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proofread

Proofread the sewage-house-prices manuscript. Checks 6 categories — structure, claims-evidence alignment, identification fidelity, writing quality, grammar, and compilation. Produces a scored report without editing files. This skill should be used when asked to "proofread", "review the paper", "check the manuscript", or "quality check".

Published by brycewang-stanford ↗brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills

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proofread

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Use proofread to proofread [manuscript scope] and produce a scored, file-preserving report covering structure, claims-evidence alignment, identification fidelity, writing, grammar, and LaTeX issues, with exact locations and the top critical issues.

Required inputs

  • [manuscript scope]

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SKILL.md

name: proofreaddescription: Proofread the sewage-house-prices manuscript. Checks 6 categories — structure, claims-evidence alignment, identification fidelity, writing quality, grammar, and compilation. Produces a scored report without editing files. This skill should be used when asked to "proofread", "review the paper", "check the manuscript", or "quality check".argument-hint: "[filename, section number, or 'all']"allowed-tools: ["Read", "Grep", "Glob", "Write", "Agent"]

Proofread Manuscript

Run the proofreading protocol on the "Sewage in Our Waters" manuscript. Produces a report — does NOT edit source files.

Input: $ARGUMENTS — a .tex filename, section number (e.g. 01), or all.


Project-Specific Context

File Locations

  • Manuscript sections: docs/overleaf/*.tex
  • Main document: docs/overleaf/_main.tex
  • Bibliography: docs/overleaf/refs.bib
  • Generated tables: output/tables/*.tex (tabularray format)
  • Generated figures: output/figures/
  • Quarto book: book/*.qmd (for cross-referencing analysis)
  • Analysis scripts: scripts/R/09_analysis/ (for methodology verification)

Key Checks Specific to This Project

  • Spill count/hours metrics must match the 12/24-hour counting methodology
  • Radius distances (250m-10km) must be consistent across sections
  • LSOA vs MSOA fixed effects must be correctly stated
  • Upstream/downstream directionality must match river network logic
  • Dry spill definition must be consistent with rainfall threshold used

Workflow

Step 1: Identify Files

  • If $ARGUMENTS is a specific .tex file: review that file
  • If $ARGUMENTS is a section number (e.g. 01): review docs/overleaf/0X_*.tex
  • If $ARGUMENTS is all: review _main.tex and all section files in docs/overleaf/
  • If $ARGUMENTS is a .qmd file: review as advisory (non-blocking)

Step 2: Run 6-Category Review

Category 1: Structure

  • Contribution clearly stated within first 2 pages of introduction
  • Standard economics paper sequence (intro → background → data → method → results → conclusion)
  • Smooth transitions between sections
  • Road map in introduction matches actual section ordering
  • Appendix sections properly referenced from main text

Category 2: Claims-Evidence Alignment

  • Every stated effect size matches a number in output/tables/
  • Percentage impacts correctly computed from log coefficients
  • Sample sizes and time periods match data pipeline output
  • Radius distances in text match those in tables
  • "Significant" claims match actual p-values / confidence intervals

Category 3: Identification Fidelity

  • Hedonic specification matches what scripts/R/09_analysis/02_hedonic/ actually estimates
  • Repeat sales approach correctly described per Palmquist (1982)
  • Long difference specification matches grid-level scripts
  • DiD/event study timing and treatment definitions consistent
  • Instrument (hydraulic capacity) described consistently with 04_hydraulics_instrument.tex
  • Dry spill identification matches rainfall threshold in data pipeline

Category 4: Writing Quality

  • No banned hedging phrases ("interestingly", "it is worth noting", "arguably", "it is important to note")
  • Notation consistent: LSOA, MSOA, EDM used correctly throughout
  • Variable names in text match variable names in specifications
  • No AI writing patterns (see humanizer skill for full checklist)
  • Tone matches existing author voice

Category 5: Grammar & Polish

  • Subject-verb agreement
  • Article usage (particular attention to UK vs US English conventions)
  • Tense consistency (present for methodology, past for results)
  • No orphaned text, repeated words, or copy-paste artifacts
  • Acronyms defined on first use

Category 6: Compilation & LaTeX

  • All \input{} files exist
  • All \textcite{} / \parencite{} keys exist in refs.bib
  • All \ref{} targets have matching \label{}
  • Table/figure floats properly placed
  • No overfull hbox warnings (check tabularray table widths)
  • KOMA-Script class options used correctly

Step 3: Scoring

Apply deductions on a 0-100 scale:

IssueDeduction
Effect size doesn't match table output-25
Identification strategy misrepresented-20
Broken citations (\textcite key missing)-15
Broken cross-references (\ref undefined)-15
Radius/sample inconsistency across sections-10
Overfull hbox > 10pt-10 per
Hedging language-5 per (max -15)
Notation inconsistency-5
Overfull hbox 1-10pt-1 per

Step 4: Format-Aware Severity

ContextScoring
Paper manuscript (.tex)Blocking — issues must be fixed
Quarto book (.qmd)Advisory — reported but non-blocking

Step 5: Present Report

Save report to output/log/proofread_report_[SECTION].md and present summary:

## Proofread Report: [filename]
**Score:** XX / 100
**Date:** YYYY-MM-DD

### Issues by Category
| Category | Critical | Major | Minor |
|----------|----------|-------|-------|
| Structure | ... | ... | ... |
| Claims-Evidence | ... | ... | ... |
| Identification | ... | ... | ... |
| Writing Quality | ... | ... | ... |
| Grammar | ... | ... | ... |
| LaTeX | ... | ... | ... |

### Top 3 Critical Issues
1. ...
2. ...
3. ...

### Escalation Flags
- Claims don't match output → verify against analysis scripts
- Strategy misrepresented → review identification approach
- Framing issues → flag to authors

Principles

  • Proofreader is a CRITIC, not a creator. Never write or revise — only report.
  • Be precise. Quote exact text, cite exact line numbers and file paths.
  • Cross-reference against actual output. Always verify numbers against output/tables/.
  • Proportional severity. A missing comma is Minor. Numbers that don't match regression output is Critical.
  • Format-aware. Paper .tex files are blocking; book .qmd files are advisory.