Academic Report Writer: 40-100+ Page Thesis/FYP with Parallel Agents#

Turn a research repository into a publication-quality LaTeX thesis in 2-4 hours instead of 8-12 — using a 3-wave parallel agent pipeline purpose-built for academic reports.

What this skill does: You point it at your research repo (code + experiment results). It launches parallel agents to extract data, write chapters simultaneously, then assembles and compiles a complete LaTeX report with proper cross-references, figures, and bibliography.

Validated: 86-page FYP report, 6 chapters + 3 appendices + 15 figures, produced in ~6 hours. Writing philosophy inherited from ml-paper-writing (Nanda, Farquhar, Gopen & Swan, Lipton, Steinhardt, Perez).

---

CRITICAL: Never Hallucinate Citations#

This rule is inherited from ml-paper-writing and is non-negotiable.

The Problem (Backed by Data)#

StatisticSource6-55% of AI-generated citations are fabricatedMultiple studies (varies by model/domain)100+ hallucinated refs in NeurIPS 2025 accepted papersGPTZero analysis, Jan 202650+ hallucinated refs in ICLR 2026 submissionsGPTZero analysis, Feb 2026Only 26.5% of AI-generated references are entirely accuratePaper-Checker 2026 survey206+ legal sanctions for AI-hallucinated citations in courtsAs of July 20253 types: fully fabricated, chimeric (blended), modified realCheckIfExist (arXiv 2602.15871)

Universities increasingly treat fake citations as academic misconduct — failed assignments, course failure, or expulsion.

The Rule#

NEVER generate BibTeX entries from memory. ALWAYS fetch programmatically.

text

IF you cannot programmatically fetch a citation:
    → Mark it as [CITATION NEEDED] or [PLACEHOLDER - VERIFY]
    → Tell the author explicitly
    → NEVER invent a plausible-sounding reference

Automated Verification: citation_checker.py#

After writing, always run the citation checker before submission:

bash

# Check a single .bib file
python scripts/citation_checker.py references.bib

# Check all .bib files in a report directory
python scripts/citation_checker.py path/to/report/

# JSON output (for CI pipelines)
python scripts/citation_checker.py references.bib --json

The checker uses a cascading 3-source verification pipeline:

text

CrossRef (140M+ DOIs) → Semantic Scholar (200M+ papers) → OpenAlex (240M+ works)

For each citation it:

1. Searches by DOI (if available) or title
2. Computes title similarity + author overlap
3. Flags red flags (invalid DOI, generic title, missing fields, chimeric blends)
4. Reports: verified (2+ sources), suspicious (1 source), or not found (likely hallucinated)

Red flag detection catches:

• Fully fabricated citations (no match in any database)
• Chimeric hallucinations (title matches but authors don't)
• Invalid DOI formats
• Suspiciously generic titles common in AI output
• Missing critical fields (authors, year)
• Future publication years

See references/citation-workflow.md for the full API documentation and Python CitationManager class.

---

When to Use This Skill#

ScenarioUse This SkillUse ml-paper-writing InsteadFYP / Final Year Project reportYesMSc / PhD dissertationYesTechnical report (20+ pages)YesConference paper (8-12 pages)YesWorkshop paper (4-6 pages)Yes

Key difference: This skill orchestrates parallel subagents for long documents. Conference papers are short enough to write sequentially.

---

Core Architecture: 3-Wave Pipeline#

text

Wave 0: DATA PREPARATION          Wave 1: CHAPTER WRITING          Wave 2: ASSEMBLY
(5-6 parallel agents)             (3-4 parallel agents)            (1-2 sequential agents)

┌─ Agent 0A: Data consolidation   ┌─ Agent 1: Template + Ch1-2     ┌─ Agent 6: Merge + cross-ref
├─ Agent 0B: Codebase analysis    ├─ Agent 2: Ch3 (core work)      └─ Agent 7: Compile + review
├─ Agent 0C: System analysis      ├─ Agent 3: Ch4-5 (results)
├─ Agent 0D: Experiment history   └─ Agent 4: Ch6 + Appendices
├─ Agent 0E: Statistics
└─ Agent 0F: Figure generation

Why waves? Data must exist before prose. Prose must exist before assembly. Violating this order produces agents that hallucinate numbers or write without evidence.

