paper-edit

name	paper-edit
description	Paper editing with built-in style constraints for academic writing quality, including anti-AI detection, LaTeX validation, and figure standards
tags	["Writing","LaTeX","Academic","Paper"]

Paper Edit

Edit academic papers with enforced style constraints to ensure human-quality writing and clean presentation.

When to Use

• Editing or revising LaTeX paper sections
• Polishing paper drafts before submission
• Converting between conference templates
• Shortening paper to meet page limits
• Cleaning up figures and captions

Style Rules (ALWAYS Enforced)

Writing Style

Banned patterns --- never use these:

• Em-dashes (--- or --) --- replace with commas, periods, or parentheses
• AI-style phrases: 'notably', 'leveraging', 'comprehensive', 'crucial', 'landscape', 'delve', 'furthermore', 'utilize', 'facilitate', 'underscore', 'in the realm of'
• Passive voice overuse --- prefer active voice
• Overly long sentences (>40 words) --- split them
• Redundant hedging: 'it is worth noting that', 'it should be noted that'

Required style:

• Natural, human academic tone
• Direct and concise
• Logical flow between sentences and paragraphs
• Consistent terminology throughout

LaTeX Conventions

• \cite{a,b,c} --- no spaces after commas
• Use \cref or \Cref for cross-references when available
• Table/figure labels: \label{tab:xxx}, \label{fig:xxx}
• No orphan \item or \\ at end of paragraphs
• Compile with pdflatex after each edit to verify

Figure Standards

• Clean and minimal --- no decorative elements
• No unnecessary arrows, crowded labels, or extra legends
• Simple color schemes (colorblind-friendly preferred)
• Clear axis labels with readable font sizes (minimum 8pt)
• Captions: under 2 lines, factual, no interpretation
• Use vector formats (PDF) when possible

Caption Standards

• Short and factual: describe what the figure shows
• No interpretation or analysis in captions
• Format: "[Description of what is shown]. [Key observation if needed]."
• Under 2 lines for figures, under 3 lines for tables

Workflow

Step 0: Stage Plan (for restructures or 3+ edits)

Before touching any file, if the request involves restructuring, multiple sections, or more than 3 separate edits:

1. List every file and section you will touch.
2. Group edits into 3-5 stages with a compilation checkpoint after each.
3. Present the plan and wait for user approval before executing stage 1.
4. Do not bundle stages. Re-confirm between stages if scope changes.

For single targeted edits (e.g., "fix typo in §2.1"), skip Step 0 and apply directly.

Scope Discipline (always)

• When the user names specific items (reviewer comment numbers, flagged locations, bullets), edit ONLY those items.
• Never wholesale-replace an abstract, section, or formatting unless explicitly asked.
• During venue rebrands (e.g., CCS→NDSS), preserve all citations; only update template/formatting.

Step 1: Read the Target Section

Read the full section to understand context and flow. Do not read sibling sections unless explicitly part of the requested scope.

Step 2: Scan for Violations

Check for all style rule violations:

1. Grep for em-dashes: --- and -- (outside of LaTeX comments)
2. Grep for banned phrases
3. Check caption lengths
4. Verify \cite formatting

Step 3: Apply Fixes

Fix violations while preserving the author's intent and argument structure. Do not rewrite content unnecessarily --- only fix what violates the rules.

Step 4: Verify Compilation

pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode main.tex
bibtex main
pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode main.tex

Report any compilation errors and fix them.

Step 5: Summary Report

After editing, report:

• Number of em-dashes removed
• Number of AI phrases replaced
• Captions shortened (if any)
• Compilation status
• Any remaining issues

Page Reduction Tips

When asked to shorten a paper:

1. Captions first --- shorten verbose captions
2. Redundant text --- remove sentences that repeat prior content
3. Tighten figures --- reduce whitespace, combine subfigures
4. Compress related work --- cite and move on, don't summarize extensively
5. LaTeX tricks last --- \vspace{-Xpt}, \setlength adjustments

Integration

• latex-check.js PostToolUse hook auto-validates compilation after .tex edits
• writing-anti-ai skill provides deeper anti-AI writing analysis
• ml-paper-writing skill provides venue-specific writing guidance