Checking references: tips for reviewers.

Abstract

When I was a new reviewer, I was uncertain if I should check some, all, or none of the references in the manuscript. I was equally uncertain, however, if anyone was ultimately accountable for this responsibility. Reviewers must assume responsibility for checking references because "the most critical part of the review process is to check the accuracy of the content." (Brooks-Brunn, 1993, p. 4). The reviewer's three main responsibilities include checking for (1) a reference for every citation (2) accuracy of reference content (3) accuracy of cited material (Kirchhoff, 1995).