paper-polish-workflow

Purpose

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.

Trigger

Activates when the user asks to:

• Polish, revise, or improve an academic paper section by section
• 润色、精修、逐步改进学术论文

Example invocations:

• "Polish my paper section by section" / "润色论文"
• "Help me revise my introduction step by step" / "精修论文"
• "Guide me through polishing this draft" / "帮我逐步润色这篇论文"

Modes

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).

References

Required (always loaded)

File	Purpose
references/expression-patterns.md	Academic expression patterns overview and module index

Leaf Hints (loaded when needed)

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

Loading Rules

• Load expression patterns overview at start; select the appropriate leaf based on section type.
• Load anti-AI patterns when polishing expression (Step 3).
• Load journal template when target journal is specified.
• Load geography-domain.md when spatial, urban, or planning content is detected.
• If a reference file is missing, warn the user and proceed with reduced capability.

Ask Strategy

Before starting, ask about:

1. Target journal (if not already known)
2. Which section to work on
3. Preferred mode (if ambiguous from trigger)

Rules:

• Never ask more than 3 questions before producing initial output.
• In direct mode, skip pre-questions if the user provided enough context.
• In batch mode, skip per-item questions; apply settings from the first item.
• Use Structured Interaction when available; fall back to plain-text questions otherwise.
• See skill-conventions.md > AskUserQuestion Enforcement for full rules.

Workflow

Step 1: Collect Context

• Determine input type (file path or pasted text).
• Load required references (expression-patterns overview).
• Identify target journal; load journal template if specified.
• Read input content using the Read tool; extract key numbers, claims, and data points.
• Locate example/reference papers if the user provides them (use Read tool for PDFs).
• In interactive or guided mode: confirm scope with the user before proceeding.

Step 2: Structure & Logic Confirmation

• Analyze section macro structure (e.g., Abstract = Background + Gap + Method + Results + Contribution).
• Present a structure table for user confirmation.
• Break content into sentences; assign a logic function to each.
• Present the logic chain for user confirmation.
• Checkpoint: user confirms structure and logic before expression work begins.
• In direct mode: run structure and logic analysis internally, proceed to Step 3 automatically.

Step 3: Expression Polish & Consistency

• Load the section-appropriate expression pattern leaf and anti-AI patterns.
• For each sentence with expression issues, present 2-3 options via AskUserQuestion (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]" }
  ]
})

• Reference paper consultation: when the user questions professionalism, use the Read tool to load example papers and extract expression patterns.
• Journal style check: apply journal-specific requirements from the loaded template.
• Repetition and coherence pass: check for repeated expressions and missing transitions; suggest fixes.
• Cross-section consistency: verify numbers, terminology, and claims across sections.

Step 4: Output

• Generate highlights if the journal requires them (for CEUS, see references/journals/ceus.md).
• Suggest a read-aloud final check to catch awkward phrasing.
• Compile all confirmed content into the final version.
• Present the final version with word count for user confirmation.
• Write to *_polished.md after confirmation (or automatically in batch mode).
• Report word count and any journal constraint notes.

Output Contract

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

Edge Cases

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

Fallbacks

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