Citation Finder and Formatter

The Prompt

Help me find and format citations for a paper about: [TOPIC]

I need:
1. **Source suggestions:** Recommend 10 key papers/sources I should cite, covering:
   - Foundational works (the classics everyone cites)
   - Recent advances (last 2-3 years)
   - Contrarian/critical perspectives
   - Methodological references
   For each: author, year, title, and ONE sentence on why it's relevant

2. **Citation formatting:** Format the following sources in [APA 7th / MLA 9 / Chicago / IEEE] style:
   [PASTE RAW CITATION INFO]

3. **In-text citation guidance:**
   - When to use direct quotes vs paraphrasing
   - How to cite multiple sources for one claim
   - How to indicate disagreement between sources
   - Signal phrases for different purposes (support, contrast, extend)

4. **Citation integrity check:**
   - Am I over-citing one source?
   - Are there perspective gaps in my citations?
   - Am I citing primary sources or relying on secondary?
   - Are any sources potentially predatory journals?

Note: Verify all suggested citations exist before using them — AI can hallucinate references.

How To Use It

Describe your paper topic and citation style needed. Use the suggestions as starting points for your own literature search — always verify citations exist using Google Scholar or your library database.

Why It Works

Citation is both a research skill (finding the right sources) and a mechanical skill (formatting correctly). This prompt handles both while teaching good citation practices like source diversity and the distinction between primary and secondary sources.

Variations

Annotated bibliography:

Create an annotated bibliography for these 8 sources. For each: formatted citation + 150-word annotation covering summary, methodology, and relevance to my research question: [QUESTION].

Citation audit:

Review my reference list for: formatting inconsistencies, missing information, suspicious entries (might not exist), and over-reliance on any single author or year.

Source evaluation:

Evaluate this source for academic use: journal reputation, methodology rigor, citation count, potential biases, and whether it would strengthen or weaken my argument about [CLAIM].