Writing Style & House Style (ors-writing-style)
When to trigger
- Drafts are complete and you want them to read like an Operations Research paper.
- The introduction contains equations, or the abstract is over 200 words or full of symbols.
- You need consistent notation, theorem exposition, and author-year citations.
OR's distinctive style rules
- Equation-free introduction (hard rule): the introduction must clearly state the
problem, the results, and their significance to the OR community and must
contain no equations or mathematical notation. Write each result as "we show
that ..." in plain language. This is a distinctive OR accessibility requirement.
- Abstract: must not exceed 200 words and should be text-only — minimize
math symbols and avoid accented variables. State the problem, approach, and headline
result in prose.
- Keywords: up to three.
- Citations: author-year style, e.g., "(Norman 1977)" or "Norman (1977)".
Keep the reference list in the INFORMS author-year convention.
Theorem-proof exposition
- Lead each formal result with a one-sentence plain-language statement of what it means
before the symbols.
- Keep the main text focused on ideas and proof sketches; route long proofs to the
e-companion (which must not be longer than the manuscript).
- Define notation once, near first use; provide a notation table if the model is heavy.
- Use consistent symbols across model, theorems, exhibits, and appendix.
Format and clarity
- Manuscript format: 1.5-spaced, 11-point font, 1-inch margins; submit as a
PDF (source LaTeX/Word on acceptance); use the provided LaTeX style files.
- Prefer precise, active prose; avoid vague "novel/important" without the specific
delta (that lives in
ors-contribution-framing).
- Make every claim either proved (cite the theorem) or empirically supported (cite the
exhibit) — no unsupported assertions.
Prose pushback patterns OR referees raise (with the fix)
| Referee remark |
What it really flags |
Venue-specific fix |
| "Introduction is hard to follow" |
equations/notation leaked into the intro |
rewrite every result as a plain-language "we show that ..." line; banish all symbols |
| "Abstract is impenetrable" |
symbol-laden, over 200 words |
text-only rewrite stating problem, approach, headline result in prose |
| "Theorem statements are dense" |
symbols precede meaning |
lead each formal result with a one-sentence plain-language reading, then the math |
| "Notation is inconsistent" |
symbol drift across model/proof/exhibit |
one notation table; define once near first use; reconcile end-to-end |
| "Main text is bloated by proofs" |
three-page derivation inline |
move it to the e-companion (which must not exceed the manuscript); keep a sketch |
| "Claims feel unsupported" |
assertion with no theorem/exhibit anchor |
tie every claim to a proved result or a numbered exhibit; delete the rest |
These are Operations Research style flags, not generic copy-editing. As the INFORMS
flagship, OR enforces the equation-free intro precisely so a non-specialist optimizer,
queueing theorist, or simulation methodologist can read the contribution across
methodological silos — a bar empirical-OM venues do not set.
Equation-free rewrite micro-example (illustrative)
Before (forbidden in the intro): "We prove that the policy minimizing
E[∑ₜ γᵗ c(xₜ,aₜ)] is a threshold rule with threshold s* solving g(s*)=0."
After (intro-legal): "We show that the cost-minimizing replenishment policy is a simple
threshold rule — order up to a single critical level — and we characterize that level."
The symbols, the discount factor, and the optimality equation move to the model section;
the introduction keeps only the decision-relevant reading. This is the single most
common style repair on first-round OR revisions.
Self-audit before handing to ors-submission
Anti-patterns
- Equations or notation in the introduction (violates the equation-free rule).
- A 250-word, symbol-laden abstract.
- Mixing citation styles or drifting from author-year.
- Dumping a three-page proof into the main text instead of the e-companion.
- Notation that changes between the model section and the proofs.
Output format
【Intro】equation-free? problem/results/significance in words?
【Abstract】≤200 words, text-only? word count: ...
【Citations】author-year consistent?
【Theorem exposition】plain-language lead + e-companion routing?
