diff --git a/IPython/nbformat/current.py b/IPython/nbformat/current.py
index 5223c4e..5f17051 100644
--- a/IPython/nbformat/current.py
+++ b/IPython/nbformat/current.py
@@ -28,13 +28,14 @@ from IPython.nbformat.v3 import (
     NotebookNode,
     new_code_cell, new_text_cell, new_notebook, new_output, new_worksheet,
     parse_filename, new_metadata, new_author, new_heading_cell, nbformat,
-    nbformat_minor, to_notebook_json
+    nbformat_minor, nbformat_schema, to_notebook_json
 )
 from IPython.nbformat import v3 as _v_latest
 
 from .reader import reads as reader_reads
 from .reader import versions
 from .convert import convert
+from .validator import nbvalidate
 
 #-----------------------------------------------------------------------------
 # Code
@@ -44,6 +45,7 @@ current_nbformat = nbformat
 current_nbformat_minor = nbformat_minor
 current_nbformat_module = _v_latest.__name__
 
+
 def docstring_nbformat_mod(func):
     """Decorator for docstrings referring to classes/functions accessed through
     nbformat.current.
@@ -76,11 +78,19 @@ def parse_py(s, **kwargs):
 
 def reads_json(s, **kwargs):
     """Read a JSON notebook from a string and return the NotebookNode object."""
-    return convert(reader_reads(s), current_nbformat)
+    nbjson = reader_reads(s)
+    num_errors = nbvalidate(nbjson)
+    if num_errors > 0:
+        print("Num errors: %d" % num_errors)
+    return convert(nbjson, current_nbformat)
 
 
 def writes_json(nb, **kwargs):
-    return versions[current_nbformat].writes_json(nb, **kwargs)
+    nbjson = versions[current_nbformat].writes_json(nb, **kwargs)
+    num_errors = nbvalidate(nbjson)
+    if num_errors > 0:
+        print("Num errors: %d" % num_errors)
+    return nbjson
 
 
 def reads_py(s, **kwargs):
diff --git a/IPython/nbformat/v3/__init__.py b/IPython/nbformat/v3/__init__.py
index 2bcc4bc..b874956 100644
--- a/IPython/nbformat/v3/__init__.py
+++ b/IPython/nbformat/v3/__init__.py
@@ -19,7 +19,8 @@ Authors:
 from .nbbase import (
     NotebookNode,
     new_code_cell, new_text_cell, new_notebook, new_output, new_worksheet,
-    new_metadata, new_author, new_heading_cell, nbformat, nbformat_minor
+    new_metadata, new_author, new_heading_cell, nbformat, nbformat_minor,
+    nbformat_schema
 )
 
 from .nbjson import reads as reads_json, writes as writes_json
diff --git a/IPython/nbformat/v3/nbbase.py b/IPython/nbformat/v3/nbbase.py
index fcd86f6..c829cf3 100644
--- a/IPython/nbformat/v3/nbbase.py
+++ b/IPython/nbformat/v3/nbbase.py
@@ -11,6 +11,7 @@ helpers to build the structs in the right form.
 
 import pprint
 import uuid
+import os
 
 from IPython.utils.ipstruct import Struct
 from IPython.utils.py3compat import cast_unicode, unicode_type
@@ -22,6 +23,7 @@ from IPython.utils.py3compat import cast_unicode, unicode_type
 # Change this when incrementing the nbformat version
 nbformat = 3
 nbformat_minor = 0
+nbformat_schema = 'v3.withref.json'
 
 class NotebookNode(Struct):
     pass
diff --git a/IPython/nbformat/v3/validator.py b/IPython/nbformat/validator.py
similarity index 86%
rename from IPython/nbformat/v3/validator.py
rename to IPython/nbformat/validator.py
old mode 100755
new mode 100644
index bc037cc..7598889
--- a/IPython/nbformat/v3/validator.py
+++ b/IPython/nbformat/validator.py
@@ -4,23 +4,31 @@ from __future__ import print_function
 import argparse
 import traceback
 import json
+import os
 
-from IPython.external.jsonschema import  Draft3Validator, validate, ValidationError
+from IPython.external.jsonschema import Draft3Validator, validate, ValidationError
 import IPython.external.jsonpointer as jsonpointer
 from IPython.utils.py3compat import iteritems
 
-def nbvalidate(nbjson, schema='v3.withref.json', key=None,verbose=True):
-    v3schema = resolve_ref(json.load(open(schema,'r')))
-    if key :
-        v3schema = jsonpointer.resolve_pointer(v3schema,key)
+
+from .current import nbformat, nbformat_schema
+schema = os.path.join(
+    os.path.split(__file__)[0], "v%d" % nbformat, nbformat_schema)
+
+
+def nbvalidate(nbjson, key='/notebook', verbose=True):
+    v3schema = resolve_ref(json.load(open(schema, 'r')))
+    if key:
+        v3schema = jsonpointer.resolve_pointer(v3schema, key)
     errors = 0
-    v = Draft3Validator(v3schema);
+    v = Draft3Validator(v3schema)
     for error in v.iter_errors(nbjson):
         errors = errors + 1
         if verbose:
             print(error)
     return errors
 
+
 def resolve_ref(json, base=None):
     """return a json with resolved internal references
 
@@ -58,9 +66,6 @@ def convert(namein, nameout, indent=2):
 
 if __name__ == '__main__':
     parser = argparse.ArgumentParser()
-    parser.add_argument('-s', '--schema',
-                    type=str, default='v3.withref.json')
-
     parser.add_argument('-k', '--key',
                     type=str, default='/notebook',
                     help='subkey to extract json schema from json file')
@@ -77,7 +82,6 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
     args = parser.parse_args()
     for name in args.filename :
         nerror = nbvalidate(json.load(open(name,'r')),
-                            schema=args.schema,
                             key=args.key,
                             verbose=args.verbose)
         if nerror is 0:
@@ -86,5 +90,3 @@ if __name__ == '__main__':
             print(u"[    ]",name,'(%d)'%(nerror))
         if args.verbose :
             print('==================================================')
-
-