---

Wave 0: Data Preparation (Before Writing)#

Goal: Produce all data artifacts that chapter-writing agents will reference. Every claim in the report must trace back to a Wave 0 artifact.

What Wave 0 Agents Produce#

AgentInputOutputPurpose0A: Data ConsolidationRaw result files (JSON, CSV)data/final_results.jsonSingle source of truth for all numbers0B: Codebase AnalysisSource codedata/codebase_analysis.mdModule map, LOC, complexity, key snippets0C: System AnalysisArchitecture, pipeline codedata/system_analysis.mdHow components connect, data flow0D: Experiment HistoryAll experiment logsdata/experiment_history.mdTimeline, what changed, why0E: StatisticsResult filesdata/statistics.mdAggregate stats, distributions0F: Figure GenerationData artifacts + style configfigures/*.pdf + figures/*.pngAll publication-quality figures

Agent 0F: Figure Pipeline (Special)#

Figures deserve a dedicated agent because:

1. They must be consistent (same color palette, font sizes, style)
2. They must be vector (PDF for LaTeX \includegraphics)
3. They must be colorblind-safe (Okabe-Ito or Paul Tol palette)
4. They must be self-contained (captions tell the full story)

python

# Recommended figure style
import matplotlib.pyplot as plt
import matplotlib
matplotlib.rcParams.update({
    'font.size': 11,
    'font.family': 'serif',
    'axes.labelsize': 12,
    'axes.titlesize': 13,
    'xtick.labelsize': 10,
    'ytick.labelsize': 10,
    'legend.fontsize': 10,
    'figure.figsize': (6.5, 4),
    'savefig.dpi': 300,
    'savefig.bbox': 'tight',
})

# Colorblind-safe palette (Okabe-Ito)
COLORS = ['#E69F00', '#56B4E9', '#009E73', '#F0E442',
          '#0072B2', '#D55E00', '#CC79A7', '#000000']

Output both formats: figure_name.pdf (for LaTeX) + figure_name.png (for preview).

Wave 0 Completion Gate#

Do NOT proceed to Wave 1 until:

• All data files exist and are non-empty
• All figures compile (PDF + PNG)
• Numbers in final_results.json match known ground truth
• Each agent's output has been spot-checked

---

Wave 1: Chapter Writing (Parallel, After Wave 0)#

Chapter Dependency Graph#

text

Independent (can parallelize):
  Ch1 (Introduction) ←→ Ch2 (Literature Review)  [no dependency]
  Ch3 (System/Methods) [needs 0B, 0C]
  Ch6 (Conclusion) [needs 0A summary only]

Sequential (must wait):
  Ch4 (Experimental Setup) → Ch5 (Results) [Ch5 needs Ch4's definitions]
  Ch5 needs: 0A (data), 0D (history), 0E (stats), 0F (figures)

Recommended Agent Assignment#

AgentChaptersDepends OnApprox PagesAgent 1Template + Front matter + Ch1 + Ch2Plan only15-20Agent 2Ch3 (System Design)0B, 0C12-18Agent 3Ch4 + Ch5 (Setup + Results)0A, 0D, 0E, 0F15-25Agent 4Ch6 + Appendices0A (summary)5-10

Writing Philosophy (Inherited)#

These principles from ml-paper-writing apply to every chapter:

The Narrative Principle (Nanda): Your report tells one story. Every chapter advances that story. If a section doesn't connect to the core contribution, cut it.

Sentence-Level Clarity (Gopen & Swan):

PrincipleRuleMnemonicSubject-verb proximityKeep subject and verb close"Don't interrupt yourself"Stress positionEmphasis at sentence end"Save the best for last"Topic positionContext at sentence start"First things first"Old before newFamiliar then unfamiliar"Build on known ground"One unit, one functionEach paragraph = one point"One idea per container"Action in verbUse verbs, not nominalizations"Verbs do, nouns sit"Context before newExplain before presenting"Set the stage first"

Word Choice (Lipton, Steinhardt):

