Writing & Publication Skill
Patterns for technical writing, academic publication, and content strategy.
Writing Formats
| Format | Audience | Length | Review |
|---|---|---|---|
| Academic Paper | Researchers | 4-10K words | Peer (2-6 mo) |
| Workshop Paper | Researchers | 2-4K words | Light (1-2 mo) |
| Trade Publication | Practitioners | 1-2K words | Editorial (2-4 wk) |
| Blog Post | Developers | 500-1.5K words | Self |
| Documentation | Users | Variable | Internal |
Academic Paper Structure
- Abstract — Problem, approach, results, implications (150-300 words)
- Introduction — Motivation, problem, contributions, outline
- Related Work — Position within existing research
- Methodology — How you did it (reproducible)
- Implementation — Technical details (if applicable)
- Evaluation — Evidence for claims
- Discussion — Interpretation, limitations
- Conclusion — Summary, future work
- References — Venue-specific format
Writing Principles
- Precision over flair
- Evidence for claims (data or citations)
- Acknowledge limitations
- Active voice preferred
- Define terms on first use
- Break sentences at 25-30 words
Pitfalls to Avoid
| Bad | Fix |
|---|---|
| "might possibly perhaps" | "may" |
| "revolutionary" | "novel approach" |
| "was performed" | "we performed" |
| Jargon without definition | Define on first use |
| Buried contributions | State explicitly in intro |
Structuring Arguments
CARS Model (Introductions):
- Establish territory (topic importance)
- Establish niche (gap in knowledge)
- Occupy niche (your contribution)
Heilmeier Catechism (Motivation):
- What are you trying to do?
- How is it done today? Limits?
- What's new in your approach?
- Who cares? What difference?
- What are the risks?
Audience Adaptation
| Audience | Adjust |
|---|---|
| Researchers | Add theoretical framing, citations |
| Practitioners | Add code examples |
| Executives | Add business value |
| General tech | Remove jargon |
Publication Strategy
Venue sequencing:
- Trade publication → immediate visibility
- arXiv pre-print → establish priority
- Workshop paper → academic credibility
- Journal/conference → peer-reviewed validation
First-time author:
- Start with lower-barrier venues
- Collaborate with established authors
- Target workshops first
- Conduct user studies (empirical data strengthens)
Responding to Reviews
| Feedback | Response |
|---|---|
| "Missing related work" | Add citations, explain positioning |
| "Claims not supported" | Add evidence or soften claims |
| "Unclear methodology" | Expand description |
| "Limited evaluation" | Add studies or acknowledge |
Response letter: Thank → Summarize changes → Address each point → Highlight extras
Pre-Submission Checklist
- Abstract stands alone
- Contributions stated in intro
- Claims supported by evidence
- Limitations acknowledged
- References complete
- Figures/tables readable
- Page limit respected
- Code available (if applicable)
Tools
| Tool | Purpose |
|---|---|
| Overleaf | LaTeX collaboration |
| Grammarly | Grammar/style |
| Zotero | References |
| Connected Papers | Literature discovery |
Synapses
See synapses.json for connections.
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