writing-quotation

Writing Quotation

Formatting rules for quoting external sources inside a Markdown document. Other skills that produce sourced deliverables (survey, paper-details, and similar) reference this one.

1. Why quote the original

A summary alone does not let the reader judge whether the writer's reading of the source is correct. Placing the original alongside lets the reader cross-check the writer's interpretation against the source itself. Quotations and prose (the writer's own summary or interpretation) must stay visually and structurally distinct.

2. Quotations always go inside code blocks

Quote external sources inside a fenced code block, regardless of content type — prose, prompt templates, code, XML-tagged text, anything. Do not use the blockquote syntax (>).

3. Structure of a quotation block

A quotation block has the following shape.

• Opening code fence
• Original text
• One blank line
• Translation into the writer's working language (only when the source is in a different language)
• Closing code fence
• The source reference [label (YYYY/MM), location] on the line immediately after the closing fence

Rules:

• Original and translation sit together inside the same code block.
• One blank line separates them.
• Do not insert a horizontal rule (---) between original and translation.
• Do not move the translation outside the code block. Do not put it in parentheses next to the original.
• The source reference belongs on the line after the closing fence as an independent line. Never inside the code block.

4. Examples

4.1 Same-language quotation

When the source and the writer share a working language, no translation is needed:

Composability is the property by which a system's behaviour is determined by the behaviour of its parts and the rules under which they are combined.

[example-handbook (2026/04), Section 2.1]

4.2 Cross-language quotation

When the source is in a language other than the writer's working language, place the translation as a separate paragraph inside the same code block:

Le sens d'une expression complexe est déterminé par le sens de ses constituants et par les règles qui les combinent.

The meaning of a complex expression is determined by the meaning of its constituents and the rules that combine them.

[example-handbook (2026/04), Section 2.1]

4.3 Prompt-template quotation

Prompt templates use the same rule. Wrap inside a code block; place the source reference after the fence.

Human: You are an assistant who summarises research papers. The paper is enclosed in <paper> tags. Produce a summary enclosed in <summary> tags. <paper>P</paper> Assistant:

[example-prompt-library (2026/04), template 03]

4.4 Short-form role markers in translations

When translating a prompt template (Human/Assistant style), the translation side may abbreviate role markers to reduce cognitive load and to make it easier to tell original from translation at a glance.

• Human: → H:
• Assistant: → A:

Keep the original side unabbreviated (Human: / Assistant: in full). The trailing Assistant: at the very end of a chat template (the position that signals where the response begins) carries structural meaning and may be left as Assistant: on the translation side as well.

5. Source-reference format

Format: [label (YYYY/MM), location].

• label: an identifier for the source. The calling skill decides the convention (author short-form, publication name, etc.).
• (YYYY/MM): year and month. Do not include the day. If only the year is known, use (YYYY).
• location: where in the source the cited passage lives (p.4, Section 3.1, Figure 2, (15), opening, final paragraph, etc.). Omit when it cannot be pinned down.

If there is no location, write [label (YYYY/MM)].

5.1 No bare numeric references

Do not use bare numeric references like [1] or [2]. The reader has to bounce between text and bibliography to learn what each number means. Use a label-based form that identifies the subject directly inside the text.

6. Anti-patterns

Anti-pattern 1 — using blockquote syntax (>):

A line starting with > is not acceptable for an external quotation. Always wrap inside a code block (see Section 2).

Anti-pattern 2 — translation outside the code block:

Composability is the property by which ...

The translation appears here as prose, outside the code block. [example-handbook (2026/04), Section 2.1]

Fix: place original and translation inside the same code block, separated by one blank line.

Anti-pattern 3 — translation in parentheses next to the original:

Composability is the property by which ... (Inline translation in parentheses ...)

[example-handbook (2026/04), Section 2.1]

Fix: original and translation are independent paragraphs inside the same code block, separated by one blank line.

Anti-pattern 4 — source reference inside the code block:

Composability is the property by which ...

Translation here ...
[example-handbook (2026/04), Section 2.1]

Fix: the source reference goes on the line after the closing fence as an independent line.

Anti-pattern 5 — bare numeric source reference:

Composability is the property by which ...

Translation here ...

[1]

Fix: use a label that identifies the source directly (author short-form or publication name).

Anti-pattern 6 — horizontal rule between original and translation:

Composability is the property by which ...
---
Translation here ...

[example-handbook (2026/04), Section 2.1]

Fix: separate original and translation with one blank line. No horizontal rule.

7. Scope

This skill defines the format of quotations only. When to quote (Assertion-Evidence ordering, what label to use, etc.) is decided by the calling skill.

• survey: Assertion-Evidence ordering — state the claim in prose first, then back it up with a quotation. The label slot holds the publication or source name.
• paper-details: References to the paper under review omit the author and use position only ([p.X, Section Y.Z]). References to other works use [author-short (YYYY/MM)].