CiteMatch
Get your free GovInfo access key
No cost. This is the account code CiteMatch needs to check citations to congressional reports, public laws, and the Congressional Record.
The short version
- It is free. GovInfo is run by the U.S. Government Publishing Office; the access key costs nothing.
- It arrives by email. A short federal signup form sends the key to your inbox.
- Stored locally, not logged. The key lives in the pane and is sent only to authenticate each lookup. CiteMatch does not store or log it.
Why a key?
Checking a citation to a congressional report, a public law, or the Congressional Record depends on GovInfo access. To retrieve that public text, GovInfo asks for your own free access key, issued through the federal api.data.gov service. The key lets CiteMatch ask GovInfo for public documents on your behalf. It stays in the pane and is sent only to authenticate each lookup; not stored or logged. See our privacy page.
Three steps, a few minutes
- 01
Fill in the federal signup form
Open api.data.gov/signup and enter your name and email. The form is short and the key is free.
- 02
Copy the key from the email
The access key arrives by email, usually within a few minutes. Copy the whole code, with no leading or trailing spaces.
- 03
Paste it into CiteMatch
In the CiteMatch pane in Word, open More → Sources, find the GovInfo field under Source access, paste the code, and choose Test and save free keys. Turn on Keep these keys on this device only on a computer that is yours.
Troubleshooting
- The signup email has not arrived. Check spam, then re-submit the form. The same key works for every api.data.gov service, including GovInfo.
- “That access key was rejected.”Re-copy the whole code from the email, making sure you didn't miss any characters or include a space.
- “GovInfo did not confirm this access key right now.” CiteMatch reached the source check, but GovInfo may be busy or rate-limited. If the pane says the key is still saved, source review will keep using it.
- Removing your access key. Go to More → Sources in the pane and remove the saved GovInfo key. It is erased from the pane immediately.
- Want the technical details? The official GovInfo guide is at govinfo.gov/developers/api.