Writing & Publication Skill

Patterns for technical writing, academic publication, and content strategy.

Writing Formats

Academic Paper Structure

1. Abstract — Problem, approach, results, implications (150-300 words)
2. Introduction — Motivation, problem, contributions, outline
3. Related Work — Position within existing research
4. Methodology — How you did it (reproducible)
5. Implementation — Technical details (if applicable)
6. Evaluation — Evidence for claims
7. Discussion — Interpretation, limitations
8. Conclusion — Summary, future work
9. References — Venue-specific format

Writing Principles

• Precision over flair
• Evidence for claims (data or citations)
• Acknowledge limitations
• Active voice preferred
• Define terms on first use
• Break sentences at 25-30 words

Pitfalls to Avoid

Structuring Arguments

CARS Model (Introductions):

1. Establish territory (topic importance)
2. Establish niche (gap in knowledge)
3. Occupy niche (your contribution)

Heilmeier Catechism (Motivation):

• What are you trying to do?
• How is it done today? Limits?
• What's new in your approach?
• Who cares? What difference?
• What are the risks?

Audience Adaptation

Publication Strategy

Venue sequencing:

1. Trade publication → immediate visibility
2. arXiv pre-print → establish priority
3. Workshop paper → academic credibility
4. Journal/conference → peer-reviewed validation

First-time author:

• Start with lower-barrier venues
• Collaborate with established authors
• Target workshops first
• Conduct user studies (empirical data strengthens)

Responding to Reviews

Response letter: Thank → Summarize changes → Address each point → Highlight extras

Pre-Submission Checklist

• Abstract stands alone
• Contributions stated in intro
• Claims supported by evidence
• Limitations acknowledged
• References complete
• Figures/tables readable
• Page limit respected
• Code available (if applicable)

Word-Compatible Research Writing Style

Conventions for research documents authored in Markdown and converted to Word via Pandoc or md-to-word.

Punctuation Rules

Definition List Formatting

Use bold term followed by colon, no dash separators:

<!-- Bad -->
**Term** — description
**Term** -- description

<!-- Good -->
**Term**: description

Formal Tone

Markdown Elements to Avoid for Word

APA 7 Conventions for Markdown

• In-text citations: parenthetical (Author, Year) or narrative Author (Year)
• References: alphabetical by last name, hanging indent, sentence-case titles
• Title page: title, authors, date, abstract paragraph (no page numbers in Markdown)
• Headings: H1 for title, H2 for major sections, H3 for subsections (maps to APA levels)
• Tables: include descriptive captions above, notes below
• Figures: Mermaid diagrams count as figures; caption with "Figure N." prefix

Mermaid Diagram Conventions for Research

• Use %%{init: {'theme': 'base', 'themeVariables': {...}}}%% for consistent styling
• Line breaks: <br/> only; never \n
• Keep node text concise; move detail to surrounding prose
• GitHub Pastel v2 palette for professional appearance
• Export as PNG before Word conversion if diagram fidelity is critical

Tools

Synapses

See synapses.json for connections.