Bibliography // Quick checkThe first thing your examiner reads is your bibliography.
The quick check matches every entry against Crossref, OpenAlex, swisscovery and the German National Library.
masters-thesis.docx24 entries
Sweller, J. (2011). Cognitive load theory.Crossref
Mayer, R. E. (2021). Multimedia Learning.DNB
Weber, T. (2019). Digitale Lernumgebungen.Wrong volume
Hoffmann & Berger (2022). Adaptive Feedbacksysteme.Not found
Deci & Ryan (2000). Self-determination theory.Checking…
01 // The problem
Fabricated references are no longer a fringe case.
Journal articles with fabricated references12× in two years
Topaz et al. 2026 · The Lancet · 97m citations checked
100
fabricated citations across 53 papers at NeurIPS 2025. Despite peer review.
NeurIPS 2025 · GPTZero audit
98.4 %
of the 4,046 cases found drew no response from the publishers.
Ansari 2026 · preprint, arXiv
AI detection demonstrably does not work. You only recognise the fake against the original.
02 // What the quick check cannot see
A source can exist and still prove nothing.
Quick check · the form · free
Sweller, J. (2011). Cognitive load theory. Psychology of Learning and Motivation, 55, 37-76.
Found · Crossref · DOI resolves
Acurio · the content
Cognitive load has no effect on retention (Sweller, 2011).
Original passage says the opposite · p. 41
citations have a weak spot: transposed numbers, wrong page, overstretched claim. Whether written by humans or by AI.
Observed across Acurio check runs
03 // The content checkAcurio reads your sources.
Original passageClaimPage numberVerdict
More about Acurio Chapter 2 · page 14
High cognitive load reduces retention (Sweller, 2011), while adaptive feedback compensates for that effect (Weber, 2019).