academic-research-writer

SKILL.md

Academic Research Writer

This skill enables creation of high-quality academic research documents with proper scholarly standards, verified peer-reviewed sources, and IEEE-format citations.

Core Principles

Academic Rigor: Follow scholarly writing conventions and maintain objectivity

Source Verification: Use only peer-reviewed, credible academic sources

Proper Citation: Generate accurate IEEE-format references

Research Integrity: Ensure all claims are supported by verified sources

Workflow

1. Understanding Requirements

Clarify the research document type and requirements:

Document type (research paper, literature review, thesis chapter, etc.)

Research topic and scope

Target length

Specific guidelines (institution, journal, conference)

Required sections

Deadline considerations

2. Research Planning

Develop a research strategy:

Identify key research questions

Define search terms and keywords

Determine relevant academic databases (Google Scholar, IEEE Xplore, PubMed, ACM Digital Library, ScienceDirect)

Establish inclusion/exclusion criteria for sources

Plan document structure

3. Source Discovery and Verification

Finding Sources:

Use web_search to find peer-reviewed sources from:

Google Scholar (scholar.google.com)

IEEE Xplore (ieeexplore.ieee.org)

PubMed (pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov)

ACM Digital Library (dl.acm.org)

arXiv (arxiv.org) - for preprints in relevant fields

Domain-specific databases

Search Strategy:

Start with broad searches: "machine learning healthcare"

Refine with specific terms: "deep learning medical diagnosis 2023"

Use quotation marks for exact phrases: "convolutional neural networks"

Combine terms strategically

Search for recent publications (last 5-7 years unless historical context needed)

Verification Checklist:

For each source, verify:

 Published in peer-reviewed journal or conference

 Author credentials and institutional affiliation

 Publication venue reputation

 Citation count (higher indicates impact)

 Methodology soundness

 Relevance to research question

Red Flags:

Predatory journals (check journalquality.info or beallslist)

Lack of peer review process

No institutional affiliation

Suspicious publication practices

Pay-to-publish without legitimate review

4. Document Structure

Create documents following this standard academic structure:

Research Paper:

Title

Abstract (150-250 words)

Keywords (5-7 terms)

Introduction

Background and context

Problem statement

Research objectives

Contribution statement

Paper organization

Literature Review / Related Work

Theoretical framework

Previous research synthesis

Research gap identification

Methodology (if applicable)

Research design

Data collection

Analysis approach

Results / Findings

Discussion

Interpretation

Implications

Limitations

Conclusion

Summary of findings

Future work

References (IEEE format)

Literature Review:

Title

Abstract

Introduction

Review Methodology

Thematic Sections (organized by themes/topics)

Discussion and Synthesis

Conclusion

References

5. Writing Guidelines

Academic Tone:

Use formal, objective language

Write in third person (avoid "I" or "we" unless methodologically appropriate)

Use precise technical terminology

Maintain neutral stance (present multiple perspectives)

Use hedging language appropriately ("suggests," "indicates," "may")

Paragraph Structure:

Topic sentence

Supporting evidence with citations

Analysis and interpretation

Transition to next point

Citation Integration:

Introduce sources with context

Use signal phrases ("According to Smith et al. [1]...", "Research by Jones [2] demonstrates...")

Balance direct quotations (use sparingly) with paraphrasing

Cite after every factual claim from external sources

Use citation numbers in square brackets [1], [2], [3]

Avoid:

Plagiarism (always paraphrase and cite)

Unsupported claims

Casual or colloquial language

Personal opinions without evidence

Excessive quotations

Wikipedia or non-academic sources

6. IEEE Reference Format

Generate references in IEEE format following these patterns:

Journal Article:

[1] A. Author, B. Author, and C. Author, "Title of article," Journal Name, vol. X, no. Y, pp. ZZ-ZZ, Month Year.

Conference Paper:

[2] A. Author and B. Author, "Title of paper," in Proc. Conference Name, City, Country, Year, pp. ZZ-ZZ.

Book:

[3] A. Author, Title of Book, Edition. City, State: Publisher, Year.

Book Chapter:

[4] A. Author, "Title of chapter," in Book Title, Edition, Ed. City, State: Publisher, Year, pp. ZZ-ZZ.

Website/Online:

[5] A. Author. "Title of webpage." Website Name. URL (accessed Month Day, Year).

Technical Report:

[6] A. Author, "Title," Institution, City, State, Rep. Number, Month Year.

Thesis/Dissertation:

[7] A. Author, "Title," Ph.D. dissertation, Dept. Abbrev., University, City, State, Year.

Patent:

[8] A. Inventor, "Title," Country Patent Number, Month Day, Year.

Standards:

[9] Title of Standard, Standard Number, Year.

Key IEEE Rules:

Number references consecutively in order of appearance

Use square brackets [1], [2], [3]

For multiple authors: list all if ≤6; use "et al." if >6

Use initials for first/middle names

Abbreviate journal names per IEEE standards

Include DOI when available

Maintain consistent formatting

7. Quality Assurance

Before finalizing, verify:

Content:

 Clear research question/objective

 Logical flow and organization

 Adequate source coverage (minimum 15-20 for research paper)

 All sources verified as peer-reviewed

 Claims supported by citations

 Methodology clearly explained (if applicable)

 Results/findings clearly presented

 Limitations acknowledged

Technical:

 IEEE reference format correct

 All in-text citations match reference list

 No missing references

 Consistent citation numbering

 Proper figure/table captions and numbering

Writing Quality:

 Academic tone maintained

 Clear and concise language

 No grammatical errors

 Transitions between sections smooth

 Abstract accurately summarizes paper

Implementation Approach

When creating an academic document:

Use web_search extensively to find peer-reviewed sources

Verify each source's academic credibility

Extract relevant information and synthesize findings

Write in formal academic style

Integrate citations naturally throughout

Generate complete IEEE reference list

Create document using appropriate tool (docx, pdf, or markdown)

Reference Resources

For detailed guidance on specific aspects:

Academic writing conventions: See ACADEMIC-WRITING.md

IEEE citation examples: See IEEE-CITATION-GUIDE.md

Source verification: See SOURCE-VERIFICATION.md

Output Format

Create documents as:

DOCX: For full research papers, theses, dissertations (use docx skill)

PDF: For final submission versions (use pdf skill)

Markdown: For drafts, literature reviews, or online publication

Notes

Always prioritize source quality over quantity

Recent sources (last 5-7 years) preferred unless historical context required

Maintain research integrity throughout

When in doubt about a source, search for additional verification

Use web_fetch to access full articles when available

26