# Citation Formatter > Generate, format, convert, and fix citations and references in any academic style. Use this skill whenever the user asks to cite a source, format a reference list, convert between citation styles, check a citation for errors, or create a bibliography or works cited page. Trigger for: "cite this in APA," "format my references," "how do I cite a website in MLA," "convert these to Chicago," "fix my… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-muhammad1438-academic-writer-skills-citation-formatter` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [muhammad1438](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/muhammad1438) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [muhammad1438](https://github.com/muhammad1438) - **Source:** https://github.com/muhammad1438/academic-writer-skills/tree/master/skills/citation-formatter ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-muhammad1438-academic-writer-skills-citation-formatter ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Citation Formatter Citation styles are the disciplinary "branding" of scholarly communication — they encode a field's epistemological values and allow readers to trace intellectual lineage, verify facts, and assess the recency of evidence. --- ## Style Selection Guide | Style | Primary Disciplines | In-Text Format | End List | |---|---|---|---| | **APA 7th** | Social Sciences, Psychology, Nursing, Education | (Author, Year, p. #) | References (alphabetical) | | **MLA 9th** | Humanities, Literature, Languages | (Author Page #) | Works Cited (alphabetical) | | **Chicago NB** | History, Fine Arts, Literature | Superscript numeral¹ | Bibliography (alphabetical) | | **Chicago AD** | Physical, natural, social sciences | (Author Year, p.) | Reference List (alphabetical) | | **IEEE** | Engineering, Computer Science, Electronics | [1] numbered | References (sequential) | | **Vancouver** | Medicine, Biomedicine, Nursing | ¹ or (1) numbered | Reference List (sequential) | | **Harvard** | UK/Australian universities (various disciplines) | (Author Year) | Reference List (alphabetical) | | **ACS** | Chemistry | Numbered or author-date | References | | **CSE** | Biology, Life Sciences | Citation-name or -sequence | References | --- ## APA 7th Edition — Full Rules ### In-Text Citations - **1–2 authors:** (Smith, 2021) / (Smith & Jones, 2021) - **3+ authors:** From the FIRST citation → (Taylor et al., 2018) - **No author:** Use shortened title in quotes: ("Title," 2020) - **Corporate author:** Spell out first time, abbreviate after: (World Health Organization [WHO], 2019), then (WHO, 2019) - **Same author, same year:** Add a, b, c: (Smith, 2021a), (Smith, 2021b) - **Direct quote:** Always add page number: (Smith, 2021, p. 45) - **Secondary source:** (Original Author, Year, as cited in Secondary Author, Year) - **No date:** Use (n.d.): (Smith, n.d.) - **Classical/sacred works:** (Bible, King James Version, Genesis 1:1) — no reference entry needed ### Reference List Rules - Alphabetical by first author's surname - Up to **20 authors** listed in full; for 21+, list first 19, insert ellipsis, then final author - **No publisher location** required (removed in 7th edition) - DOIs and URLs formatted as active hyperlinks - Sentence case for article and book titles; Title Case for journal names ### APA Reference Formats **Journal Article (with DOI):** `Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article in sentence case. Journal Title in Title Case, Volume(Issue), pages. https://doi.org/xxxxx` **Journal Article (no DOI, with URL):** `Author, A. A. (Year). Title. Journal Title, Volume(Issue), pages. URL` **Book:** `Author, A. A. (Year). Title of book in sentence case. Publisher.` **Book Chapter in Edited Volume:** `Author, A. A. (Year). Title of chapter. In E. Editor (Ed.), Title of book (pp. xx–xx). Publisher.` **Website:** `Author, A. A. (Year, Month Day). Title of page. Site Name. URL` **Dissertation/Thesis:** `Author, A. A. (Year). Title [Doctoral dissertation/Master's thesis, University Name]. Database Name. URL` **Conference Paper:** `Author, A. A. (Year, Month). Title of paper [Paper presentation]. Conference Name, Location. URL` --- ## MLA 9th Edition — Full Rules ### The Container System Every source is built from **9 core elements** in this fixed order: 1. Author. 2. Title of source. 