Reference Generator

Overview

Generate high-quality, curated reference lists for educational textbooks. Each chapter receives exactly 10 references, prioritizing Wikipedia articles first for reliability, then crediting the specific textbook authors who pioneered clear or innovative ways of teaching the chapter's concepts, followed by authoritative online resources. References are never just a list of Wikipedia links — the textbook slots exist specifically to give credit to the authors behind influential explanations, analogies, or pedagogical techniques (e.g., a particularly intuitive derivation, a widely-copied diagram, a teaching analogy that became standard). References are stored in separate references.md files for token-efficient maintenance by AI agents.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when:

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

Key Principles

10 References Per Chapter

Every chapter receives exactly 10 high-quality references:

References 1-3: Wikipedia articles (most reliable, always accessible)
References 4-5: Textbooks that credit a specific author's innovative explanation, analogy, derivation, or notation for a chapter concept (title, author, publisher - no URLs that break)
References 6-10: Online resources (tutorials, courses, verified working links)

Wikipedia First

Wikipedia links are placed first because they:

Have stable, reliable URLs that rarely break
Provide comprehensive, well-sourced overviews
Are freely accessible to all students
Cover most technical topics thoroughly
Are maintained and updated by the community

Separate Reference Files

References are stored in separate references.md files (not inline in chapters) for:

Token efficiency: ~150 tokens vs ~6,000 tokens to read/update
Batch processing: Agents can glob **/references.md for bulk updates
Separation of concerns: Chapter edits don't risk breaking references

Reference Generation Workflow

Step 1: Analyze the Course Description

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

Subject matter - determines reference topics
Target audience - guides complexity of descriptions
Learning objectives - ensures references support goals

Step 2: Identify Chapter Structure

Locate all chapter directories:

# Find chapter folders
ls docs/chapters/

For each chapter, read the chapter index.md to understand:

Chapter title and topic
Key concepts covered
Learning objectives

Step 3: Generate 10 References Per Chapter

For each chapter, create exactly 10 references following this priority:

Positions 1-3: Wikipedia Articles

Find the most relevant Wikipedia articles for the chapter's main concepts:

1. [Concept Name](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Concept_Name) - Wikipedia - Description of article content and relevance to chapter.

Positions 4-5: Textbooks Crediting Innovative Authors (No URL)

These two slots exist to give explicit credit to authors, not just to cite a source. For each chapter's key concepts, identify the textbook author(s) most associated with an innovative, intuitive, or influential way of teaching that concept — a distinctive analogy, derivation, notation, worked example, or diagram that other authors have since adopted or that students consistently find clarifying. Search for who "originated" or is "best known for" the chapter's core explanation before defaulting to a generic well-known textbook. Reference these textbooks without URLs (which often break):

4. Textbook Title (Edition) - Author Name - Publisher - Names the specific innovation (analogy, derivation, notation, example) this author is known for and why it makes the concept easier to grasp.

Positions 6-10: Online Resources

Verified online tutorials, courses, and educational sites:

6. [Resource Title](https://verified-url.com/path) - Source Name - Description of content and specific relevance to chapter topics.

Step 4: Verify Online URLs

For references 6-10, verify each URL:

WebFetch(url=reference_url, prompt="Is this page accessible? What is the main topic?")

Preferred sources (stable, educational):

All About Circuits (allaboutcircuits.com)
Electronics Tutorials (electronics-tutorials.ws)
ChipVerify (chipverify.com)
HDLBits (hdlbits.01xz.net)
Nandland (nandland.com)
MIT OpenCourseWare (ocw.mit.edu)
GeeksforGeeks (geeksforgeeks.org)
Digilent Reference (digilent.com/reference)

Step 5: Write Reference Files

Create a references.md file in each chapter directory:

File location: docs/chapters/XX-chapter-name/references.md

File format:

# References: [Chapter Title]

1. [Wikipedia Article](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic) - Wikipedia - Comprehensive overview of [topic] including [specific aspects relevant to chapter].

2. [Wikipedia Article 2](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic2) - Wikipedia - Detailed explanation of [concept] with [relevant details].

3. [Wikipedia Article 3](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Topic3) - Wikipedia - Coverage of [related topic] including [applications/examples].

4. Textbook Title (Edition) - Author Name - Publisher - Author Name pioneered [specific analogy/derivation/notation] for [concept], now widely adopted because [why it clarifies the idea].

