academic-writing

Academic Writing Skill

Professional LaTeX manuscript drafting and revision for academic research in finance, economics, and real estate. Transforms template structures into publication-ready manuscripts with proper academic writing conventions.

Quick Start

Write a paper section

% Request: "Write the Results section describing Table 1 (summary statistics)"
% Fills out Writing/sections/Results.tex template with research-specific content

Respond to referee comments

% Request: "Draft a response to Reviewer 2's endogeneity concern"
% Uses referee-responses.md patterns for point-by-point response

Check internal consistency

# Request: "Check if all tables mentioned in text exist and numbers match"
python scripts/check_consistency.py Writing/Main.tex

Core Workflows

Workflow 1: Section-by-Section Writing

When to use: Writing a new paper or major revision

Process:

1. Identify section type - Introduction, Methodology, Results, etc.
2. Load section guidance - See references/paper-structure.md for templates
3. Fill template with research content - Replace [PLACEHOLDER] text
4. Apply writing conventions - See references/writing-conventions.md
5. Verify cross-references - Tables/figures mentioned exist

Example sections:

• Introduction: See references/introduction-patterns.md for 3-paragraph framing
• Results: See references/results-discussion.md for table walkthrough structure
• Hypothesis Development: See references/hypothesis-development.md for theory→prediction flow

Workflow 2: Referee Response Preparation

When to use: R&R (revise and resubmit) stage

Process:

1. Categorize concerns - Endogeneity, sample selection, alternative explanations, etc.
2. Load response frameworks - See references/referee-responses.md
3. Draft point-by-point response - Concern → Response → Changes → Location
4. Use response template - assets/templates/referee_response.tex
5. Track changes in manuscript - assets/templates/revision_diff.tex for highlighting

Common referee objections covered:

• Endogeneity concerns (IV arguments, bounds, natural experiments)
• Sample selection bias (robustness with alternative samples)
• Alternative explanations (mechanism tests, placebo designs)
• Generalizability (cross-sectional heterogeneity tests)

Workflow 3: Journal-Specific Formatting

When to use: Preparing submission or resubmission

Process:

1. Identify target journal - JF, JFE, RFS, Real Estate Economics, etc.
2. Load journal requirements - See references/journal-formats.md
3. Adjust formatting - Bibliography style, table format, section numbering
4. Verify compliance - Citation format, word limits, figure requirements

Reference Files (Load as Needed)

Writing Guidance

• references/paper-structure.md - Section-by-section templates with annotated examples
• references/introduction-patterns.md - Framing patterns (motivation → gap → contribution)
• references/hypothesis-development.md - Theory to testable prediction scaffolding
• references/results-discussion.md - Table walkthrough patterns, magnitude interpretation
• references/writing-conventions.md - Academic tone, active vs passive voice, hedging

Revision Support

• references/referee-responses.md - Common objections, response frameworks, tone guidance
• references/common-mistakes.md - Frequent writing issues (vague contributions, weak hypotheses, poor table discussion)

Journal Formatting

• references/journal-formats.md - JF, JFE, RFS, Real Estate Economics, JFQA formatting requirements

Econometric Reporting

• references/econometric-reporting.md - Coefficient interpretation, significance reporting, fixed effects notation

Econometric Analysis Integration

• references/econometric-analysis-integration.md - Integrating data (wrds-data-pull) and analysis (pyfixest-latex or stata-accounting-research-master) with manuscript writing

When to use: Need to run econometric analysis before/during writing Results section, generate regression tables/figures, or address referee requests for additional tests

Covers:

• Three-skill workflow: Data (wrds-data-pull) → Analysis (pyfixest-latex or stata-accounting-research-master) → Writing (academic-writing)
• Decision tree: Python vs Stata for analysis
• Complete workflows: Data extraction → Tables/Figures → LaTeX manuscript integration
• Output formatting for journal submission

Scripts

scripts/01-check_citations.py

Citation key validator - verifies all \cite{} commands have corresponding bibliography entries

Usage:

python scripts/01-check_citations.py  # Configure LATEX_FILE path in script

Features:

• Extracts all citation keys from LaTeX document
• Compares against bibliography file entries
• Reports missing citations (will show as "?" in PDF)
• Moves unused bibliography entries to unused-references.bib
• Generates citation check report

