, continuity, and institutional assurance.

Purpose of this page

This page summarises updates and changes to Ref-Check. Updates are documented to support transparency, continuity, and institutional assurance.

Where changes affect functionality, outputs, or governance considerations, these are described clearly. Where no such impact exists, this is stated explicitly.

How updates are described

Ref-Check does not use traditional public version numbering. Updates are grouped by date and described according to their practical effect rather than internal build identifiers.

Unless stated otherwise, updates do not change:

the scope or purpose of Ref-Check
how outputs should be interpreted
Ref-Check’s role as a support tool rather than a decision-making system
data handling, retention, or use of generative AI

Foundational release

Initial public release following pilot testing

This release marks the first public availability of Ref-Check following pilot testing and internal validation.

The system made available at this stage reflects a stable, tested version of Ref-Check, while development continues in line with user feedback and ongoing refinement.

Summary

Initial public release following pilot testing.

What this release includes

Core reference checking and verification functionality
Structured analysis of in-text citations and reference lists
Deterministic, rule-based processing (non-generative)
Early-stage multi-source reference verification
Initial structured feedback to support interpretation of outputs
Interface and workflow refined through pilot use

Impact on users

Users can access a fully functioning version of Ref-Check that reflects the outcomes of pilot testing and early feedback.

Governance and assessment impact

This release establishes the baseline behaviour of Ref-Check. There is no change to the scope, purpose, or interpretive role of the system.

Ongoing development updates

Release – 27/08/2026

Summary

Introduction of a more document-focused review experience, improved citation navigation, clearer reference formatting guidance, and stronger support for manual checking and human judgement.

What changed

Introduced a paginated document preview designed to retain the layout and appearance of the uploaded document more closely
Improved citation highlighting and navigation, including citations split across lines, variations of et al., multiple-author citations, organisational authors, and citations with or without commas
Improved navigation between reference findings and the corresponding citation or reference in the document preview
Reduced the size of document controls so that more space is available for reviewing the document
Improved “Show Me” examples by applying the selected referencing style’s CSL formatting more consistently
Added clearer wording where Ref-Check is making a best assessment from incomplete or ambiguous reference information
Improved manual checking tools while retaining direct links to DOI records, referenced websites, and online PDFs
“Search for this reference” now creates a more focused search using available title, author, and year information
Improved the presentation and consistency of DOI information and related action buttons

Impact on users

Users can focus more easily on the document while reviewing findings. Citations and references should be easier to locate, including where a citation wraps onto another line or uses a less common author–date format. Formatting examples and manual-search tools provide clearer support without presenting automated suggestions as definitive. Existing options to open source records and mark references as verified remain available, allowing users to apply their own knowledge and judgement.

Governance and assessment impact

There is no change to the scope, purpose, or decision-making role of Ref-Check. Findings and formatting examples remain advisory and are intended to support, rather than replace, academic, editorial, or professional judgement. Where source information is incomplete or ambiguous, Ref-Check continues to present its interpretation as a best assessment, and users are encouraged to compare suggestions with the original source and relevant referencing guidance.

To support the paginated review, Ref-Check creates and securely stores a PDF representation of the uploaded document alongside the review. This does not change the purpose for which documents are processed. Uploaded content is not used to train AI models or disclosed to third parties, consistent with the existing privacy and data-handling statement.

Release – 23/08/2026

Summary

Improvements to reference classification, DOI-related guidance, and the presentation of verification findings in reports.

What changed

Improved identification of reference types, including software, books, journals, and other publication categories
Refined handling of DOI information and related guidance
Improved explanations where publication details, dates, or reference metadata may require further checking
Enhanced report presentation, including clearer information about reference issues and improved formatting
Added further tests to support consistency across reference analysis and verification workflows

Impact on users

Users may notice clearer reference categorisation, more focused guidance about DOI and publication details, and improved presentation of findings in generated reports. These changes are intended to support understanding and further checking where needed.

Governance and assessment impact

There is no change to the scope or purpose of Ref-Check. Outputs remain deterministic and advisory in nature, supporting but not replacing academic, editorial, or professional judgement.

Release – 21/08/2026

Summary

Introduction of focused slide-in report panels to make detailed findings easier to review alongside the original document.

