# Ml Paper Writing

> Use when drafting an ML/AI paper from a research repo, structuring arguments, verifying citations, or preparing a camera-ready submission for NeurIPS/ICML/ICLR/ACL/AAAI/COLM.

- Skill: `vathymut/ml-paper-writing` (Agent Skill, multi-file: 53 files)
- Install (CLI): `npx skillmds@latest add vathymut/ml-paper-writing`
- Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/vathymut/ml-paper-writing/raw
- Safety review: pending
- Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex
- Category: Research & Search
- Author: vathymut (https://skillmd.com/u/vathymut)
- Updated: 2026-09-21
- Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/vathymut/ml-paper-writing

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# ML Paper Writing

Expert guidance for **NeurIPS, ICML, ICLR, ACL, AAAI, COLM**. For systems venues (OSDI, NSDI, ASPLOS, SOSP), use the venue's own authoring guidelines instead.

## When NOT to use

- Need internal prose (minutes, reviews, updates) — use `internal-writing`.
- Need software docs (tutorials/how-tos) — use `documentation-writer`.
- No research repo or contribution yet — use `brainstorming` → `research` to establish one first.
- Paper is for a non-ML venue without LaTeX — use venue template directly.

## ⚠️ CRITICAL: Never Hallucinate Citations

AI-generated citations have a ~40% error rate. **Never write BibTeX from memory. Always fetch programmatically.**

- Found paper with DOI → fetch BibTeX via CrossRef/arXiv API ✅
- Cannot verify → mark `\cite{PLACEHOLDER_author2024_verify}` and tell the scientist ✅
- Guessing a plausible reference → **never** ❌

Full citation workflow (Semantic Scholar API, DOI fetch, placeholder rules): [references/citation-workflow.md](references/citation-workflow.md). Bibliography: `references/sources.md`.

**Post-draft check:** `grep -R "PLACEHOLDER" --include="*.tex" --include="*.bib" .` must return 0 lines before submission; any `\\cite{PLACEHOLDER` is a blocker.

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## Setup

Before drafting, run first-time setup:

1. Explore the repo (README, results, `.bib` files, experiment configs)
2. Confirm the one-sentence contribution with the scientist
3. Identify the target venue (→ Conference Quick Reference below)

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## Core Principle

**Be proactive. Deliver a draft, then iterate.**

- Flag uncertainties inline, don't block on them
- Iterate on feedback

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## Paper Structure

Write sections in the order specified by `references/paper-structure.md`. The reference defines the complete checklist (contribution → Figure 1 → Abstract → Introduction → Methods → Experiments → Related Work → Limitations → checklist) with timing notes and the abstract formula. Read it when you start drafting.

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## Writing Principles

Key rules — full guide with examples: [references/writing-guide.md](references/writing-guide.md)

- **One contribution**: state it in one sentence; if you can't, you don't have a paper yet
- **Stress position**: place the key result at the end of the sentence
- **Verbs not nominalizations**: "we analyzed" not "we performed an analysis"
- **No hedging**: drop "may," "can," "essentially," "basically," "very"
- **Consistent terminology**: pick one term per concept and never vary it
- **Specific over vague**: "accuracy" not "performance"; "15% lower latency" not "faster"
- **Minimize pronouns**: "this result shows" not "this shows"

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## Conference Quick Reference

Snapshot only — verify against the venue's current Call for Papers before submitting (limits change every cycle). Full table lives in `references/conference-quick-ref.md`.

| Venue | Pages | Camera-ready | Required extras |
|-------|-------|-------------|-----------------|
| NeurIPS | 9 | +0 | Paper checklist; lay summary if accepted |
| ICML | 8 | +1 | Broader Impact Statement |
| ICLR | 9 | +1 | LLM usage disclosure |
| ACL | 8 | varies | Limitations + Ethics sections |
| AAAI | 7 | +1 | Strict style compliance (never edit `.sty`) |
| COLM | 9 | +1 | Language model focus |

Universal: double-blind, references don't count, LaTeX required, appendices unlimited. Templates in [templates/](templates/) — always copy the **entire** directory, not just `main.tex`. Venue submission checklists: `references/checklists.md`.

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## Format Conversion (Resubmission)

**Never merge preambles.** Start with the target template; copy only content sections.

| From → To | Page Δ | Key action |
|-----------|--------|-----------|
| NeurIPS → ICML | −1 | Cut; add Broader Impact |
| ICML → ICLR | +1 | Expand; add LLM disclosure |
| Any → AAAI | −2 to −3 | Significant cuts; strict style |
| Any → ACL | varies | Add Limitations + Ethics |

When cutting: move proofs to appendix, cite surveys instead of individual papers, combine tables, tighten prose.

Rebuttal and reviewer evaluation criteria: `references/reviewer-guidelines.md`.

---

## Tables and Figures

- **Figures**: vector (PDF/EPS) for plots; raster (PNG 600 DPI) only for photos; colorblind-safe palette (Okabe-Ito); verify grayscale readability; captions must be self-contained
- **Tables**: use `booktabs`; bold best value per metric; include direction symbols (↑/↓); consistent decimal precision



## Related skills

- `research` — source gathering before writing.
- `internal-writing` — internal prose, not papers.
- `documentation-writer` — software docs.

## Completion criteria

- [ ] Contribution one-liner + venue confirmed; no BibTeX hallucinated
- [ ] `grep -R PLACEHOLDER` returns 0; all cites fetched via CrossRef/arXiv
- [ ] Draft sections follow `references/paper-structure.md` order with venue limits respected