Download skills/02-luwill-research-skills/research-proposal/SKILL.md from the publisher, or copy the path and open the repository. PlugMCP lists the skill and does not host the file.
Where does research-proposal live?
The publisher keeps it at https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills.
Which agents can use research-proposal?
Claude, Cursor, and Codex can read a SKILL.md you add from the publisher's repository.
>
name: research-proposal
description: >
Generate academic research proposals for PhD applications.
Use when user asks to "write a research proposal", "create PhD proposal",
"generate research plan", "撰写研究计划", "写博士申请", "doctoral proposal",
or mentions specific research topics for PhD application. Supports STEM,
humanities, and social sciences with field-specific adaptations.
Follows Nature Reviews-style academic writing conventions.
Supports both English and Chinese output based on user preference.
metadata:
author: user
version: "1.0.0"
allowed-tools:
WebSearch
Read
Write
Edit
AskUserQuestion
Task
Glob
Grep
mcp__zotero__zotero_search_items
mcp__zotero__zotero_get_item_metadata
mcp__zotero__zotero_get_item_fulltext
mcp__zotero__zotero_get_annotations
mcp__zotero__zotero_get_notes
mcp__zotero__zotero_search_notes
mcp__zotero__zotero_semantic_search
mcp__zotero__zotero_advanced_search
Research Proposal Generator
Generate high-quality academic research proposals for PhD applications following Nature Reviews-style academic writing conventions.
Overview
This skill guides the generation of research proposals through a structured 5-phase workflow:
Requirements Gathering - Collect research topic, domain, language preferences
Literature Collection - Gather relevant literature from multiple sources
Outline Generation - Create structured outline for user approval
Content Writing - Generate full proposal based on approved outline
Output & Review - Deliver Markdown file with quality checklist
Target Output: 2,000-4,000 words (default ~3,000 words) for PhD applications.
Phase 1: Requirements Gathering
Use AskUserQuestion to collect the following information:
Social Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Economics, Political Science)
Output Language
English
中文 (Chinese)
Target Word Count
Default: 3,000 words
Range: 2,000-4,000 words (humanities may extend to 10,000)
Optional Information
Target Institution(s)
University/research group names
Specific faculty members of interest
Existing Materials
User's prior research or publications
Relevant literature already collected in Zotero
Example Questions
Questions to ask the user:
1. "What is your research topic or direction? Please describe the core question or problem you want to investigate."
2. "Which academic domain does your research belong to?"
- STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Mathematics)
- Humanities (History, Philosophy, Literature)
- Social Sciences (Sociology, Psychology, Economics)
3. "What language should the proposal be written in?"
- English
- 中文 (Chinese)
4. "Do you have a target word count? (Default: ~3,000 words)"
5. "Are you applying to specific institutions or working with particular faculty?"
6. "Have you uploaded relevant literature to your Zotero library that I should reference?"
Phase 2: Literature Collection
Literature Sources Strategy
┌─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Literature Sources │
├─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┤
│ General Info → WebSearch (trends, news, reviews) │
│ Open Access → arXiv, PubMed (preprints, OA papers)│
│ Closed Access → Zotero MCP (user's uploaded papers) │
└─────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┘
references/DOMAIN_TEMPLATES.md - STEM vs Humanities differences
Standard Outline Template
# [Research Title]
## Abstract (150-300 words, 5-10%)
- Research problem summary
- Research questions/objectives
- Methodology overview
- Expected significance
## 1. Introduction (500-800 words, 15-20%)
### 1.1 Background and Context
### 1.2 Problem Statement
### 1.3 Research Questions/Objectives
### 1.4 Scope and Delimitations
## 2. Literature Review (500-1000 words, 20-25%)
### 2.1 Theoretical Framework
### 2.2 Current State of Research
### 2.3 Research Gap Analysis
### 2.4 Positioning of This Study
## 3. Methodology (500-800 words, 20-25%)
### 3.1 Research Design
### 3.2 Data Collection Methods
### 3.3 Data Analysis Approach
### 3.4 Validity and Limitations
## 4. Timeline (200-300 words, 5-10%)
### 4.1 Research Phases
### 4.2 Key Milestones
### 4.3 Gantt Chart (optional)
## 5. Significance and Expected Contributions (200-400 words, 10-15%)
### 5.1 Theoretical Contributions
### 5.2 Practical Implications
### 5.3 Broader Impact
## References (minimum 40 references)
Note: Do NOT include Appendix sections. All essential content should be integrated into the main body.
