Reference Generator

Overview

Generate high-quality, verified reference lists for educational textbooks with level-appropriate content and quantity. The skill analyzes course descriptions to determine the target audience and creates references that match the readers' level, from fun and engaging resources for junior-high students to authoritative peer-reviewed papers for graduate students.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

• Creating a new intelligent textbook that needs a comprehensive reference list
• Adding references to an existing textbook
• Updating or expanding references for educational content
• A user explicitly requests reference generation

Reference Generation Workflow

Step 1: Analyze the Course Description

Read the /docs/course-description.md file to determine:

• Grade level or target audience (junior-high, senior-high, college, graduate)
• Prerequisites - indicates reader sophistication
• Subject matter - determines reference topics
• Learning objectives - guides reference selection

The grade level determines:

• Junior-high (middle school): 10 references - fun, engaging, visual resources
• Senior-high (high school): 20 references - mix of accessible and academic sources
• College (undergraduate): 30 references - more academic, some peer-reviewed papers
• Professional Development: 30 references - more academic, some peer-reviewed papers
• Graduate (masters/PhD): 40 references - heavily peer-reviewed, authoritative sources

Step 2: Check for Chapter-Level Content

Before generating references, search for chapter content in the textbook:

# Look for the chapters directory
find /docs/chapters
# Look for chapter files
find /docs -name "chapter*.md" -o -name "*-chapter-*.md"

If chapter content exists, use the AskUserQuestion tool to ask:

• "Would you like book-level references (in /docs/references.md) or chapter-level references (at the end of each chapter)?"

Step 3: Generate References with Verification

For each reference, perform the following:

1. Search for authoritative sources using WebSearch tool
2. Verify each URL using WebFetch to ensure the link is valid and accessible
3. Format according to the standard template (see Format Specification below)

Quality Guidelines by Level:

Junior-High (10 references):

• Educational websites with interactive content
• Videos from reputable educational channels
• Visual resources, infographics, and animations
• Age-appropriate articles from educational publishers
• Museums, science centers, and educational organizations

Senior-High (20 references):

• Mix of educational websites and academic sources
• Reputable news organizations and science journalism
• Educational videos and documentaries
• Introduction to academic journals (more accessible papers)
• Government and NGO educational resources

College (30 references):

• Peer-reviewed journal articles (50%+ of references)
• Academic textbooks and monographs
• University course materials and lectures
• Research institution publications
• Industry white papers and technical reports

Graduate (40 references):

• Heavily weighted toward peer-reviewed journals (70%+ of references)
• Seminal papers in the field
• Recent research (last 5 years) showing current state of field
• Meta-analyses and systematic reviews
• Academic books from university presses

Step 4: Format Each Reference

Use the following format for every reference:

1. [Link Title](URL) - YYYY-MM-DD - Publication Name - Brief description of resource and specific relevance to the textbook topic.

Format Specifications:

• Link Title: Exact title of the article, paper, video, or resource
• URL: Verified, working link (use WebFetch to confirm)
• Date: Publication date in YYYY-MM-DD format (use YYYY-MM or YYYY if day/month unavailable)
• Publication Name: Journal, website, organization, or publisher
• Description: 1-2 sentences explaining what the resource covers and why it's relevant to this specific textbook

Example References:

1. [How Neural Networks Really Work](https://distill.pub/2020/circuits/zoom-in/) - 2020-03-10 - Distill - Interactive visualization explaining the inner workings of neural networks through explorable explanations, perfect for visual learners beginning their ML journey.

2. [Attention Is All You Need](https://arxiv.org/abs/1706.03762) - 2017-06-12 - arXiv - Seminal paper introducing the Transformer architecture that revolutionized natural language processing and forms the foundation for modern LLMs like GPT and BERT.

3. [Khan Academy: Introduction to Algorithms](https://www.khanacademy.org/computing/computer-science/algorithms) - 2024-01-15 - Khan Academy - Free, interactive course covering fundamental algorithms including sorting and searching, with visualizations and practice exercises suitable for high school students.

Step 5: Wri

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