Claude Research Paper Writing Skill: A Reusable Template

A Claude research paper writing skill is a reusable instruction set that structures how Claude assists at each stage of manuscript development: organizing source evidence, drafting from that evidence, and flagging where author review is needed. Rather than describing the approach fresh in each session, you activate the skill and provide the current working material. Tools like fenbs keep the approved writing instructions and the verified reference links together, so every session works from the same standard and the same source list.

The skill is most useful for work where the boundary between Claude's contribution and the author's judgment must be clear. A research paper requires the author to evaluate sources, reach conclusions and take responsibility for claims. The skill keeps Claude in an assisting role -- organizing, drafting and flagging -- without blurring that responsibility.

The three stages a writing skill should handle

A research paper writing skill works best when it addresses each stage of the writing process separately rather than trying to go from sources to finished manuscript in one step. Three distinct skills or skill modes handle the main stages: organizing and summarizing sources, drafting a section from an approved outline, and reviewing a draft for consistency with the source evidence.

Keeping the stages separate makes it easier to check the work at each point. When you can compare Claude's source summary against the actual sources before drafting begins, you catch misreadings early. When you can compare the draft against the source summary before adding it to the manuscript, you catch unsupported claims before they are integrated.

For related skills, see claude skills examples and claude skills for project management. For a research approach specific to Reddit as a source, see claude reddit research skill.

Skill 1: organizing source evidence

Use this skill at the beginning of a section to extract and organize the relevant evidence from your sources before drafting begins. Paste the source text or a summary of each source after activating the skill.

I will share text from one or more sources. Organize the evidence relevant to the research question I specify.

For each source:
1. Note the author, title and date (or remind me if I have not provided them).
2. Extract the specific claims, findings or evidence relevant to the research question.
3. Note any limitations the source acknowledges about its own findings.
4. Flag any direct contradiction between sources.

Do not draw conclusions. Organize the evidence so I can evaluate it. Do not infer what I should argue from the evidence.

Provide the research question or the section topic alongside the source text. Review Claude's output against the original sources before moving to the drafting stage. If the summary misrepresents a source, correct it before it feeds into the draft.

Skill 2: drafting from an approved outline

Use this skill once you have a section outline and an approved source summary. The skill produces a first draft that is explicitly linked to the evidence rather than drawing on general knowledge.

I will share a section outline and the relevant source evidence I have approved. Draft the section.

Rules for this draft:
1. Base every claim on the source evidence I provide. Do not introduce claims from your general knowledge.
2. Cite each claim to the source it comes from, using the format I specify.
3. Where the evidence does not support a claim the outline calls for, note the gap rather than inventing support.
4. Flag any place where the author needs to make a judgment call: an interpretation the sources do not resolve, a limitation to acknowledge, or a conclusion that goes beyond what the evidence directly shows.
5. Write in the style and voice I specify. Do not add section headings unless the outline calls for them.

Provide the outline, the approved source summary and any style notes (word count target, citation format, register). Review the draft against the source evidence before integrating it. Each claim should trace to a specific source in the summary.

Skill 3: evidence consistency review

Use this skill on a completed draft section to check that all claims are supported by the source evidence. It surfaces any claim that goes beyond what the sources show, so the author can decide whether to add support, qualify the claim or remove it.

I will share a draft section and the source evidence it is based on. Check each claim in the draft against the evidence.

For each claim:
1. Identify the source that supports it.
2. Flag any claim that is not directly supported by the provided sources.
3. Flag any claim that overstates what the source says.
4. Note any important qualifications in the source that the draft omits.

Do not suggest new sources. Do not rewrite the draft. List the issues so the author can review them.

Paste the draft section and the relevant part of the source summary. Review the flagged items and decide for each one whether to add a source, qualify the claim, or remove it. This step is the author's responsibility; Claude is checking for consistency, not evaluating whether the argument is sound.

How to do this with fenbs

Pair the writing skills with a project that holds the paper's outline, source list and section tasks.

1. Create a free account and add a project for the paper.
2. Add each section as a task. Include the section goal, the sources assigned to it and the word count target.
3. Save the three writing skills in fenbs Skills and prompts: source organization, drafting and evidence review.
4. Add each reference to fenbs Links and listings with the full citation and the URL or access date. Verify the source on the publisher's own page before adding it.
5. After each session, update the task with where the section stands: outline approved, sources organized, draft in progress, evidence review complete.

What these skills do not do

These skills assist with structure and consistency. They do not generate sources, evaluate the quality of an argument, or make the contribution to the field that makes a paper publishable. The author is responsible for selecting sources, forming conclusions and ensuring the work meets the standards of the target journal or program. Using these skills does not change the authorship or attribution of the paper.

The evidence review skill in particular flags gaps and overstatements, but it does not assess whether the argument is interesting or significant. A paper can be internally consistent and well-sourced and still make a contribution that does not satisfy a reviewer or committee. The skills help with the craft of the manuscript; the intellectual work of the paper remains entirely with the author.

These skills also work best with clearly bounded source material. When the field of relevant sources is vast or when the argument depends on synthesizing dozens of papers, the session may not have the context window to hold all the source text at once. Work section by section rather than trying to feed the entire bibliography into a single session. Keep each session focused on a manageable amount of source material and review the output before moving to the next section.