How Verification and Author Access Work
How public verification works, what each result means, and how authors get their own certificates.
On this page
Two parts of your certificate system face the public: the verification page, where anyone can check a certificate, and the author portal, where recipients download their own.
How verification works
Every certificate carries a unique ID and a QR code. The code opens the certificate’s verification page on your own website:
yoursite.com/certificate-verify/{ID}
An employer, university or promotion committee can scan the code or enter the ID. No account or login is needed.
What each result means
| Result | Meaning |
|---|---|
| Valid | The certificate matches your journal’s records |
| Revoked | Your journal has withdrawn it, so it can’t be relied on |
| Invalid | The check failed, so the certificate can’t be relied on |
| Not found | No certificate with that ID exists in your journal’s records |
Why a fake is hard to pass off
- IDs are random and unguessable, so nobody can make up a valid one.
- Each PDF carries a content fingerprint (hash), which makes changes to the certificate evident.
- The verification page shows your journal’s own record, so a changed PDF won’t match what the page says.
Verification checks a certificate against your journal’s own records. That makes the result authoritative for your journal, but it isn’t independent third-party verification.
Author access
Authors and other recipients can download their own certificates at:
yoursite.com/my-certificates/
They enter the email address their certificate was issued to, then a one-time code sent to that address. There’s no account or password, and each session is temporary. See how authors get their own certificates.
Questions
Does verification cost anything?
No. Anyone can check a certificate free, without an account.
What does “Not found” mean?
No certificate with that ID is in your journal’s records. Check the ID was typed correctly; if it was, the certificate wasn’t issued by your journal.
What should someone do if a certificate shows Invalid or Revoked?
Not rely on it, and contact the journal that issued it.
Is this independent verification?
No. It checks your journal’s own records. That’s authoritative for your journal, but it isn’t a third-party service.
Verification on your own domain
Learn how the Journal Certificate System lets anyone check your certificates by QR code or ID.
Explore the Journal Certificate System →Last updated on October 9, 2026