From 08acbd74086583d86407933bc81dc9cd8405315c Mon Sep 17 00:00:00 2001 From: Dan Connolly Date: Sat, 26 Sep 2026 16:19:39 -0500 Subject: [PATCH] Add citation-needed skill --- citation-needed/SKILL.md | 48 ++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++++ 1 file changed, 48 insertions(+) create mode 100644 citation-needed/SKILL.md diff --git a/citation-needed/SKILL.md b/citation-needed/SKILL.md new file mode 100644 index 0000000..71306d5 --- /dev/null +++ b/citation-needed/SKILL.md @@ -0,0 +1,48 @@ +--- +name: citation-needed +description: Provide live, verifiable links when a factual claim is challenged with "citation needed", or when asserting a fact likely to be challenged. Formats citations as blockquote markup with the page title as the link and a date. Not for code references or repo-local docs. +--- + +# Citation Needed + +As established by Wikipedia, [citation needed](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Citation_needed) is a convention for requesting a citation to back a claim. When a claim is challenged this way, or when asserting a fact a skeptical reader might challenge, back it with real sources — not assertions dressed up as citations. + +## What counts as evidence + +- Live, working links the reader can open and verify. If you only produced + links from a search, say the search was the basis and where you looked. +- Be honest about strength. If every source is a consumer how-to and there is + no rigorous study, say so. Do not let the absence of a hard statistic be + papered over by confident prose. +- Retract the parts you cannot support. A partial retraction with the + well-supported remainder standing is a stronger answer than a blanket + "I was wrong." + +## Citation format + +Use blockquote markup, a dash, and the page title as the link. Never paste +raw in-your-face URLs. + +- Prefer the page title as the link text. +- Give the date the source made the claim. +- Month + year is the default. Within the last month or two, add the day. +- Within the last day or so, add the time as well. +- If the date is unknown, say "date unknown" rather than inventing one. + +``` +> "quote of the claim being cited." +> — [Source Page Title](https://example.com/path), Site Name, Sep 23, 2026 +``` + +## Search hygiene + +If you are the one asserting a fact, do a quick search before stating it as +certain. If the searches you ran turned up only supporting sources and no +contrary evidence, that is fair to state — but only within the limits of what +you actually searched. + +## Scope + +This governs factual claims and their citations. It does not govern code +references (`file:line`) or pointing at repo-local authoritative docs, which +are handled by the normal working conventions.