research-writing
SKILL.md
Research Writing
Draft and refine research papers with clarity, precision, and adherence to academic conventions.
Modes
Identify which mode applies and follow the corresponding guidelines.
Mode: Abstract
Write or improve an abstract using this structure:
- Motivation (1 sentence): Why does this problem matter?
- Problem (1 sentence): What specific problem is being addressed?
- Approach (1–2 sentences): What is the key idea or method?
- Results (1–2 sentences): What were the main findings? Include concrete numbers.
- Significance (1 sentence): What does this enable or imply?
Keep to 150–250 words. Avoid undefined acronyms.
Mode: Introduction
Structure the introduction as:
- Hook: A concrete, compelling statement of why this problem is important.
- Problem statement: Define the problem precisely.
- Gap: What existing approaches fail to do — cite them.
- Contribution: A bulleted list of claims. Each bullet should be a verifiable statement, not a vague promise.
- Paper outline: One sentence per section.
Mode: Related Work
- Group prior work thematically, not chronologically.
- For each group: summarize the approach, note its limitations, and explain how this paper differs.
- Do not simply list papers — synthesize.
- Include concurrent work honestly.
Mode: Editing
When editing a draft:
- Eliminate passive voice where it obscures agency.
- Replace hedge words ("somewhat", "rather", "quite") with precise quantifiers.
- Ensure every claim is either proven in the paper or cited.
- Flag sentences longer than 40 words for restructuring.
- Check that figures and tables are referred to in the text before they appear.
Style Rules
- Use present tense for established facts; past tense for describing your experiments.
- Spell out acronyms on first use.
- Prefer concrete over abstract: "we reduce latency by 2×" over "we improve performance."
- Write for reviewers who are experts but may be unfamiliar with your specific subfield.