What changed

Referencing Overview cards now open a focused slide-in panel rather than moving users to a longer combined report
Each panel displays only the findings relevant to the selected category, helping users focus on one area at a time
The document under review remains visible while findings are inspected
Plain-language guidance, including “Why does this matter?” information, is now provided directly within the relevant panel
The separate Guided Review feature has been removed, with its useful guidance incorporated into the main review workflow
Verified and unverified references can be reviewed individually, with other references visually reduced to help maintain focus
References containing warnings, such as possible spelling differences, future publication dates, or publication-status concerns, are highlighted in yellow
Citation and reference findings remain linked to their corresponding location in the document
Users can continue to ignore or manually verify applicable findings and save those changes
Keyboard navigation, focus restoration, and reduced-motion preferences remain supported
Text sizing, spacing, and visual hierarchy have been refined to reduce visual and cognitive overload, with particular consideration for dyslexic and neurodivergent users

Impact on users

Users can review the original document alongside one category of findings at a time, without navigating through a long mixture of report sections. This provides a calmer, more focused review workflow while retaining access to the existing findings, guidance, and review actions.

Governance and assessment impact

There is no change to Ref-Check’s analysis, citation matching, reference verification, scoring, or report values. Outputs remain deterministic and advisory in nature, supporting but not replacing academic, editorial, or professional judgement.

Release – 10/05/2026

Summary

Release – 10/05/2026

Summary

Introduction of an 'Explain my results' guided review feature to improve clarity, accessibility, and confidence when interpreting Ref-Check outputs.

What changed

Added an 'Explain my result' option to the Referencing Overview panel
Introduced a Guided review panel that explains key findings in clear, plain language
The guided review only highlights items that may need attention, helping to reduce unnecessary information
Findings are explained in the same order as the overview panel to make them easier to follow
Wording has been refined to support students, academics, editors, reviewers, and users who may be anxious, dyslexic, neurodiverse, or using English as an additional language
The panel uses short sentences, digits rather than written numbers, and soft visual markers instead of warning icons
Guidance for citation and reference mismatches now reminds users to check author names and years, as small differences can prevent a match
Guidance for unverified references now points users towards the Manual Search option where further checking may be helpful
AI-generated reference risk wording has been refined to remain advisory, reassuring, and non-accusatory

Impact on users

Users are given clearer guidance on what the results mean and what to check next. The update is designed to reduce anxiety and make Ref-Check easier to use, particularly where users may feel overwhelmed by numerical summaries or multiple result cards.

Governance and assessment impact

No change to the scope, purpose, or decision-making role of Ref-Check. Outputs remain deterministic and advisory in nature, supporting but not replacing academic, editorial, or professional judgement.

Release – 01/02/2026

Summary

Expansion of reference analysis capability, verification processes, and user-facing feedback, alongside continued improvements in accessibility and system performance.

What changed

Enhanced reference parsing and matching logic, including improved handling of complex citation patterns and formatting variations
Expansion of reference verification using multiple openly available scholarly metadata sources
Introduction of structured “Show Me” feedback to support understanding of referencing issues and how to address them
Improved handling of edge cases, including corporate authors, et al. usage, and minor variations in author naming
Introduction of advisory signals highlighting potentially fabricated or unverifiable references, including patterns sometimes associated with AI-generated content
Accessibility and usability refinements to support a wider range of users, including those with neurodiverse needs
Performance, reliability, and stability enhancements across document processing

Impact on users

Users may notice improved accuracy in reference matching and verification, clearer feedback on identified issues, and more consistent handling of complex or ambiguous references. These changes are designed to support interpretation and understanding, rather than alter how outputs should be used in assessment or decision-making.

Governance and assessment impact

No change to the scope or purpose of Ref-Check. Outputs remain deterministic and advisory in nature, supporting but not replacing academic judgement. Enhancements improve consistency, transparency, and usability without changing the interpretive role of the system.

Ongoing areas of development

Ref-Check is continuously refined through incremental improvements rather than disruptive changes. Development focuses on enhancing accuracy, clarity, and consistency while maintaining stable interpretation of outputs.

reference parsing and matching improvements
verification coverage and reliability
accessibility and usability refinements
performance, stability, and processing efficiency

Where changes in these areas are significant or user-visible, they are documented on this page.

Governance and change control

Ref-Check is developed with awareness of its use in education, research, and professional contexts. Changes are assessed not only for technical impact, but also for their potential effect on interpretation, consistency, and institutional use.

Where a change may affect governance, assessment practice, or institutional assurance, this will be stated explicitly.

Contact and queries

If you have questions about an update or its implications for use, please contact us.

Contact: info@ref-check.co.uk