| name | Citation Management |
| description | APA 7th formatting, citation integration, reference validation, and bibliography generation |
Skill: Citation Management
APA 7th formatting, citation integration, reference validation, and bibliography generation.
Metadata
| Field | Value |
|---|
| Skill ID | citation-management |
| Version | 1.0.0 |
| Category | Research |
| Difficulty | Intermediate |
| Prerequisites | None |
| Related Skills | literature-review, academic-research |
Overview
Proper citation is the invisible infrastructure of scholarly work. This skill ensures accurate attribution, consistent formatting, and valid references across academic writing.
Supported Styles
| Style | Primary Use | Key Resource |
|---|
| APA 7th | Psychology, social sciences, business | Publication Manual (2019) |
| Chicago | History, humanities | Chicago Manual of Style |
| IEEE | Engineering, CS | IEEE Reference Guide |
| Harvard | UK/Australia academia | Varies by institution |
Default: APA 7th (DBA dissertation standard)
Module 1: APA 7th Quick Reference
In-Text Citations
| Situation | Format | Example |
|---|
| One author | (Author, Year) | (Newport, 2016) |
| Two authors | (Author & Author, Year) | (Lee & See, 2004) |
| Three+ authors | (First Author et al., Year) | (Venkatesh et al., 2012) |
| Direct quote | (Author, Year, p. X) | (Newport, 2016, p. 42) |
| Multiple sources | (Author, Year; Author, Year) | (Lee, 2020; Smith, 2021) |
| Same author, same year | (Author, Year-a, Year-b) | (Brown, 2023a, 2023b) |
Narrative vs. Parenthetical
Parenthetical (author in parentheses):
Trust calibration is essential for human-automation interaction (Lee & See, 2004).
Narrative (author in sentence):
Lee and See (2004) demonstrated that trust calibration is essential for human-automation interaction.
Page Numbers
Required for:
- Direct quotes
- Paraphrases of specific passages
- Referring to specific figures/tables
Not required for:
- General reference to entire work
- Summarizing main argument
Module 2: Reference List Formatting
Basic Structure
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page–Page. https://doi.org/xxxxx
Journal Article
Venkatesh, V., Thong, J. Y., & Xu, X. (2012). Consumer acceptance and use of information technology: Extending the unified theory of acceptance and use of technology. MIS Quarterly, 36(1), 157-178. https://doi.org/10.2307/41410412
Key rules:
- Italicize journal name and volume
- Include DOI as hyperlink when available
- Use sentence case for article title
- Use title case for journal name
Book
Newport, C. (2016). Deep work: Rules for focused success in a distracted world. Grand Central Publishing.
Key rules:
- Italicize book title
- Include publisher (no location since APA 7th)
- Sentence case for title
Book Chapter
Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.
Conference Paper
Schemmer, M., Kuehl, N., Benz, C., Bartos, A., Satzger, G., & Fromm, J. (2023). Appropriate reliance on AI advice: Conceptualization and the effect of explanations. Proceedings of the 28th International Conference on Intelligent User Interfaces, 410-422. https://doi.org/10.1145/3581641.3584066
Website/Online Source
Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. https://www.url.com
Dissertation/Thesis
Correa, F. (2025). AI readiness scale: Extending UTAUT2 to predict enterprise AI adoption [Doctoral dissertation, University Name]. ProQuest Dissertations.
