Systematic top-down workflow for polishing academic papers. Structure to logic to expression with user confirmation at each step.
This Skill provides a systematic, top-down workflow for polishing academic papers. It works from structure to logic to expression, with user confirmation at each decision point. Expression options are drawn from reference-driven academic patterns rather than ad hoc rewrites, ensuring professional and consistent output suitable for journal submission.
Activates when the user asks to:
Example invocations:
| Mode | Default | Behavior |
|---|---|---|
interactive | Yes |
| Full 4-step flow with user confirmation at each decision point |
guided | Multi-pass with confirmation at key checkpoints only |
direct | Single-pass polish using defaults; skip AskUserQuestion |
batch | Same operation applied across multiple sections sequentially |
Default mode: interactive
Mode inference: "quickly" or "just fix" switches to direct. "step by step" or "逐步" confirms interactive (already default).
| File | Purpose |
|---|---|
references/expression-patterns.md | Academic expression patterns overview and module index |
| File | When to Load |
|---|---|
references/expression-patterns/introduction-and-gap.md | Polishing introduction or background content |
references/expression-patterns/methods-and-data.md | Polishing methods, data, or study area content |
references/expression-patterns/results-and-discussion.md | Polishing results or discussion content |
references/expression-patterns/conclusions-and-claims.md | Polishing conclusion content |
references/expression-patterns/geography-domain.md | Content involves spatial, urban, or planning topics |
references/anti-ai-patterns.md | Polishing expression (Step 3) -- screen for AI-sounding phrases |
references/journals/ceus.md | Target journal is CEUS |
geography-domain.md when spatial, urban, or planning content is detected.Before starting, ask about:
Rules:
direct mode, skip pre-questions if the user provided enough context.batch mode, skip per-item questions; apply settings from the first item.skill-conventions.md > AskUserQuestion Enforcement for full rules.interactive or guided mode: confirm scope with the user before proceeding.direct mode: run structure and logic analysis internally, proceed to Step 3 automatically.interactive mode) or apply the best option automatically (direct mode).AskUserQuestion({
question: "Which expression do you prefer for [sentence function]?",
options: [
{ label: "[Expression A]", description: "[full sentence with expression A]" },
{ label: "[Expression B]", description: "[full sentence with expression B]" },
{ label: "[Expression C]", description: "[full sentence with expression C]" }
]
})
references/journals/ceus.md).*_polished.md after confirmation (or automatically in batch mode).| Output | Format | Condition |
|---|---|---|
polished_text | Markdown file (*_polished.md) or conversation output | Always produced |
change_summary | Markdown in session | Always produced |
| Word count | Integer | Always reported |
| Journal compliance notes | Bullet list | When a target journal is specified |
| Situation | Handling |
|---|---|
| Unprofessional word flagged | Present 2-3 alternatives via AskUserQuestion; accept if user insists |
| Section too long for single pass | Split into paragraph-level sub-passes; maintain cross-paragraph coherence |
| No journal specified | Default to general academic style; note in output |
| Mixed language input | Detect dominant language; ask user to confirm target language |
| Reference paper provided as PDF | Use Read tool to load PDF; extract style patterns for expression matching |
| Abrupt sentence transition | Provide transition options via AskUserQuestion |
| Repetition detected between sections | Identify repeated content; suggest which occurrence to rephrase |
| Logic structure needs modification | Return to Step 2 to re-confirm structure before continuing |
| Scenario | Fallback |
|---|---|
| Structured Interaction unavailable | Ask 1-3 plain-text questions covering highest-impact gaps; do not block workflow |
| Reference file missing | Log the missing file, proceed with reduced capability, warn the user |
| Target journal not specified | Ask once; if declined, use general academic style |
| PDF reference paper unreadable | Ask user to paste relevant excerpts instead |
Skill: paper-polish-workflow Conventions: references/skill-conventions.md