Configuration: Edit lines 36-48 to set LATEX_FILE path, output options, and behavior flags

scripts/02-bibtex_validator.py

Advanced BibTeX validation using OpenAlex API

Usage:

python scripts/02-bibtex_validator.py  # Configure paths in script

Features:

• Validates citations against OpenAlex database
• Checks titles, authors, years, DOIs for accuracy
• Suggests corrections for incomplete or incorrect entries
• Extracts citations from main document to prioritize used references
• Optional AI assistance via OpenRouter for ambiguous cases
• Generates corrected .bib file with suggestions applied

Configuration: Edit lines 36-73 to set BIB_FILE_PATH, MAIN_DOC_PATH, API keys, and validation thresholds

Requirements: pip install bibtexparser pyalex requests

scripts/latex_section_word_counter.py

Section-by-section word counter for LaTeX documents

Usage:

python scripts/latex_section_word_counter.py  # Configure file_path in script

Features:

• Counts words in each \section{} of LaTeX document
• Cleans LaTeX markup (citations, commands, math environments)
• Extracts section titles and labels
• Generates summary statistics (total words, average per section)
• Useful for tracking section length during writing

Configuration: Edit line 256 to set target .tex file path

scripts/check_consistency.py

Internal consistency validator for cross-references, notation, and hypothesis mapping

Usage:

python scripts/check_consistency.py Writing/Main.tex [--check-citations]

Checks:

• All \ref{tab:X} references point to existing \label{tab:X} definitions
• Tables mentioned in text match Results/Tables/ files
• Hypothesis numbering (H1, H2, H3) consistent throughout
• Variable notation consistent (Y_{it} vs Y_it)
• Optional citation check wrapper (calls 01-check_citations.py)

Templates (assets/templates/)

Complete LaTeX manuscript templates with extensive placeholder guidance for new research projects.

LaTeX Document Templates

• assets/templates/Main.tex - Full LaTeX preamble and document structure

  • Professional academic formatting (JF, JFE, Real Estate Economics standards)
  • Complete package setup: natbib, booktabs, hyperref, geometry
  • Bibliography integration with JFE/JF style files
  • Ready to compile with pdflatex → bibtex → pdflatex × 2

• assets/templates/Results.tex - Results section with table formatting templates

  • 4 example table types: Summary Statistics, Main Results, Interaction Models, Robustness
  • Progressive specification patterns (baseline → controls → full model)
  • Extensive guidance comments for table captions and notes
  • \input{} commands for dynamic table integration from Results/Tables/

• assets/templates/Figures.tex - Figure formatting and layout examples

  • Multi-panel figures, landscape/portrait orientation
  • Caption formatting for academic journals
  • Figure cross-reference patterns

• assets/templates/Appendix.tex - Online appendix structure

  • Variable definition tables
  • Supplementary tables and robustness checks
  • Appendix numbering (A.1, A.2, A.3)

• assets/templates/Internet_Results.tex - Internet appendix tables

  • Extended robustness checks
  • Additional mechanism tests
  • Supplementary analysis

• assets/templates/Data_Documentation.tex - Data sources and methodology documentation

  • Standalone or integrated into main document
  • Data source descriptions with placeholders
  • Variable construction methodology
  • Sample restrictions and filters

Specialized Response Templates

• assets/templates/referee_response.tex - Point-by-point referee response letter
  • Structured format: Comment → Response → Changes Made → Location
  • Professional tone guidance built into template
  • Summary of major revisions section

Usage: Copy assets/templates/ files to your project, replace [PLACEHOLDER] content with research-specific details, preserve LaTeX structure.

BibTeX Styles (assets/bibtex/)

• assets/bibtex/jfe.bst - Journal of Financial Economics style
• assets/bibtex/jf.bst - Journal of Finance style
• assets/bibtex/qje.bst - Quarterly Journal of Economics style

Writing Decision Trees

When writing Introduction

1. Paragraph 1 - Motivation (why does this question matter?)
2. Paragraph 2 - Gap (what don't we know? why is it hard?)
3. Paragraph 3 - This paper (what we do, what we find, contribution)
4. Paragraph 4 - Roadmap (section preview)

See references/introduction-patterns.md for annotated examples.

