chambersxdu/bib-checker

Overview

This skill verifies BibTeX references for authenticity and correctness. I parse .bib entries, verify each reference against authoritative web sources, and produce actionable fixes for outdated, incorrect, or suspicious citations. The goal is an auditable report that you can apply to tidy a bibliography quickly.

How this skill works

I parse each BibTeX entry to extract title, authors, year, venue fields (journal/booktitle), DOI, URL, and arXiv identifiers. For every entry I perform targeted web searches using DOI resolvers, DBLP, Semantic Scholar, Google Scholar, and arXiv. I flag missing or mismatched fields, detect arXiv→published updates, and generate suggested BibTeX edits (entry type, venue, DOI, year, authors).

When to use it

• Before submitting a paper to ensure references are accurate
• When merging or cleaning large .bib files
• To confirm that cited arXiv preprints have published versions
• During peer review or editorial checks to catch fake or incorrect citations
• To add missing DOIs and standardize entry types

Best practices

• Prioritize DOI resolution first; DOIs are the most reliable verifier
• Search exact title plus first author and year for precise matching
• Cross-check venue information with DBLP for CS papers and publisher pages for others
• When updating arXiv entries, preserve the original key and custom fields while changing entry type and adding DOI
• Flag uncertain matches for manual review rather than auto-rewriting ambiguous fields

Example use cases

• Audit a conference submission .bib to ensure all citations resolve and DOIs are present
• Batch-update a lab bibliography to convert arXiv preprints to published proceedings or journal entries
• Detect and report potentially fake or non-existent references before final submission
• Standardize a shared .bib file by correcting entry types, venues, and author name formats
• Generate a verification report summarizing verified, updated, and suspicious entries