• Be specific: "accuracy" not "performance"
• Eliminate hedging: drop "may" and "can" unless genuinely uncertain
• Consistent terminology: pick one term per concept, stick with it
• Delete filler: "actually," "very," "basically," "essentially"

Micro-Level Tips (Perez):

• Minimize pronouns: "This result shows..." not "This shows..."
• Position verbs early in sentences
• Active voice always: "We show..." not "It is shown..."
• One idea per sentence

Thesis-Specific Adaptations (Beyond ml-paper-writing)#

Conference PaperThesis/Report1-1.5 page intro3-5 page intro with motivation + scopeRelated Work sectionFull Literature Review chapter8-12 pages total40-100+ pages total5-sentence abstract250-400 word abstractContribution bulletsObjectives & scope sectionNo project timelineGantt chart / project scheduleNo appendices (usually)2-5 appendices with supplementary material

Chapter Templates#

Chapter 1: Introduction (3-5 pages)

latex

\chapter{Introduction}

\section{Background}
% 1-2 pages: Establish the problem domain
% Start specific, not generic. No "AI has revolutionized..."

\section{Motivation}
% 0.5-1 page: Why this problem matters NOW
% Use the "map analogy" or similar concrete framing

\section{Objectives and Scope}
% 0.5 page: Numbered list of objectives
% Explicitly state what is IN and OUT of scope

\section{Project Schedule}
% Gantt chart figure (generated in Wave 0)

\section{Report Organization}
% Brief roadmap of remaining chapters

Chapter 2: Literature Review (8-15 pages)

latex

\chapter{Literature Review}

% Organize METHODOLOGICALLY, not paper-by-paper
% Group: "One line of work uses X [refs] whereas we use Y because..."

\section{Topic Area 1}
\section{Topic Area 2}
\section{Topic Area 3}
\section{Research Gap and Our Position}
% Explicitly state what's missing and how you fill it
% Include positioning figure/table if helpful

Chapter 3: System Design / Methodology (10-18 pages)

latex

\chapter{System Design and Implementation}

\section{System Architecture}
% Architecture diagram (FIGURE — from Wave 0)

\section{Core Component 1}
% Code listings where relevant (use lstlisting or minted)

\section{Core Component 2}

\section{Technology Stack}
% TABLE: libraries, versions, purpose

Chapter 4: Experimental Setup (5-8 pages)

latex

\chapter{Experimental Setup}

\section{Dataset / Data Collection}
\section{Evaluation Methodology}
\section{Baselines and Conditions}
\section{Statistical Methods}
% TABLE: which test, why, assumptions

Chapter 5: Results and Analysis (8-15 pages)

latex

\chapter{Results and Analysis}

% For EACH result, explicitly state:
% 1. What claim it supports
% 2. The specific numbers
% 3. Statistical significance

\section{Main Results}
% FIGURE + TABLE for primary ablation/comparison

\section{Detailed Analysis 1}
\section{Detailed Analysis 2}
\section{Discussion}
% What worked, what didn't, WHY

Chapter 6: Conclusion (3-5 pages)

latex

\chapter{Conclusion and Future Work}

\section{Summary of Contributions}
% 3-5 numbered contributions, each 2-3 sentences

\section{Limitations}
% HONEST assessment. Claude undersells weaknesses by default.
% Explicitly prompt: "What are the real limitations?"
% Pre-empt criticisms. Honesty builds trust.

\section{Future Work}
% 2-4 concrete, actionable directions
% Not vague "further research" — specific next steps

Limitations Section Guidance (Critical)#

Claude has a documented tendency to understate limitations. When writing the limitations section:

1. Ask yourself: "What would a skeptical examiner criticize?"
2. List ALL weaknesses, not just minor ones
3. Quantify where possible: "Judge variance is ~5pp between re-judgings"
4. Explain WHY the limitation doesn't invalidate the core contribution
5. Distinguish between "fundamental limitation" and "scope limitation"

---

Wave 2: Assembly & Compilation#

Step 1: Merge Chapters#

Use \input{} in main.tex to include chapter files:

latex

\documentclass[12pt,a4paper]{report}
\input{preamble}

\begin{document}
\input{front_matter}
\tableofcontents
\listoffigures
\listoftables

\input{chapters/ch1_introduction}
\input{chapters/ch2_literature_review}
\input{chapters/ch3_system_design}
\input{chapters/ch4_experimental_setup}
\input{chapters/ch5_results}
\input{chapters/ch6_conclusion}

\bibliographystyle{plain}
\bibliography{references}

\appendix
\input{appendices/appendix_a}
\input{appendices/appendix_b}
\end{document}

Step 2: Cross-Reference Audit (Mandatory)#

With parallel agents writing chapters independently, duplicate labels are inevitable.

