Academic Citation Style Formatter and Converter

When to Use This Skill

• formatting references for journal submission
• converting between citation styles (APA, MLA, Vancouver, Chicago)
• generating bibliographies for manuscripts
• ensuring consistent reference formatting
• checking reference completeness and accuracy
• preparing grant proposal reference sections

Quick Start

from scripts.main import CitationFormatter

# Initialize the tool
tool = CitationFormatter()

from scripts.citation_formatter import CitationFormatter

formatter = CitationFormatter()

# Format references for specific journal
formatted_refs = formatter.format_references(
    references=raw_references,
    target_style="Nature Medicine",
    output_format="docx"
)

# Convert between styles
converted = formatter.convert_style(
    bibliography=apa_bibliography,
    from_style="APA 7th",
    to_style="Vancouver",
    include_doi=True,
    include_pmids=True
)

# Validate reference completeness
validation = formatter.validate_references(
    references=reference_list,
    required_fields=["authors", "title", "journal", "year", "volume", "pages", "doi"]
)

print(f"Validation results:")
print(f"  Complete: {validation.complete_count}")
print(f"  Missing fields: {validation.incomplete_count}")
print(f"  Invalid DOIs: {len(validation.invalid_dois)}")

# Generate in-text citations
in_text = formatter.generate_in_text_citations(
    citations=[
        {"author": "Smith", "year": 2023, "type": "paren"},
        {"author": "Jones et al.", "year": 2022, "type": "narrative"}
    ],
    style="APA"
)

# Batch process multiple documents
batch_results = formatter.batch_format(
    files=["chapter1.docx", "chapter2.docx"],
    style="AMA",
    output_dir="formatted/"
)

Core Capabilities

1. Format citations in 1000+ academic styles

# Format functionality
result = tool.execute(data)

2. Convert seamlessly between citation formats

# Convert functionality
result = tool.execute(data)

3. Validate reference completeness and accuracy

# Validate functionality
result = tool.execute(data)

4. Batch process large reference collections

# Batch functionality
result = tool.execute(data)

Command Line Usage

python scripts/main.py --input references.bib --from-style APA --to-style Vancouver --output formatted.docx --validate

Best Practices

• Always validate DOIs and URLs before submission
• Check journal-specific requirements beyond standard style
• Maintain original reference database for updates
• Review formatting of special cases (websites, preprints)

Quality Checklist

Before using this skill, ensure you have:

• Clear understanding of your objectives
• Necessary input data prepared and validated
• Output requirements defined
• Reviewed relevant documentation

After using this skill, verify:

• Results meet your quality standards
• Outputs are properly formatted
• Any errors or warnings have been addressed
• Results are documented appropriately

References

• references/guide.md - Comprehensive user guide
• references/examples/ - Working code examples
• references/api-docs/ - Complete API documentation

Skill ID: 625 | Version: 1.0 | License: MIT