inline-citation

# Inline Linked Citation (APA-inspired) ## When Not to Use - When the output is a formal academic submission requiring strict APA, MLA, Chicago, or other institutional style compliance — use a dedicated reference manager and citation style instead - When the medium does not support hyperlinks (print documents, plain-text exports, PDF without link annotations) - When the content is purely creative or fictional and factual attribution is not required --- ## Interaction Protocol **Before starting**, ask if not already clear: 1. Is an optional reference list required at the end, or inline citations only? 2. Are primary sources already identified, or must sources be located during writing? **Output style**: - Every factual claim carries an inline citation in the canonical form: `<a href="URL">Author (Year)</a>` - Flag any claim that cannot be sourced with `[SOURCE NEEDED]` - Do not silently omit citations for hard-to-source claims — surface them --- ## Inputs and Outputs **Input**: Draft text with factual claims plus any source materials provided **Output**: Revised text with inline linked citations; optional reference list appended if requested; list of flagged unsourced claims **Composability**: Use alongside `citation-discipline` for full epistemic rigour; apply after `research` or `strategy-author`; run `speculation-control` in parallel to ensure non-factual content is labeled --- ## Citation Format ### Canonical form ```html <a href="URL">Author (Year)</a> ``` ### Examples ```html <a href="https://www.nber.org/papers/w31161">Brynjolfsson (2023)</a> <a href="https://www.iea.org/reports/oil-market-report-march-2024">IEA (2024)</a> ``` --- ## Placement - Insert the citation immediately after the claim it supports. - Place the citation before terminal punctuation where possible. Correct: > AI adoption improves productivity <a href="…">Brynjolfsson (2023)</a>. Incorrect: > AI adoption improves productivity. <a href="…">Brynjolfsson (2023)</a> --- ## Author Naming - Use the surname for individual authors: `Smith (2022)` - Use the organisation name when no clear individual author is identified: `IEA (2024)` - Use `et al.` for three or more authors: `Smith et al. (2021)` - Never use generic labels such as "Source" or "Reference" --- ## Year - Use the publication year of the cited work. - If the year is unknown or unavailable, use `n.d.` (no date): `WHO (n.d.)` --- ## Multiple Citations Do not bundle multiple sources into a single hyperlink or a single anchor element. **Avoid**: ```html <a href="…">Smith (2022); IEA (2024)</a> ``` **Do instead**: ```html <a href="…">Smith (2022)</a>; <a href="…">IEA (2024)</a> ``` --- ## Reuse - Repeat the full citation each time a claim requires support. - Do not rely on an earlier citation implicitly — each claim must be independently traceable. --- ## Link Requirements - The URL must resolve directly to the cited content — not to a homepage, category page, or search result. - Prefer primary sources over secondary commentary or summaries. - Do not use URL shorteners. - Use HTTPS where available. --- ## Optional Reference List An alphabetically ordered reference list at the end of the document is permitted but not required. If included: - Format each entry in APA-like style: Author (Year). *Title*. Publisher/URL. - Inline citations must still be present regardless — the reference list does not replace them. --- ## Edge Cases | Situation | Form | |---|---| | No named author | `<a href="…">World Bank (2023)</a>` | | No date available | `<a href="…">UNESCO (n.d.)</a>` | | Three or more authors | `<a href="…">Smith et al. (2021)</a>` | | Organisation as author | `<a href="…">IEA (2024)</a>` | --- ## Anti-patterns - Raw URLs embedded in body text instead of attached to an author–year anchor - "Click here", "this source", or other non-descriptive link text - Citations missing an author name or year - Linking to secondary commentary when the primary source is accessible - Bundling multiple sources into a single `<a>` element - Using a homepage URL instead of a direct link to the cited content --- ## Mandatory Pre-Output Checklist Run these checks before marking output complete: 1. **Author + year present**: Every inline citation contains an identifiable author or organisation name and a year (or `n.d.`). 2. **Hyperlink attached**: Every inline citation is wrapped in an `<a href="…">` element with a non-empty `href`. 3. **Source resolves directly**: Each URL points to the specific cited content, not a homepage or summary page. 4. **Citation at point of claim**: Each citation immediately follows the claim it supports; no orphaned citations placed at paragraph or section ends without a corresponding specific claim. 5. **No bundled citations**: No single `<a>` element contains more than one author–year pair. 6. **Unsourced claims flagged**: Any claim without a locatable source is marked `[SOURCE NEEDED]` rather than left bare. --- ## Failure Modes - Factual claims without any attached citation - Generic link text ("click here", "source") instead of Author (Year) - A single hyperlink covering multiple sources - Linking to a homepage or aggregator rather than the primary document - Placing the citation at the end of a paragraph rather than at the point of the specific claim - Using a URL shortener that obscures the destination - Omitting the citation on second or later use of the same claim