5. Textbook Title 2 - Author Name - Publisher - Credits Author Name's [specific innovative approach] to [chapter concept], noted for [what makes it distinctive/effective].

6. [Online Resource](https://verified-url.com) - Source - Tutorial on [topic] with [specific features like examples, exercises, visualizations].

7. [Online Resource 2](https://verified-url.com) - Source - [Description of content and relevance].

8. [Online Resource 3](https://verified-url.com) - Source - [Description of content and relevance].

9. [Online Resource 4](https://verified-url.com) - Source - [Description of content and relevance].

10. [Online Resource 5](https://verified-url.com) - Source - [Description of content and relevance].

Step 6: Update Chapter Files

Add a link at the end of each chapter's index.md:

[See Annotated References](./references.md)

Important: Replace any existing ## References section with this single link.

Step 7: Update mkdocs.yml Navigation

Nest an Annotated References: entry under each chapter in mkdocs.yml, following the canonical nav-editing rules (read-before-write, serialize edits, Content: label for the chapter page) in $HOME/.claude/skills/book-installer/references/mkdocs-nav-editing.md:

  - 1. Chapter Name:
    - Content: chapters/01-chapter-folder/index.md
    - Quiz: chapters/01-chapter-folder/quiz.md
    - Annotated References: chapters/01-chapter-folder/references.md

Reference Quality Guidelines

Description Requirements

Each reference description should:

Explain what the resource covers (1 sentence)
Explain why it's relevant to this chapter (1 sentence)
Mention specific features (examples, exercises, visualizations)
Be 20-40 words total

Good example:

1. [Karnaugh map](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnaugh_map) - Wikipedia - Detailed explanation of K-map theory, grouping rules, and don't-care conditions. Essential foundation for the simplification techniques covered in this chapter.

Bad example:

1. [Karnaugh map](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Karnaugh_map) - Wikipedia - About K-maps.

Wikipedia Article Selection

Choose Wikipedia articles that:

Cover the chapter's primary concepts
Have substantial content (not stubs)
Include diagrams, examples, or formulas
Link to related topics students might explore

Textbook Selection

Reference textbooks whose author:

Is credited with originating or popularizing a specific explanation, analogy, derivation, notation, or diagram for one of the chapter's concepts
Is widely cited by other authors or instructors for that particular teaching innovation
Wrote a textbook that is reasonably accessible to students
Has an explanation the description names concretely — never just "covers the topic well"

If no author stands out as the originator of a distinctive teaching approach, choose the textbook most often praised (in reviews, syllabi, or educator discussion) for making the concept unusually clear, and say so explicitly in the description rather than defaulting to a generic "authoritative textbook" citation.

Online Resource Selection

Choose online resources that:

Have verified, working URLs
Come from educational or reputable technical sources
Provide practical examples or exercises
Complement (not duplicate) Wikipedia content

Reference Quality Checklist

Before finalizing references, ensure:

[ ] Exactly 10 references per chapter
[ ] References 1-3 are Wikipedia articles
[ ] References 4-5 are textbooks (no URLs) that name the specific author and the innovative explanation/analogy/derivation they're credited with
[ ] References 6-10 have verified working URLs
[ ] All descriptions are 20-40 words
[ ] Descriptions explain relevance to chapter
[ ] No duplicate sources across references
[ ] Proper formatting throughout

File Structure After Generation

docs/chapters/
├── 01-chapter-name/
│   ├── index.md          # Ends with: [See Annotated References](./references.md)
│   ├── quiz.md
│   └── references.md     # 10 curated references
├── 02-chapter-name/
│   ├── index.md
│   ├── quiz.md
│   └── references.md
...

Token Efficiency Benefits

| Task | Inline References | Separate Files | |------|------------------|----------------| | Read one chapter's refs | ~6,000 tokens | ~200 tokens | | Update all 15 chapters | ~90,000 tokens | ~3,000 tokens | | Batch reference check | Not feasible | Glob + process |

Finish

After generating references:

Report the number of chapters processed
List any URLs that failed verification
Confirm mkdocs.yml was updated
Remind user to verify the site builds: mkdocs serve

Resources

This skill uses web-based verification tools built into Claude Code:

WebSearch: Find authoritative sources on topics
WebFetch: Verify URLs are accessible and extract metadata
Glob: Find all chapter directories and reference files
Write: Create reference files
Edit: Update chapter files and mkdocs.yml

No additional scripts or assets are required for this skill.