Abstract:
The accuracy of bibliographic references is essential for the quality of scientific research, influencing academic evaluation, indexing in databases, and the credibility of publications. References must be verifiable and accessible to readers, reviewers, and editors. When a source cannot be found, the quality of the work is called into question, and the credibility of the journal and its editors is undermined. This study analyzes the accuracy of bibliographic references in two education science journals: Acta et Commentationes (Education Sciences) and Univers Pedagogic, examining 369 references from the latest 2024 issues. The results highlight the existence of 605 metadata errors, of which 240 (39.67%) are major errors. Additionally, only 37 references (10.02%) were correctly recorded. In 25 cases, difficulties in identifying sources were due to metadata translation issues, fabrication or manipulation of references. Besides errors related to metadata, deviations from citation styles, the order of bibliographic elements, and the use of punctuation marks were identified. The persistence of these errors, even in the era of reference managers, underscores the need for a rigorous verification mechanism in both journals to improve the accuracy of references and prevent the perpetuation of inaccuracies.
