Verify a DOI Citation After Format Conversion

Select the output the next program can import

A DOI can be used to request bibliographic metadata in several formats through content negotiation. Identify the target program and the format it expects. For CSL JSON, request Accept: application/vnd.citationstyles.csl+json. For BibTeX, request Accept: application/x-bibtex. Save the original DOI and returned media type with the response. Open the output and verify that it contains bibliographic content before passing it to an importer. An error page saved with a citation-file extension can otherwise look like a successful export.

Test a small set containing a journal article, a work with a group author, and a record with an article number. Compare the input metadata, converted file, and imported display. Record which layer first loses information. A rendered citation is useful for proofreading, while a structured response makes a field-by-field comparison easier.

Compare a hypothetical pilot

Twelve records convert successfully. During import, two group names are split into personal names and one article number disappears. Assuming distinct affected records, only nine of twelve pass the prespecified field checks, or 75%. Calling the conversion complete on the basis of twelve successful downloads would miss all three citation errors.

Correct the conversion rule or document a manual exception for the affected record type. Verify that a fresh import reproduces the repair. Keep identifiers in a dedicated field so punctuation added by a citation style cannot alter the lookup key used by later retrieval or deduplication steps.

Crossref content negotiation documentation

Related worksheet: Delimited-file round-trip worksheet.

Source checked on 5 November 2026.