From writing-quotation
Formatting rules for quoting external sources (papers, articles, web pages, prompt templates) inside a Markdown document. Quotations always live in fenced code blocks (never the `>` blockquote syntax), original and translation sit together, source references go on the line after the fence, and bare numeric references like `[1]` are forbidden. Other sourced-writing skills (survey, paper-details, ...) reference this skill. Consult whenever you write or edit a quotation block.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/writing-quotation:writing-quotationThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Formatting rules for quoting external sources inside a Markdown document. Other skills that produce sourced deliverables (`survey`, `paper-details`, and similar) reference this one.
Formatting rules for quoting external sources inside a Markdown document. Other skills that produce sourced deliverables (survey, paper-details, and similar) reference this one.
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.
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 (>).
A quotation block has the following shape.
[label (YYYY/MM), location] on the line immediately after the closing fenceRules:
---) between original and translation.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]
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]
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]
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.
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)].
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.
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.
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)].Creates, edits, and optimizes skills for Claude Code, including drafting, evaluating with test prompts, iterating on performance, and improving skill descriptions for better triggering accuracy.
npx claudepluginhub mathbullet/skills --plugin writing-quotation