Reference accuracy of primary studies about reference accuracy: A descriptive study

Reference accuracy is defined as the completeness and correctness of citation components such as author names, article title, journal name, volume designation, and page numbers. A representation of reference accuracy is often expressed as an error rate which is the percentage of citations with at least one error within a reference list. The purpose of this study was to describe the reference accuracy of peer-reviewed, primary studies about reference accuracy. The articles selected were a total of 105 studies included in a previously published scoping review about reference accuracy. A total of 1,486 references were verified across included studies. The overall error rate was 21.2%. Author names and article titles were the most common error types. The reported 21.2% error rate is lower than the 32.7% error rate of general reference accuracy literature reported in the scoping review. It remains unclear why authors who conduct empirical studies about reference accuracy still struggle with the issue. It is possible that all scholars, including those who study reference accuracy, are simply not good at creating accurate citations. Or, perhaps there are systemic reasons for this phenomenon that are an interaction of many factors or beyond anyone’s control. Future research is warranted to further understand the underlying factors that contribute to reference inaccuracy and explore the potential solutions to address the issue.