---
layout: rule
id: GORULE:0000033
title: Group-specific Reference IDs are not allowed, only public reference IDs (PMID, doi, or GO_REF)
type: repair
fail_mode: soft
status: approved
contact: "go-quality@lists.stanford.edu"
---

# Approved

References for an annotation (GAF column 6; GPAD column 5) must use either a PMID, a doi, or a GO_REF. Group-specific reference records are stripped during the data load process. 

Group-specific reference records that are a external xrefs of a GO_REF (https://github.com/geneontology/go-site/tree/master/metadata/gorefs.yaml) is replaced by that GO_REF. For example, `FB:FBrf0159398` is an external accession for `GO_REF:0000015`, so the FB ID is repaired to the GO_REF. 

If the group reference is the only one present, it will be reported as an error, and the annotation line removed since the reference field is mandatory.