Vocations · Job Skills

Find every “see Section 9”
that points to nothing

Paste the text of a lease, job agreement, handbook or report. The page finds the numbered headings and attachments, then every reference in the text, and lists each one that points to a section or exhibit that is not there, with its line number. It also catches numbering that skips or repeats, so you can fix a draft or ask the right question before you sign.

Add a documentWhat you get

Documents

The worked example is made up: a lease renumbered between drafts, a workplace handbook with skipped and repeated numbers and a one-line agreement. The text you paste stays on this page and is never sent anywhere.

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What you get

Vocations · Job SkillsFree

What you finish with
A record per document: its name, kind and text; six checks after fixing and the date the fixes were done. A count of headings and references, each broken reference with its line, numbering gaps and repeated numbers; a printed fix list.
Who it is for
Students, job seekers, renters, new employees, office staff and anyone writing or signing a numbered document.
Format
Free browser tool with a saved record per document. Prints the fix list, the record, every document in a table or a blank form; downloads a spreadsheet (.csv); exports and imports a file.
Access
Free. No account, no sign-in and nothing to install. Everything you type stays in this browser; nothing is sent to Caveat.
Where it lives
The Job Skills space in Caveat Vocations.
Support
Questions about access, an order or a correction: team@caveatacademic.com.

How to use it

  1. Paste the document’s text, headings on their own lines.
  2. Read the references that point to nothing, with their lines.
  3. Check the numbering gaps and repeats.
  4. Fix the draft, or note the questions to ask.
  5. Print the fix list.

Add a document

Why references break

How a cross-reference breaksRenumberingA section is added orcutEvery later numbershiftsReferences in the textdo notCopyingA clause is borrowedfrom another documentIt still points to thatdocument’s sectionsAttachmentsAn exhibit is named inthe textIt was never attached,or was renamedHow a cross-reference breaksRenumberingA section is added or cutEvery later number shiftsReferences in the text do notCopyingA clause is borrowed from another documentIt still points to that document’s sectionsAttachmentsAn exhibit is named in the textIt was never attached, or was renamed
A reference that points nowhere can leave a rule with no terms, such as a late fee with no amount; before signing, ask about any that do.

What the page looks for

Headings: a line starting with a number such as 3 or 3.2, or with “Section”, “Article” or “Clause” and a number, then a capitalized word; and lines starting with Exhibit, Schedule, Appendix or Attachment and a letter or number. References: “Section”, “Clause”, “Paragraph”, “Article” or § followed by numbers, including lists such as “Sections 3.1 and 7”, and named exhibits or schedules.

What it cannot tell you

A reference can point to a section that exists and still be wrong, because the numbers moved. Roman numerals, lettered sub-clauses and headings that do not start a line are not read. If a document you are asked to sign has broken references, ask the other side to correct it before you sign; if what a clause means matters, ask someone qualified to explain it.

Sources

  1. PlainLanguage.gov. Federal Plain Language Guidelines: organize to meet your reader’s needs (plainlanguage.gov).
  2. Adams, K. A. (2023). A Manual of Style for Contract Drafting, 5th ed. American Bar Association.
  3. Consumer Financial Protection Bureau. Before you sign: reading contracts and agreements (consumerfinance.gov).
  4. U.S. Department of Labor. Workers’ rights and employee handbooks, general information (dol.gov).

The worked example is made up, including the documents and the landlord. This page checks numbering and references; it does not interpret a document or give legal advice. Nothing you paste is sent to Caveat. Support: team@caveatacademic.com.