Source Verification & References Management

When to Use

Use this skill when you:

• •Add factual claims or statistics to QMD files
• •Make assertions that need citations
• •Reference external data or research
• •Notice unsourced claims in existing text

Process

1. Identify Claims Needing Sources

Common claims requiring citations:

• •Statistics (e.g., "Global military spending is $2.2T")
• •Scientific facts (e.g., "Clinical trials cost $1B on average")
• •Historical events (e.g., "Costa Rica abolished its military in 1948")
• •Research findings (e.g., "Bed nets cost $5/DALY")
• •Policy statements (e.g., "FDA approval takes 8.2 years")

2. Search Existing References

grep -i "keyword" references.bib

Check if the source already exists in references.bib (project root).

3. Use Existing Source

If found, add citation to text:

Global military spending is $2.2T [@sipri-2024-military-spending].

4. Search for New Source

If NOT found, use WebSearch:

• •Search for authoritative sources (government data, academic papers, reputable organizations)
• •Prefer primary sources over secondary
• •Check publication date for currency

5. Add to references.bib

Add new BibTeX entry to references.bib (project root):

@misc{sipri-2024-military-spending,
  author = {{SIPRI}},
  title = {World Military Expenditure 2024},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://www.sipri.org/...},
  note = {Global military spending reached \$2.2 trillion in 2024}
}

6. Cite in Text

Add citation to the claim:

Global military spending is $2.2T [@sipri-2024-military-spending].

BibTeX Entry Types

Use appropriate entry types:

BibTeX Format Examples

Journal Article:

@article{dimasi-2016-clinical-trial-costs,
  author = {DiMasi, Joseph A. and Grabowski, Henry G. and Hansen, Ronald W.},
  title = {Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: New estimates of R\&D costs},
  journal = {Journal of Health Economics},
  volume = {47},
  pages = {20--33},
  year = {2016},
  doi = {10.1016/j.jhealeco.2016.01.012}
}

Website/Report:

@misc{who-2024-disease-burden,
  author = {{World Health Organization}},
  title = {Global Health Estimates 2024},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://www.who.int/...},
  note = {Accessed January 2026}
}

Government Report:

@techreport{cbo-2024-defense-budget,
  author = {{Congressional Budget Office}},
  title = {The Outlook for Major Federal Trust Funds: 2024 to 2034},
  institution = {Congressional Budget Office},
  year = {2024},
  url = {https://www.cbo.gov/...}
}

Source Quality Criteria

High Confidence:

• •Government statistics (WHO, SIPRI, CDC, BLS)
• •Peer-reviewed academic papers
• •Systematic reviews and meta-analyses

Medium Confidence:

• •Reputable think tanks (Brookings, RAND)
• •Major foundations (Gates Foundation, Open Philanthropy)
• •Industry reports from established organizations

Low Confidence:

• •News articles
• •Opinion pieces
• •Blog posts
• •Wikipedia (use as starting point, find primary source)

Example Workflow

User adds claim: "Clinical trials cost $1B on average"

You:

1. •Search references.bib: grep -i "clinical trial cost" references.bib
2. •Not found
3. •WebSearch: "clinical trial cost average 2024 academic study"
4. •Find: DiMasi et al. (2016) study on drug development costs
5. •Add to references.bib:
   bibtex

   @article{dimasi-2016-clinical-trial-costs,
     author = {DiMasi, Joseph A. and Grabowski, Henry G. and Hansen, Ronald W.},
     title = {Innovation in the pharmaceutical industry: New estimates of R\&D costs},
     journal = {Journal of Health Economics},
     volume = {47},
     pages = {20--33},
     year = {2016},
     doi = {10.1016/j.jhealeco.2016.01.012},
     note = {Estimated average cost of bringing a new drug to market at \$2.6B (2013 dollars)}
   }
   

6. •Update text: Clinical trials cost approximately $1B on average [@dimasi-2016-clinical-trial-costs].

Notes

• •Always verify facts before adding them
• •When in doubt, search for a source
• •Prefer citing parameters (which have sources) over making new claims
• •Use consistent citation key format: author-year-topic-kebab-case
• •Escape special characters in BibTeX: \$, \&, \%
• •The note field is good for storing key quotes/findings