How to use GenAI to find the errors in your reference list (yes, there most likely are some)

Abstract

Proofreading one’s reference list for missing details and incorrect formatting, even when one has used a reference manager like EndNote, is a necessary but difficult and tedious task, and one that is often neglected or done poorly. The purpose of this editorial is to provide prospective authors an engineered GenAI prompt which they can use to identify – not fix, that still has to be done manually as the chance of hallucinations with a generic LLM are too high – the likely issues with their reference list. The editorial also provides guidance on how to fix errors commonly seen in reference lists created using EndNote because it is not always obvious how to fix issues with EndNote created references. While the target audience of the editorial is prospective authors to JALL, the contents may also be useful for the students readers work with.