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/write-section

Writes a new section or subsection of an empirical finance paper under the repo's academic writing rules.

Category: drafting
Field: finance
License: MIT (repo LICENSE, "Copyright (c) 2025 Alex Dickerson")
Updated: 2026-03-24
Stages: paper-drafting

Write Section Skill

When this skill is invoked, follow this structured workflow to write a new section or subsection of a paper.

Examples

  • /write-section introduction -- write the introduction
  • /write-section "robustness checks" -- write a specific subsection
  • /write-section conclusion -- write the conclusion

Input

The user specifies which section to write (by name or description) and any additional instructions.

Workflow

Step 1: Load Context

  1. Read the project's CLAUDE.md for paper structure, key claims, terminology, and domain concepts
  2. Read .claude/rules/academic-writing.md for style rules and banned words
  3. Read .claude/rules/latex-conventions.md for LaTeX formatting, section markers, and figure/table conventions
  4. Read the current .tex file(s) to identify what already exists vs. what needs to be written

Step 2: Load Exemplar

Read .claude/exemplars/cochrane_writing_tips.md for foundational writing principles. If the project has its own exemplars (in literature/ or referenced in the project's CLAUDE.md), read those too.

Extract the structural pattern appropriate for the section type: - Introduction: Punchline first, enumerate contributions, literature after your contribution - Data / Methods: State approach upfront, define variables precisely, explain identifying assumptions - Results: Lead with main result, give economic magnitudes, address surprises immediately - Conclusion: 2 paragraphs maximum, enumerate contributions, no speculation - Abstract: One sentence per key finding, specific numbers

Step 3: Load Technical References (if needed)

If writing about methodology or formal results: - Read existing methodology/model sections for notation and definitions - Use notation consistently with what's already in the paper

Step 4: Draft

Write the section following these rules: 1. First sentence: Concrete finding or claim, no throat-clearing 2. Structure: Follow the appropriate paragraph flow for the section type 3. Voice: Active, present tense for results ("Table 3 shows...") 4. Quantitative claims: Use specific numbers from the project's results 5. Terminology: Follow the project's CLAUDE.md for paper-specific terms 6. LaTeX: Follow .claude/rules/latex-conventions.md conventions 7. Length: Every sentence earns its place 8. Citations: Check all \cite{} keys exist in the .bib file. For any NEW citation, follow the verification protocol in .claude/rules/latex-citations.md. Never cite from memory.

Step 5: Self-Validate

Before presenting the draft, check: - [ ] No banned words (see academic-writing.md Section 1 for full list) - [ ] No throat-clearing opening - [ ] Active voice throughout - [ ] No stacked superlatives - [ ] Specific numbers for quantitative claims - [ ] Project-specific terminology consistent - [ ] No self-praise ("striking", "important contribution", "comprehensive") - [ ] No em-dashes (---) in prose (use commas, semicolons, colons, or parentheses) - [ ] No structural AI tells (see academic-writing.md) - [ ] No hedge words: somewhat, quite, very (intensifier), rather, arguably, perhaps - [ ] No previewing: "as we show below", "we will show", "Recall from" - [ ] Soft-ban words within per-paper limits - [ ] Prefer verbs over nominalizations - [ ] No editorial artifacts: TODO, FIXME, [TBD], [PLACEHOLDER], [??] - [ ] Flag uncertain claims with [HUMAN EDIT REQUIRED: ...]

Step 6: Compile Check (optional)

If requested, verify LaTeX compiles using the paths from canonical local state reported by tools/bootstrap.py audit (or a repo-root compatibility shim if present):

Bash
cd {latex_dir} && pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode {file} && bibtex {stem} && pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode {file} && pdflatex -interaction=nonstopmode {file}

Output

Present the LaTeX text ready to insert. Include: 1. The section content 2. A brief note on any [HUMAN EDIT REQUIRED] flags 3. Any structural decisions made (and why)