【Format】1.5-spaced / 11-pt / LaTeX style files
【Next step】ors-submission
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Operations-Research-Skills/skills/ors-writing-style/SKILL.md
1---2name: ors-writing-style3description: Use when polishing the prose and notation of an Operations Research (OR) manuscript — enforcing the equation-free introduction, the text-only abstract under 200 words, clean theorem-proof exposition, and INFORMS author-year house style. Polishes language and house style; it does not formulate the model (ors-theory-development) or run the submission preflight (ors-submission).4---567# Writing Style & House Style (ors-writing-style)89## When to trigger1011- Drafts are complete and you want them to read like an *Operations Research* paper.12- The introduction contains equations, or the abstract is over 200 words or full of symbols.13- You need consistent notation, theorem exposition, and author-year citations.1415## OR's distinctive style rules1617- **Equation-free introduction (hard rule):** the introduction must clearly state the18 **problem, the results, and their significance to the OR community** and must19 **contain no equations or mathematical notation**. Write each result as "we show20 that ..." in plain language. This is a distinctive OR accessibility requirement.21- **Abstract:** must **not exceed 200 words** and should be **text-only** — minimize22 math symbols and avoid accented variables. State the problem, approach, and headline23 result in prose.24- **Keywords:** up to **three**.25- **Citations:** **author-year** style, e.g., "(Norman 1977)" or "Norman (1977)".26 Keep the reference list in the INFORMS author-year convention.2728## Theorem-proof exposition2930- Lead each formal result with a one-sentence plain-language statement of what it means31 before the symbols.32- Keep the **main text** focused on ideas and proof sketches; route long proofs to the33 **e-companion** (which must not be longer than the manuscript).34- Define notation once, near first use; provide a notation table if the model is heavy.35- Use consistent symbols across model, theorems, exhibits, and appendix.3637## Format and clarity3839- **Manuscript format:** 1.5-spaced, **11-point** font, **1-inch** margins; submit as a40 **PDF** (source LaTeX/Word on acceptance); use the provided **LaTeX style files**.41- Prefer precise, active prose; avoid vague "novel/important" without the specific42 delta (that lives in `ors-contribution-framing`).43- Make every claim either proved (cite the theorem) or empirically supported (cite the44 exhibit) — no unsupported assertions.4546## Prose pushback patterns OR referees raise (with the fix)4748| Referee remark | What it really flags | Venue-specific fix |49|----------------|----------------------|--------------------|50| "Introduction is hard to follow" | equations/notation leaked into the intro | rewrite every result as a plain-language "we show that ..." line; banish all symbols |51| "Abstract is impenetrable" | symbol-laden, over 200 words | text-only rewrite stating problem, approach, headline result in prose |52| "Theorem statements are dense" | symbols precede meaning | lead each formal result with a one-sentence plain-language reading, then the math |53| "Notation is inconsistent" | symbol drift across model/proof/exhibit | one notation table; define once near first use; reconcile end-to-end |54| "Main text is bloated by proofs" | three-page derivation inline | move it to the e-companion (which must not exceed the manuscript); keep a sketch |55| "Claims feel unsupported" | assertion with no theorem/exhibit anchor | tie every claim to a proved result or a numbered exhibit; delete the rest |5657These are *Operations Research* style flags, not generic copy-editing. As the INFORMS58flagship, OR enforces the equation-free intro precisely so a non-specialist optimizer,59queueing theorist, or simulation methodologist can read the contribution across60methodological silos — a bar empirical-OM venues do not set.6162## Equation-free rewrite micro-example (illustrative)6364Before (forbidden in the intro): "We prove that the policy minimizing65E[∑ₜ γᵗ c(xₜ,aₜ)] is a threshold rule with threshold s* solving g(s*)=0."6667After (intro-legal): "We show that the cost-minimizing replenishment policy is a simple68threshold rule — order up to a single critical level — and we characterize that level."6970The symbols, the discount factor, and the optimality equation move to the model section;71the introduction keeps only the decision-relevant reading. This is the single most72common style repair on first-round OR revisions.7374## Self-audit before handing to ors-submission7576- [ ] Introduction: zero equations, zero notation; problem + results + OR significance in words77- [ ] Abstract: text-only, ≤ 200 words, no accented variables; up to 3 keywords78- [ ] Every theorem opens with a plain-language sentence before symbols79- [ ] Single consistent notation system across model, proofs, exhibits, e-companion80- [ ] Author-year citations throughout; reference list in INFORMS convention81- [ ] Long proofs in the e-companion (≤ manuscript length), sketch retained in main text8283## Anti-patterns8485- Equations or notation in the introduction (violates the equation-free rule).86- A 250-word, symbol-laden abstract.87- Mixing citation styles or drifting from author-year.88- Dumping a three-page proof into the main text instead of the e-companion.89- Notation that changes between the model section and the proofs.9091## Output format9293```94【Intro】equation-free? problem/results/significance in words? 95【Abstract】≤200 words, text-only? word count: ...96【Citations】author-year consistent? 97【Theorem exposition】plain-language lead + e-companion routing?98【Format】1.5-spaced / 11-pt / LaTeX style files99【Next step】ors-submission100```101102---103104**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Operations-Research-Skills/skills/ors-writing-style/SKILL.md`
thedixitjain