Taming references - part two

Once you have made sure that the all the works in your references also appear in the text (see part one), the second stage of the process of correcting the references is checking that the publications referred to in the text are included in the List of References.

This second stage is a slightly trickier process, and needs some concentration. This time you cannot leave all the work to the computer! Bring your text up on screen and work your way through it, stopping each time you come across a textual reference (such as "Bottery 2000") and checking that it is on the list you printed out for the first stage. If it is not, highlight it so you can find it again and track down the publication for inclusion in the list.

The concentration is needed in order to remember accurately what you have checked and what you have not, so that you avoid either checking the same reference 10 times, or assuming you have cross-checked it when you have not. Remembering different publications by the same author can be a challenge; you may have checked Bottery 2000 for example, but not Bottery 1999.

By the time you have gone through the whole text and chased up the missing bibliographical details you will need a cup of tea and a rest to stop your head spinning. You will be sure, though, that the text and List of References agree, and that there is only one more stage to complete before the references are perfect!