paper-reference-checker
This skill should be used when the user asks to "check paper citations", "verify references", "detect fake citations", "validate bibliography", "check if papers exist", "查文献真伪", "检查论文引用", "验证参考文献", "识别虚假引用", or uploads a PDF/Overleaf document and wants to verify whether the cited papers genuinely exist. Provides systematic verification of academic references against Google Scholar, CNKI, arXiv, and other academic databases to detect AI-hallucinated or fabricated citations.
Best use case
paper-reference-checker is best used when you need a repeatable AI agent workflow instead of a one-off prompt.
This skill should be used when the user asks to "check paper citations", "verify references", "detect fake citations", "validate bibliography", "check if papers exist", "查文献真伪", "检查论文引用", "验证参考文献", "识别虚假引用", or uploads a PDF/Overleaf document and wants to verify whether the cited papers genuinely exist. Provides systematic verification of academic references against Google Scholar, CNKI, arXiv, and other academic databases to detect AI-hallucinated or fabricated citations.
Teams using paper-reference-checker should expect a more consistent output, faster repeated execution, less prompt rewriting.
When to use this skill
- You want a reusable workflow that can be run more than once with consistent structure.
When not to use this skill
- You only need a quick one-off answer and do not need a reusable workflow.
- You cannot install or maintain the underlying files, dependencies, or repository context.
Installation
Claude Code / Cursor / Codex
Manual Installation
- Download SKILL.md from GitHub
- Place it in
.claude/skills/paper-reference-checker/SKILL.mdinside your project - Restart your AI agent — it will auto-discover the skill
How paper-reference-checker Compares
| Feature / Agent | paper-reference-checker | Standard Approach |
|---|---|---|
| Platform Support | Not specified | Limited / Varies |
| Context Awareness | High | Baseline |
| Installation Complexity | Unknown | N/A |
Frequently Asked Questions
What does this skill do?
This skill should be used when the user asks to "check paper citations", "verify references", "detect fake citations", "validate bibliography", "check if papers exist", "查文献真伪", "检查论文引用", "验证参考文献", "识别虚假引用", or uploads a PDF/Overleaf document and wants to verify whether the cited papers genuinely exist. Provides systematic verification of academic references against Google Scholar, CNKI, arXiv, and other academic databases to detect AI-hallucinated or fabricated citations.
Where can I find the source code?
You can find the source code on GitHub using the link provided at the top of the page.
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SKILL.md Source
# Paper Reference Checker
Systematically verify academic references to detect AI-hallucinated or fabricated citations. Queries Google Scholar, arXiv, CNKI, and other databases.
---
## Core Workflow
### Phase 1: Citation Extraction (Token-Efficient First)
**ALWAYS use targeted extraction before full-document reading — saves 80–95% tokens.**
| Input Type | Primary Method | Fallback |
|------------|---------------|----------|
| arXiv link | arxiv.org/html/{ID} → find references section | Full HTML, then PDF |
| PDF file | Last 15–20% of pages only | Expand to 30% → 50% → full |
| Overleaf link | Regex cite-keys from .tex → filter .bib/.bbl | Inline bibitem in .tex |
| Pasted list | Parse directly | — |
### Phase 2: Multi-Platform Querying (Priority Order)
1. **DOI** → https://doi.org/{DOI} — resolves = ✅ confirmed
2. **arXiv ID** → https://arxiv.org/abs/{ID} — match = ✅ confirmed
3. **Google Scholar** → search "Full Title"
4. **arXiv search** → arxiv.org/search/
5. **CNKI** → cnki.net
6. **Fallbacks**: Semantic Scholar · PubMed · IEEE Xplore · ACM DL · DBLP
### Phase 3: Authenticity Judgment
| Status | Label | Criteria |
|--------|-------|----------|
| ✅ | VERIFIED | Found in ≥1 authoritative DB |
| ⚠️ | UNCERTAIN | Partial match |
| ❌ | NOT FOUND | No match across all queried channels |
| 🔴 | FABRICATED | Non-existent venue, unresolvable DOI |
| 🔗 | BROKEN CITATION | [?] marker in PDF body |
### Phase 4: Report Output
See examples/sample-report.md for full example.
## Support Files
| File | Purpose |
|------|---------|
| references/citation-extraction.md | Format rules |
| references/search-strategies.md | Per-database query tactics |
| references/verification-criteria.md | Decision flowchart |
| scripts/extract_references.md | Full decision tree |
| examples/sample-report.md | Complete report example |
| examples/bibtex-example.bib | Annotated BibTeX |
## Databases
Google Scholar · arXiv · CNKI · Semantic Scholar · PubMed · IEEE Xplore · ACM DL · DBLP · DOI Resolver · CrossrefRelated Skills
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