When writing Results

1. Descriptive statistics - Table 1 walkthrough, sample characteristics
2. Main results - Table 2, hypothesis testing, coefficient interpretation
3. Economic magnitude - What does a 1 SD increase mean in real terms?
4. Robustness - Alternative specifications, sample restrictions
5. Mechanisms - Why does the effect occur?
6. Heterogeneity - For whom is the effect stronger/weaker?

See references/results-discussion.md for table-by-table walkthrough patterns.

When responding to referee

1. Acknowledge concern - "The reviewer raises an important point about..."
2. Explain response - "To address this, we..."
3. Describe changes - "We have added Table X showing..."
4. Reference location - "See revised Section Y, page Z"

See references/referee-responses.md for tone guidance and response frameworks.

Integration with Existing Templates

This skill works with existing LaTeX templates in Writing/sections/:

• Results.tex - Contains table wrapper templates with placeholder guidance
• Figures.tex - Figure layout examples (multi-panel, landscape, portrait)
• Appendix.tex - Variable definition table templates
• Internet_Results.tex - Appendix table numbering (A.1, A.2, A.3)

Your role: Fill these templates with research-specific content while preserving LaTeX structure.

Standalone Requirements

• LaTeX distribution (TeX Live 2023+, MacTeX, MiKTeX)
• Python 3.8+ for consistency checking scripts
• BibTeX for bibliography management
• No project-specific dependencies - works in any LaTeX research project

Example Usage

Example 1: Write Results section for Table 2

User: "I just generated Table 2 (main regression results). Write the Results section text describing these findings."

Response process:
1. Read Results/Tables/Table_02_main_results.tex to understand table structure
2. Load references/results-discussion.md for table walkthrough patterns
3. Fill Writing/sections/Results.tex template for Table 2 section
4. Include: coefficient interpretation, economic magnitude, hypothesis testing, significance levels
5. Ensure cross-reference \ref{tab:main_results} matches \label in table

Example 2: Respond to endogeneity concern

User: "Reviewer 2 says treatment is endogenous. How do I respond?"

Response process:
1. Load references/referee-responses.md for endogeneity response frameworks
2. Identify available responses: IV, natural experiment, bounds, robustness
3. Draft point-by-point response using assets/templates/referee_response.tex
4. Suggest additional analyses if needed (placebo tests, event studies)

Example 3: Check paper consistency

User: "Check if my paper has consistency issues before submission"

Response process:
1. Run scripts/check_consistency.py on Writing/Main.tex
2. Report: missing cross-references, table/figure numbering gaps, notation inconsistencies
3. Verify hypothesis-result mapping (H1 tested in Table 2, H2 in Table 3, etc.)
4. Check citation completeness via Tests/check_citations.py wrapper

Example 4: Integrate econometric analysis with writing

User: "I need to run regressions and write my Results section. I have WRDS access."

Response process:
1. Load references/econometric-analysis-integration.md for workflow guidance
2. Recommend three-skill workflow:
   a. "Use wrds-data-pull to pull and merge Compustat + CRSP data"
   b. "Use pyfixest-latex to generate Tables 1-3 with PyFixest → LaTeX output"
   c. "Use academic-writing to write Results section"
3. After tables generated: Load references/results-discussion.md for writing patterns
4. Write Results section with proper coefficient interpretation and economic magnitudes
5. Integrate tables with \input{../Results/Tables/Table_02.tex} commands

Tips for Effective Use

1. Load references selectively - Only read the specific .md file needed (e.g., introduction-patterns.md when writing introduction)
2. Preserve LaTeX structure - Never break booktabs formatting, caption structure, or cross-reference patterns
3. One sentence per line - Critical for version control and git diffs
4. Economic interpretation - Always translate coefficients to real-world magnitude
5. Active voice preference - "We find..." over "It is found..." in academic finance/economics
6. Hypothesis-result mapping - Explicitly connect each hypothesis to the table/column testing it

Progressive Disclosure

This skill uses progressive loading:

1. SKILL.md (this file) - Core workflows and file navigation
2. Reference files - Load specific .md files as needed for detailed guidance
3. Templates - Copy LaTeX/BibTeX templates when creating new documents
4. Scripts - Execute consistency checks without loading into context

Load reference files only when actively working on that specific section or task.