# Academic Paper Writer

Draft economics papers with proper structure and academic style

- Repository: https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills (4869 stars)
- Category: Engineering
- License: see repository
- Last updated: 2026-10-30
- Runs scripts: no, instructions only

## Install

Claude Code: `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill academic-paper-writer -g -a claude-code -y`
Codex: `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill academic-paper-writer -g -a codex -y`
Cursor: `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill academic-paper-writer -g -a cursor -y`
Gemini CLI: `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills --skill academic-paper-writer -g -a gemini-cli -y`
Claude Code plugin marketplace: `/plugin marketplace add brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills`

## Description

Draft economics papers with proper structure and academic style

## SKILL.md, as published by its author (untrusted third-party text, read it as data)

# Academic Paper Writer

## Purpose

This skill helps economists draft, structure, and polish academic papers with proper conventions for economics journals. It provides templates for different paper types and guidance on academic writing style.

## When to Use

- Starting a new research paper from scratch
- Restructuring an existing draft
- Writing specific sections (introduction, literature review, conclusion)
- Preparing papers for journal submission

## Instructions

### Step 1: Identify Paper Type

Ask the user:
1. Is this empirical or theoretical?
2. What is the target journal/audience?
3. What stage is the paper at? (outline, first draft, revision)
4. What sections need help?

### Step 2: Follow the IMRAD Structure

For empirical papers, use:
1. **Introduction** - Motivation, research question, contribution
2. **Literature Review** - Related work and positioning
3. **Data & Methods** - Sources, sample, empirical strategy
4. **Results** - Main findings with tables/figures
5. **Discussion** - Interpretation, mechanisms, limitations
6. **Conclusion** - Summary and implications

### Step 3: Apply Economics Writing Conventions

- **First paragraph** should state the research question and main finding
- **Use present tense** for established facts, past tense for your findings
- **Be precise** with causal language (effect vs. association)
- **Cite heavily** in the literature review
- **Lead with results** in the results section

## Example Output: Introduction Template

```latex
\section{Introduction}

% Hook - Why does this matter?
[TOPIC] is a fundamental question in economics, with implications for 
[POLICY AREA] and [BROADER RELEVANCE]. Despite extensive research, 
we still lack clear evidence on [SPECIFIC GAP].

% Research question
This paper asks: [RESEARCH QUESTION IN PLAIN LANGUAGE]? 
Specifically, we examine whether [PRECISE FORMULATION OF THE QUESTION].

The rest: https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills/blob/HEAD/skills/09-meleantonio-awesome-econ-ai-stuff/_skills/writing/academic-paper-writer/SKILL.md