User Confirmation
CRITICAL: Present the outline to the user and wait for confirmation before proceeding to content generation.
Present the generated outline and ask:
"Here is the proposed outline for your research proposal:
[Display outline with section titles and estimated word counts]
Please review and let me know:
1. Is the overall structure acceptable?
2. Would you like to add, remove, or modify any sections?
3. Should any section receive more/less emphasis?
I will proceed with content generation once you approve the outline."
Phase 4: Content Writing
Writing Style Guidelines
Read and apply: references/WRITING_STYLE_GUIDE.md
Key Principles
Academic Register
Formal tone, avoid colloquialisms
Third person preferred, limited first person plural ("we")
Precise terminology
Prose-Based Writing Style (CRITICAL)
AVOID point-by-point enumeration. Academic proposals should read as flowing, connected prose rather than bulleted lists or numbered items. Use transitional phrases and coherent paragraphs to present ideas.
Avoid
Use Instead
Bullet points listing objectives
Integrated paragraph describing objectives with transitions
Numbered lists of contributions
Narrative prose explaining contributions in context
Tables for methodology steps
Flowing description of research design
When lists ARE appropriate (use sparingly):
Research questions/objectives (as a focused set of 2-4 items)
Timeline milestones (where tabular format aids clarity)
Technical specifications that require precise enumeration
Example transformation:
❌ Poor (point-by-point):
The contributions include:
- Novel segmentation algorithm
- Multi-modal fusion framework
- Clinical validation study
✓ Good (prose-based):
This research is expected to advance the field through several interconnected
contributions. First, the development of a novel segmentation algorithm will
enable automated plaque detection with accuracy surpassing current methods.
Building on this foundation, a multi-modal fusion framework will integrate
complementary imaging data to capture plaque characteristics inaccessible to
any single modality. Finally, rigorous clinical validation will establish
the prognostic value of these computational biomarkers for predicting
cardiovascular events.
Hedging Language (Academic Caution)
Avoid
Use Instead
"will prove"
"aims to demonstrate"
"definitely"
"likely", "potentially"
"is obvious"
"evidence suggests"
"proves"
"indicates", "demonstrates"
Sentence Templates
Introducing Background:
"Over the past decade, [X] has emerged as a critical area of..."
"Recent advances in [X] have opened new possibilities for..."
Identifying Gaps:
"However, [X] remains poorly understood."
"Despite these advances, significant challenges persist in..."
"A critical gap exists in our understanding of..."
Stating Objectives:
"This research aims to address [X] by..."
"The primary objective of this study is to..."
"This proposal seeks to investigate..."
Methodology Justification:
"Building on previous work, this study proposes to..."
"This approach was selected because..."
"[Method] offers several advantages for studying [X]..."
Expected Contributions:
"This work has the potential to advance..."
"The findings may contribute to..."
"This research could provide insights into..."
Transitions and Connectors
Addition: Moreover, Furthermore, In addition, Additionally
Contrast: However, Nevertheless, Conversely, On the other hand
Causation: Therefore, Consequently, As a result, Thus
Emphasis: Importantly, Notably, Of particular significance
Sequence: First, Subsequently, Finally, Following this
First mention of abbreviations: "coronary CT angiography (CCTA)"
Integrate citations into text: "Recent studies (Smith et al., 2023; Jones, 2024) have demonstrated..."
Figure Suggestions
IMPORTANT: Include suggestions for figures at appropriate locations throughout the proposal. Figures significantly enhance readability and demonstrate the applicant's ability to communicate complex ideas visually.
