A specialized skill that enhances the writing-coach and proofreader agents' academic writing capabilities.
Target Agents
- writing-coach — Thesis structure design, draft writing
- proofreader — Style verification, format consistency checking
Per-Chapter Thesis Structure and Writing Guide
Chapter 1: Introduction
| Component | Purpose | Length Guideline |
|---|---|---|
| Research background | Engage the reader, establish context | 30-40% of chapter |
| Problem statement | Justify the need for research, prior study limitations | 20-30% |
| Research purpose | State specific objectives | 10% |
| Research questions/hypotheses | Specify questions to be investigated | 10% |
| Research scope | Temporal/spatial/subject boundaries | 10% |
| Thesis organization | Chapter-by-chapter overview | 5% |
Introduction funnel structure:
[Broad] Macro context, societal issues
|
[Medium] Academic context, prior research trajectory
|
[Narrow] Research gap, unresolved questions
|
[Pinpoint] This study's purpose and questions
Chapter 2: Theoretical Background / Literature Review
Organizational approaches:
| Approach | Best suited when |
|---|---|
| Thematic | Addressing multiple theories/variables |
| Chronological | Development process matters |
| Methodological | Comparing methods is central |
| Theoretical | Comparing competing theories |
Critical review sentence patterns:
- "While studies have found ~, they have the limitation of ~"
- "The findings of ~ and ~ are contradictory, indicating the need for further research"
- "Prior studies have overlooked ~, which means ~"
Chapter 3: Research Methods
Required components:
- Research design and rationale
- Participants (population, sample, selection criteria)
- Measurement instruments (item composition, validity, reliability)
- Data collection procedures
- Analysis methods and rationale
- Ethical considerations (IRB, etc.)
Chapter 4: Results
Writing principles:
- Report results only; interpretation goes in Chapter 5
- Follow statistical reporting format (APA: t(24) = 2.31, p = .029)
- Always reference tables/figures in the body text
- Report in the order of research questions/hypotheses
Chapter 5: Discussion
Summary of results -> Comparison with prior studies -> Theoretical implications -> Practical implications -> Limitations -> Future research suggestions
Academic Style Rules
Expressions to Use
| Situation | Academic Expression | Expression to Avoid |
|---|---|---|
| Hedging claims | "may," "suggests that," "it appears that" | Definitive statements (in survey studies) |
| Causal relationships | "was found to be associated with" | "is caused by" (in survey studies) |
| Generalization | "in the context of this study" | "in all cases" |
| Self-reference | "this study," "the present research" | "I think that" |
| Prior research | "According to Kim (2023)" | "Something I read in a paper" |
Hedging Expression Levels
| Confidence Level | Expression |
|---|---|
| High | "demonstrates," "indicates," "shows" |
| Medium | "suggests," "implies," "appears to" |
| Low | "may," "could," "it is possible that" |
Citation Format (APA 7th Focus)
In-Text Citations
| Type | Format | Example |
|---|---|---|
| 1 author | (Author, Year) | (Kim, 2023) |
| 2 authors | (Author1 & Author2, Year) | (Kim & Lee, 2023) |
| 3+ authors | (First Author et al., Year) | (Kim et al., 2023) |
| Direct quote | (Author, Year, p. Page) | (Kim, 2023, p. 45) |
| Secondary source | (Original, Year, as cited in Citer, Year) | Minimize usage |
Reference List Format
Journal: Author. (Year). Title. Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Pages. https://doi.org/xxx
Book: Author. (Year). Title (Edition). Publisher.
Thesis: Author. (Year). Title [Master's/Doctoral thesis, University]. Database.
Proofreading Checklist (for proofreader)
Format
- Title page format (follows institutional template)
- Page numbers, margins, font/size comply with guidelines
- Table of contents matches body headings
- Table/figure numbers are sequential, title format is uniform
- Reference list format is consistent (APA/MLA/Chicago)
Content
- Are all research questions answered in the results?
- Are claims in the introduction consistently resolved in the conclusion?
- Are technical terms defined at first use?
- Are abbreviations spelled out at first use?
- Is passive/active voice usage consistent?