When you add a reference in Publikasi, whether by DOI, URL, or PDF, the system does not just store it. It checks whether the reference is real. This check uses two databases: CrossRef and OpenAlex. The result is not a guess, but a direct match.
CrossRef and OpenAlex
CrossRef is the official DOI registry. Almost every serious academic journal registers its DOIs there. When you enter a DOI, we ask CrossRef: does this DOI exist? Who are the authors? When was it published? Which journal? If it exists, that metadata is what we use.
OpenAlex complements it. It is an open catalog covering more than 250 million works, including those that may lack an official DOI but are still indexed. With these two sources, verification coverage becomes very broad, from Q1 journals to book chapters and conference proceedings.
The blue stamp and the question mark
After checking, each reference gets one of two marks. References whose metadata matches get a blue stamp. This means the system confirms the source exists and the information is accurate. References that cannot be found, such as an anonymous blog without a DOI or a deleted article, get a question mark. This means it needs manual review by you.
Important: a question mark is not a guilty verdict. Many good sources lack DOIs, such as institutional reports or government documents. The question mark only says the system cannot confirm automatically, so the decision is in your hands.
Why this matters for your defense
Supervisors and examiners usually check the bibliography. The first thing they look at is whether the sources are credible. With CrossRef and OpenAlex verification, you know in advance which sources will pass that check. You can fix the weak ones, replace the unverified, and enter your defense with a clean bibliography.
Verification is not an add-on feature. It is the core of scholarly writing. A claim without a source is an opinion, and a citation without verification is an unfulfilled promise. Publikasi makes sure that promise is fulfilled before the first word is written.