Module 3: Common Errors and Fixes
Formatting Errors
| Error | Incorrect | Correct |
|---|
| Ampersand in narrative | Smith & Jones (2020) found... | Smith and Jones (2020) found... |
| Missing comma | (Smith 2020) | (Smith, 2020) |
| Et al. too early | (Smith et al., 2020) for 2 authors | (Smith & Jones, 2020) |
| Italics wrong | Article Title | Article title (not italicized) |
| DOI format | doi: 10.xxx | https://doi.org/10.xxx |
Reference List Errors
| Error | Fix |
|---|
| Missing DOI | Add if available; most recent articles have DOIs |
| URL instead of DOI | Prefer DOI over URL when both exist |
| Retrieval date included | Only for content that may change (e.g., wiki) |
| Publisher location | Omit in APA 7th (changed from 6th) |
| "Retrieved from" | Omit unless content changes (use DOI directly) |
Consistency Errors
| Error | Fix |
|---|
| Inconsistent author names | Use same format throughout |
| Mixed capitalization | Sentence case for titles, title case for journals |
| Orphaned citations | Every in-text citation needs reference list entry |
| Orphaned references | Remove unused references |
Module 4: Citation Verification
Verification Checklist
For each in-text citation:
For each reference:
DOI Validation
https://doi.org/10.XXXX/XXXXXXX
Test: Paste DOI in browser—should resolve to article.
Finding DOIs:
Module 5: Reference Management Tools
Tool Comparison
| Tool | Pros | Cons | Best For |
|---|
| Zotero | Free, browser integration, groups | Sync limits on free | Individuals, small teams |
| Mendeley | Free, PDF annotation | Owned by Elsevier | PDF-heavy workflows |
| EndNote | Powerful, institutional | Expensive, complex | Large institutional projects |
| Paperpile | Google Docs integration | Subscription | Google ecosystem users |
Integration Workflow
- Capture: Browser extension captures metadata
- Store: Central library with PDFs
- Cite: Word/Google Docs plugin inserts citations
- Generate: Auto-generate bibliography
- Verify: Manual check against APA 7th
Manual Backup Strategy
Always keep:
- Exported BibTeX file (portable format)
- Annotated PDF copies
- Citation spreadsheet for complex works
Module 6: Special Cases
Secondary Sources
When citing a source you read about in another source:
(Original Author, Year, as cited in Secondary Author, Year)
Reference list: Only include the secondary source you actually read.
Personal Communications
- In-text only: (J. Smith, personal communication, January 15, 2025)
- NOT in reference list (not recoverable)
Works in Press
Author, A. A. (in press). Title. Journal Name.
Retracted Articles
Author, A. A. (Year). Title (Retracted). Journal, Volume, Pages. https://doi.org/xxx
AI-Generated Content
APA guidance (as of 2023):
- Cite the AI tool as author
- Include prompt in quotes
- Note that output is not retrievable
OpenAI. (2025). ChatGPT (May 2025 version) [Large language model]. https://chat.openai.com
Quick Reference Card
In-Text Patterns
One author: (Smith, 2020)
Two authors: (Smith & Jones, 2020)
Three+: (Smith et al., 2020)
Quote: (Smith, 2020, p. 42)
Narrative: Smith (2020) argued...
Multiple: (Jones, 2019; Smith, 2020)
Reference Patterns
Journal: Author. (Year). Title. Journal, Vol(Iss), pp. DOI
Book: Author. (Year). Title. Publisher.
Chapter: Author. (Year). Title. In Editor (Ed.), Book (pp.). Publisher.
Web: Author. (Year, Month Day). Title. Site. URL
Numbers to Remember
| Rule | Value |
|---|
| Et al. threshold | 3+ authors |
| Max authors in reference | 20 (then use ... before last) |
| Hanging indent | 0.5 inch |
| Double spacing | Yes, throughout |
| Alphabetize by | First author's last name |
Activation Patterns
| Trigger | Response |
|---|
| "citation", "APA", "reference" | Full skill activation |
| "format this reference", "cite this" | Direct formatting help |
| "check citations", "verify references" | Module 4 verification |
| "in-text citation" | Module 1 quick reference |
| "reference list" | Module 2 formatting |
Skill created: 2026-02-10 | Category: Research | Status: Active
Synapses
- [.github/skills/literature-review/SKILL.md] (High, Enables, Bidirectional) - "Lit review requires proper citations"
- [.github/skills/academic-research/SKILL.md] (High, Enables, Forward) - "Papers need correct citations"
- [.github/skills/dissertation-defense/SKILL.md] (Medium, Supports, Forward) - "Defense references must be accurate"