3. *Title of container,* 4. Other contributors, 5. Version, 6. Number, 7. Publisher, 8. Publication date, 9. Location. Elements that don't apply are simply omitted. A source can have **multiple nested containers** (e.g., article → journal → database), repeating elements 3–9 for each layer. ### In-Text Citations - Author + page: (Wordsworth 263) - No author: Shorten title: ("Study on Cognition" 12) - No page: Use paragraph number or section: (Smith, par. 4) - Classical works (plays, poems): Use act.scene.line: (Shakespeare 1.2.95) - Foreign language quote: Must include English translation ### Title Formatting - **Italics:** Self-contained works (books, films, websites, entire journals) - **"Quotation marks":** Works within containers (articles, poems, chapters, episodes, web pages) ### MLA Works Cited Formats **Journal Article:** `Author Last, First. "Title of Article." Journal Name, vol. #, no. #, Year, pp. xx–xx. Database, https://doi.org/xxxxx.` **Book:** `Author Last, First. Title of Book. Publisher, Year.` **Website:** `Author Last, First. "Page Title." Website Name, Day Mon. Year, URL.` --- ## Chicago 17th Edition — Full Rules ### Notes-Bibliography (NB) System Used in: History, Fine Arts, Literature, Humanities **First (full) note:** `¹ First Last, *Title of Book* (City: Publisher, Year), page.` **Subsequent (shortened) note:** `² Last, *Shortened Title*, page.` **Ibid.:** Still permissible for immediately consecutive citations from the same source. Increasingly discouraged in favour of the shortened form. Never use Ibid. if another citation appears between the two references. **Bibliography entry (inverted name, period-separated):** `Last, First. *Title of Book*. City: Publisher, Year.` ### Author-Date (AD) System Used in: Physical, natural, social sciences In-text: (Last Year, page) → (Smith 2021, 45) Reference list: `Last, First. Year. *Title*. City: Publisher.` --- ## IEEE — Full Rules ### In-Text Citations - Sequential numbers in **square brackets**: [1], [2], [3] - Multiple: [1], [2] or [1]–[3] for consecutive - Can function grammatically as nouns: "As shown in [4]..." - Placed **before** terminal punctuation ### Reference List Format (sequential, hanging indent) **Journal article:** `[1] A. A. Author and B. B. Author, "Title of article," *Abbreviated Journal Name*, vol. x, no. x, pp. xxx–xxx, Month Year, doi: xxxxx.` **Conference paper:** `[2] A. Author, "Title," in *Proc. Conference Name*, City, Year, pp. xxx–xxx.` **Book:** `[3] A. Author, *Title of Book*, xth ed. City: Publisher, Year.` **Website:** `[4] A. Author. (Year, Month Day). *Title* [Online]. Available: URL` --- ## Vancouver (ICMJE) — Full Rules ### In-Text Citations - Superscript numbers or (round brackets): Smith¹ or Smith(1) - Number assigned in order of first appearance; same number reused if same source cited again ### Reference List Format **Journal article:** `1. Surname AB, Surname CD. Title of article. Abbreviated Journal Name. Year;Volume(Issue):pages.` - Author format: **Surname then initials, no punctuation between** (e.g., Smith AB, not Smith, A.B.) - Journal titles abbreviated per NLM catalog (Index Medicus) - Up to 6 authors listed; if 7+, list first 6 then "et al." **Book:** `2. Last FM. Title of Book. Edition ed. City: Publisher; Year.` --- ## Harvard Referencing Harvard is NOT standardized — always check the specific institutional guide. Common shared features: - **In-text:** (Author Year) or (Author Year, p. x) - **Reference list:** Alphabetical, author-year prominent - Punctuation, capitalization, and italicization rules vary by institution (Leeds Harvard, Anglia Ruskin, Cite Them Right, Open University) - When in doubt, use the institution's own guide --- ## Common Citation Mistakes to Avoid | Mistake | Correct Approach | |---|---| | Using 3+ authors in full in APA in-text | Use "et al." from first citation | | Including publisher city in APA 7th | Removed — do not include | | Formatting DOI as plain text | Format as active hyperlink | | Using "Ibid." in Chicago when another citation appears between | Use shortened form instead | | Quoting out of context to distort original meaning | Academic integrity violation | | Ignoring secondary sources | Use "as cited in" / "qtd. in" (MLA) | | Automated citation tool errors | Always verify DOI, page range, volume/issue | --- ## Citation Tools — Known Limitations Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote, Cite This For Me, EasyBib are useful but commonly produce errors in: - Capitalisation (APA requires sentence case for article titles) - Missing DOIs or malformed DOI links - Incorrect author formatting for institutional/corporate authors - Handling of multiple containers (MLA) Always manually verify automated citations against the official style guide. ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [muhammad1438](https://github.com/muhammad1438) - **Source:** [muhammad1438/academic-writer-skills](https://github.com/muhammad1438/academic-writer-skills) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** no - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-muhammad1438-academic-writer-skills-citation-formatter - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/muhammad1438 - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.