LaTeX Academic Paper Assistant (English)

Use this skill for targeted work on an existing English LaTeX paper project. Keep the workflow low-friction: identify the right module, run the smallest useful check, and return actionable comments in LaTeX-friendly review format.

Capability Summary

• Compile and diagnose LaTeX build failures.
• Audit formatting, bibliography, grammar, sentence length, argument logic, and figure quality.
• Review IEEE-style pseudocode blocks, figure-wrapped algorithms, captions, labels, comments, and algorithm package choices.
• Improve expression, translate academic prose, optimize titles, and reduce AI-writing traces.
• Review experiment sections without rewriting citations, labels, or math.

Triggering

Use this skill when the user has an existing English .tex paper project and wants help with:

• compiling or fixing build errors
• format or venue compliance
• bibliography and citation validation
• grammar, sentence, logic, or expression review
• translation of academic prose
• title optimization
• figure or caption quality checks
• pseudocode and algorithm-block review
• de-AI editing of visible prose
• experiment-section analysis

Do Not Use

Do not use this skill for:

• planning or drafting a paper from scratch
• deep literature research or fact-finding without a paper project
• Chinese thesis-specific structure/template work
• Typst-first paper workflows
• DOCX/PDF conversion tasks that do not involve the LaTeX source
• multi-perspective review, scoring, or submission gate decisions (use paper-audit)
• standalone algorithm design from scratch without a paper project

Module Router

Module	Use when	Primary command	Read next
compile	Build fails or the user wants a fresh compile	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/compile.py main.tex	references/modules/COMPILE.md
format	User asks for LaTeX or venue formatting review	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/check_format.py main.tex	references/modules/FORMAT.md
bibliography	Missing citations, unused entries, BibTeX validation	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/verify_bib.py references.bib --tex main.tex	references/modules/BIBLIOGRAPHY.md
grammar	Grammar and surface-level language fixes	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/analyze_grammar.py main.tex --section introduction	references/modules/GRAMMAR.md
sentences	Long, dense, or hard-to-read sentences	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/analyze_sentences.py main.tex --section introduction	references/modules/SENTENCES.md
logic	Weak argument flow, unclear transitions, introduction funnel problems, or abstract/conclusion misalignment	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/analyze_logic.py main.tex --section methods	references/modules/LOGIC.md
expression	Academic tone polish without changing claims	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/improve_expression.py main.tex --section related	references/modules/EXPRESSION.md
translation	Chinese-to-English academic translation or bilingual polishing	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/translate_academic.py input.txt --domain deep-learning	references/modules/TRANSLATION.md
title	Generate, compare, or optimize paper titles	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/optimize_title.py main.tex --check	references/modules/TITLE.md
figures	Figure existence, extension, DPI, or caption review	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/check_figures.py main.tex	references/REVIEWER_PERSPECTIVE.md
pseudocode	IEEE-safe pseudocode review, algorithm2e cleanup, caption/label/reference checks, and comment-length review	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/check_pseudocode.py main.tex --venue ieee	references/modules/PSEUDOCODE.md
deai	Reduce AI-writing traces while preserving LaTeX syntax	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/deai_check.py main.tex --section introduction	references/modules/DEAI.md
experiment	Inspect experiment design/write-up quality, discussion depth, discussion layering, and conclusion completeness	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/analyze_experiment.py main.tex --section experiments	references/modules/EXPERIMENT.md
tables	Table structure validation, three-line table generation, or booktabs review	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/check_tables.py main.tex	references/modules/TABLES.md
abstract	Abstract five-element structure diagnosis and word count validation	uv run python -B $SKILL_DIR/scripts/analyze_abstract.py main.tex	references/modules/ABSTRACT.md
adapt	Journal adaptation: reformat paper for a different venue	(LLM-driven workflow)	references/modules/ADAPT.md

Required Inputs

• main.tex or the paper entrypoint.
• Optional --section SECTION when the request is section-specific.
• Optional bibliography path when the request targets references.
• Optional venue/context when the user cares about IEEE, ACM, Springer, NeurIPS, or ICML conventions.

If arguments are missing, ask only for the file path and the target module.

Output Contract

• Return findings in LaTeX diff-comment style whenever possible: % MODULE (Line N) [Severity] [Priority]: Issue ...
• Keep comments surgical and source-aware.
• Report the exact command used and the exit code when a script fails.
• Preserve \cite{}, \ref{}, \label{}, custom macros, and math environments unless the user explicitly asks for source edits.

Workflow

1. Parse $ARGUMENTS and identify the smallest matching module.
2. Read only the reference file needed for that module.
3. Run the module script with uv run python -B ....
4. Summarize issues, suggested fixes, and blockers in LaTeX-friendly comments.
5. If the user asks for a different concern, switch modules instead of overloading one run.

Safety Boundaries

• Never invent citations, metrics, baselines, or experimental results.
• Never rewrite bibliography keys, references, labels, or math by default.
• Treat generated text as proposals; keep source-preserving checks separate from prose rewriting.

Reference Map

• references/STYLE_GUIDE.md: tone and style defaults.
• references/VENUES.md: venue-specific expectations.
• references/CITATION_VERIFICATION.md: citation verification workflow.
• references/REVIEWER_PERSPECTIVE.md: reviewer-style heuristics for figures and clarity.
• references/modules/: module-by-module commands and decision notes.
• references/modules/PSEUDOCODE.md: IEEE-safe defaults for LaTeX pseudocode.

Read only the file that matches the active module.

Example Requests

• “Compile my IEEE paper and tell me why main.tex still fails after BibTeX.”
• “Check the introduction section for grammar and sentence length, but do not rewrite equations.”
• “Audit figures and references in this ACM submission before I submit.”
• “Check whether this IEEE pseudocode still uses algorithm2e floats and tell me how to make it IEEE-safe.”
• “Review the experiments section for overclaiming, missing ablations, and weak baseline comparisons.”

See examples/ for complete request-to-command walkthroughs.