Figure Placement Guidelines
Insert figure suggestions using the following format:
> **[Figure 1 Suggestion]** *Title: Overview of the proposed research framework*
> Content: A flowchart or schematic diagram illustrating the three-phase research
> design, showing data flow from imaging modalities through AI processing to
> clinical outcomes. Include icons for CCTA/IVUS/OCT inputs, deep learning
> modules, and output predictions.
> Recommended style: Clean vector graphics with consistent color scheme.
Recommended Figure Types by Section
Section
Suggested Figure Type
Introduction
Conceptual diagram showing research scope and positioning
Literature Review
Timeline of key developments; Taxonomy/classification of existing methods
Methodology
Research framework flowchart; Network architecture diagram; Data processing pipeline
Timeline
Gantt chart showing research phases and milestones
Significance
Impact diagram showing theoretical and practical contributions
Figure Suggestion Principles
Strategic placement: Suggest 3-5 figures for a 3,000-word proposal
Self-explanatory: Each figure should convey key information without requiring extensive caption reading
Consistent style: Recommend unified visual language (colors, fonts, icons)
Professional quality: Suggest tools (e.g., Adobe Illustrator, draw.io, BioRender for biomedical)
Accessibility: Recommend colorblind-friendly palettes and sufficient contrast
Language-Specific Considerations
English Output
Follow standard academic English conventions
Use British or American English consistently
Maintain formal register throughout
Chinese Output (中文)
使用规范学术中文
适当使用 hedging 语言:
"本研究旨在探讨..." (not "本研究将证明...")
"研究结果可能表明..." (not "研究结果必定显示...")
"有望推进..." (not "肯定会推进...")
保持正式学术语体
参考文献格式遵循 GB/T 7714
Phase 5: Output and Review
File Generation
Generate the proposal as a Markdown file:
proposal_{topic_slug}_{YYYY-MM-DD}.md
Save to user's working directory or specified location.
Quality Checklist
Read and apply: references/QUALITY_CHECKLIST.md
Verify:
Structure
All required sections present
Word counts within specified ranges
Logical flow between sections
Clear section headings
Content
Research questions clearly stated
Literature review identifies specific gap
Methodology appropriate for research questions
Timeline realistic and detailed
Significance clearly articulated
Academic Style
Formal academic tone throughout
Appropriate hedging language used
Smooth transitions between sections
No colloquialisms or informal expressions
Prose-based writing (minimal bullet points/lists)
Lists used ONLY where truly necessary (e.g., research questions, timeline)
Figures
3-5 figure suggestions included at appropriate locations
Figure suggestions include title, content description, and style recommendations
Figures distributed across sections (not clustered)
Each figure serves a clear communicative purpose
Citations
All claims supported by references
Citation format consistent
Minimum 40 references for PhD proposals
Recent literature included (~60% from last 5 years)
Seminal/foundational works cited where appropriate
Balance across different research groups/institutions
Technical
No grammatical errors
Abbreviations defined on first use
Consistent terminology
Proper markdown formatting
Format Conversion Guidance
Provide user with conversion instructions:
# Convert to Word document
pandoc proposal.md -o proposal.docx
# Convert to PDF (requires LaTeX)
pandoc proposal.md -o proposal.pdf
# Convert to PDF with custom styling
pandoc proposal.md -o proposal.pdf --template=academic.latex
Reference Files
This skill uses the following reference documents:
Minimum 40 references required for comprehensive literature coverage
Include figure suggestions at appropriate locations (3-5 figures recommended)
NO appendices in the output - keep all content in main body sections
Prefer flowing prose over bullet points and numbered lists
How do I install research-proposal?
Download skills/02-luwill-research-skills/research-proposal/SKILL.md from the publisher, or copy the path and open the repository. PlugMCP lists the skill and does not host the file.
Where does research-proposal live?
The publisher keeps it at https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills.
Which agents can use research-proposal?
Claude, Cursor, and Codex can read a SKILL.md you add from the publisher's repository.