Manuscript Writing

Academic Manuscript Writing

Guide the drafting and revision of academic manuscripts following journal conventions and scientific writing best practices.

When to Use

• Drafting a new manuscript from scratch
• Writing or revising specific sections (Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion)
• Structuring a paper from experimental results
• Converting a conference paper to a journal submission
• Responding to reviewer comments with revised text

Manuscript Structure

Standard IMRAD Format

| Section | Purpose | Tense | Length Guide | |---------|---------|-------|-------------| | Title | Convey main finding | N/A | 10-15 words | | Abstract | Self-contained summary | Past (methods/results), Present (conclusions) | 150-300 words | | Introduction | Context, gap, hypothesis | Present (known facts), Past (prior work) | 3-5 paragraphs | | Methods | Reproducibility | Past | As needed | | Results | Report findings | Past | Parallel to Methods | | Discussion | Interpret findings | Present (interpretation), Past (what was found) | 4-6 paragraphs | | Conclusion | Key takeaways | Present | 1-2 paragraphs |

Section-by-Section Guidance

Introduction

Structure as a funnel:

1. Broad context - Establish the field and importance (1-2 paragraphs)
2. Narrow focus - What is known about the specific topic (1-2 paragraphs)
3. Gap statement - What remains unknown or problematic
4. Objective/hypothesis - What this paper addresses and how

Methods

• Enough detail for replication
• Subsections mirror Results sections
• Include: participants/subjects, materials, procedures, analysis
• Statistical methods: specify tests, software, significance thresholds
• Ethics: IRB/IACUC approval statement

Results

• Present findings without interpretation
• Start each subsection with the analysis performed, then the outcome
• Report effect sizes, confidence intervals (not just p-values)
• Reference figures and tables in order
• Use "significant" only for statistical significance

Discussion

Structure:

1. Summary of key findings (1 paragraph)
2. Interpretation in context of prior literature (2-3 paragraphs)
3. Limitations (1 paragraph, honest but not self-defeating)
4. Future directions (1 paragraph)
5. Conclusion (1 paragraph)

Writing Principles

Clarity

• One idea per sentence
• Active voice preferred ("We measured..." not "Measurements were taken...")
• Define abbreviations on first use
• Avoid jargon unless writing for a specialist audience

Precision

• Quantify claims ("increased by 23%" not "significantly increased")
• Cite sources for factual claims
• Distinguish correlation from causation
• Use hedging appropriately ("suggests" vs "proves")

Flow

• Each paragraph: topic sentence, evidence, interpretation
• Transitions between paragraphs connect ideas
• Logical progression within and across sections
• Consistent terminology (don't alternate between synonyms for key concepts)

Citations

• Cite primary sources, not reviews (when possible)
• Recent citations show awareness of current literature
• Cite competing or contradictory findings
• Self-citation should be relevant, not gratuitous

Revision Checklist

After drafting, check:

• [ ] Abstract accurately reflects the paper content
• [ ] Introduction gap statement matches the study objective
• [ ] Methods are sufficient for replication
• [ ] Results match Methods (parallel structure)
• [ ] Discussion addresses all major findings
• [ ] Figures are referenced in text in order
• [ ] All abbreviations defined on first use
• [ ] References complete and consistently formatted
• [ ] Word/page count within journal limits
• [ ] Run manuscript:humanizer as a final natural-writing pass (strips AI tells like significance inflation, em-dashes, "evolving landscape" filler, rule-of-three padding) before review

Additional Resources

• Reference: [references/section-templates.md](references/section-templates.md) - Templates for each manuscript section
• Reference: [references/revision-response.md](references/revision-response.md) - How to write point-by-point responses to reviewers
• Sister skill: manuscript:humanizer - Removes 29 categories of AI-writing tells while respecting academic conventions (e.g., passive voice in Methods, hedging in Discussion). Run after drafting and before peer review.

Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: neuromechanist
• Source: neuromechanist/research-skills
• License: BSD-3-Clause

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.