Enter a topic or keywords — get a list of real sources
How to use
- Type a research topic or keywords — not full sentences or whole paragraphs.
- Click Find sources. Results come straight from the live scholarly databases.
- Open a result to check it, copy its citation, or save it to your Library (sign-in required for saving).
Enter a research topic above to find real academic sources.
Example result — not a live query
A Programmable Dual-RNA–Guided DNA Endonuclease in Adaptive Bacterial Immunity
The rest of the toolkit
Scout
Find real sources for any topic or keyword set.
BibCheck
Scan a .bib file for duplicates, orphans, and broken entries.
PreSubmit
Check a manuscript against a venue's requirements before you submit.
Cite
Paste text — get the claims that need citing, matched to real sources.
Glossary
Detect abbreviations in LaTeX and generate \newacronym definitions.
DiffChecker
Compare two versions of a LaTeX document and see what changed.
Library
Your saved sources, kept and tagged across sessions.
Every search runs against the databases researchers already trust
RefScout doesn't host its own catalogue — it queries these scholarly indexes live and returns only what they hold.
- CrossRef Publisher DOI registrations across disciplines; also used to verify DOIs.
- OpenAlex Open index of scholarly works, authors, and citations.
- Semantic Scholar Allen Institute for AI corpus with citation graph data.
- DBLP Computer science bibliography of conferences and journals.
- Europe PMC Biomedical and life-sciences literature, including PubMed/MEDLINE content.
- arXiv Open-access preprints in physics, mathematics, and computer science.
How to use
- Paste a paragraph or draft section into the text box.
- Optionally set a domain filter and pick an output format.
- Click Find citations — each claim that needs support gets real source suggestions.
- Export the sources you keep as a .bib file.
How to use
- Paste your .bib file.
- Optionally paste your manuscript text (.tex or plain) for missing/orphan-citation checks.
- Pick options — Verify citations checks each entry against live databases (adds ~30s).
- Click Check for issues.
How to use
- Paste your LaTeX article text.
- Optionally add a domain hint (e.g. "wireless communications").
- Optionally paste an existing glossary file with \newacronym definitions — already-defined abbreviations are skipped.
- Click Process Abbreviations.
How to use
- Paste the original text on the left, modified text on the right.
- Click Compare.
- Review the line-by-line summary (removed / modified / added).
- Export the modified version as .txt or copy it with Copy modified.
How to use
- Drop or choose your manuscript file.
- Optionally pick a venue — or paste its requirements as a URL or text.
- Select the checks you want to run.
- Click Run PreSubmit Check.
How to use
- Save papers from Scout or Cite results with Save to library (sign-in required).
- Tag, filter, and browse your saved papers here.
- Export selections as BibTeX, APA, MLA, Chicago, Vancouver, or IEEE.