# Research Writing

> Use this skill when drafting, editing, or refining AI/ML research papers, abstracts, related work sections, introductions, or rebuttals. Applies academic writing conventions and improves clarity, flow, and precision.

- Skill: `aviskaar/research-writing` (Agent Skill)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add aviskaar/research-writing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/aviskaar/research-writing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- License: Apache-2.0
- Author: aviskaar (https://skillmd.com/u/aviskaar)
- Updated: 2026-09-17
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/aviskaar/research-writing

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# 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.

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### Mode: Abstract
Write or improve an abstract using this structure:
1. **Motivation** (1 sentence): Why does this problem matter?
2. **Problem** (1 sentence): What specific problem is being addressed?
3. **Approach** (1–2 sentences): What is the key idea or method?
4. **Results** (1–2 sentences): What were the main findings? Include concrete numbers.
5. **Significance** (1 sentence): What does this enable or imply?

Keep to 150–250 words. Avoid undefined acronyms.

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### Mode: Introduction
Structure the introduction as:
1. **Hook**: A concrete, compelling statement of why this problem is important.
2. **Problem statement**: Define the problem precisely.
3. **Gap**: What existing approaches fail to do — cite them.
4. **Contribution**: A bulleted list of claims. Each bullet should be a verifiable statement, not a vague promise.
5. **Paper outline**: One sentence per section.

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### 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.

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### 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.

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## 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.