Run the automated audit script:

bash

python scripts/cross_ref_audit.py report_dir/

This checks:

• Duplicate \label{} definitions
• Undefined \ref{} and \cite{} references
• Orphaned labels (defined but never referenced)
• Figure/table numbering consistency
• BibTeX key duplicates

See scripts/cross_ref_audit.py for the full script.

Step 3: Compile with Tectonic#

Tectonic is strongly recommended over BasicTeX/TeX Live for local compilation:

bash

# Install (macOS)
brew install tectonic

# Compile (handles all passes automatically)
tectonic main.tex

# Or with verbose output
tectonic -X compile main.tex

Why Tectonic?

• No sudo, no tlmgr install
• Handles BibTeX + multiple passes automatically
• Downloads packages on-demand
• Single binary, no distribution management

See references/compilation-guide.md for alternatives and troubleshooting.

Step 4: Quality Review#

Final quality checks:

text

Post-Compilation Checklist:
- [ ] No undefined references (\ref, \cite)
- [ ] No duplicate labels
- [ ] All figures render at correct size
- [ ] Table of Contents is accurate
- [ ] List of Figures / Tables is complete
- [ ] Page numbers are correct
- [ ] Bibliography entries are complete
- [ ] Appendices are properly lettered
- [ ] No overfull/underfull hbox warnings (major ones)
- [ ] Consistent formatting across all chapters

---

Tables and Figures#

Tables#

Use booktabs for professional tables:

latex

\usepackage{booktabs}
\begin{table}[t]
\centering
\caption{Comparison of conditions. Best results in \textbf{bold}.}
\label{tab:main_results}
\begin{tabular}{lcc}
\toprule
Condition & Success Rate $\uparrow$ & p-value \\
\midrule
Baseline & 25.6\% & --- \\
Summary & 27.8\% & 0.839 \\
\textbf{URL} & \textbf{50.0\%} & $<$0.001 \\
\textbf{Tools} & \textbf{50.0\%} & $<$0.001 \\
\bottomrule
\end{tabular}
\end{table}

Rules:

• Bold best value per metric
• Include direction symbols (higher/lower is better)
• Right-align numerical columns
• Consistent decimal precision
• Caption ABOVE table (convention for tables)

Figures#

• Vector graphics (PDF) for all plots and diagrams
• Raster (PNG 300+ DPI) only for screenshots/photographs
• Colorblind-safe palettes (Okabe-Ito recommended)
• No title inside figure — the caption serves this function
• Self-contained captions — reader should understand without main text
• Caption BELOW figure (convention for figures)

latex

\begin{figure}[t]
\centering
\includegraphics[width=0.85\textwidth]{figures/architecture.pdf}
\caption{System architecture showing the five core modules.
         Arrows indicate data flow from browser automation (left)
         through state abstraction to the output graph (right).}
\label{fig:architecture}
\end{figure}

---

University Template Handling#

Generic Thesis Template#

A minimal, clean university thesis template is provided in templates/university-thesis/. It includes:

• A4 paper, 12pt, report class
• Front matter (title page, abstract, acknowledgements, TOC)
• Chapter structure with \input{}
• Bibliography with natbib
• Appendix support

Adapting to Your University#

Most universities provide their own LaTeX template. To adapt:

1. Start from your university's template (not ours)
2. Copy the \input{} chapter structure from our template
3. Keep university style files untouched
4. Add only necessary packages

University FeatureWhere to AdaptTitle page formatfront_matter.tex — follow university spec exactlyMargin requirementspreamble.tex — use university's geometry settingsFont requirementspreamble.tex — usually Times New Roman or Computer ModernCitation style\bibliographystyle{} — university specifies (Harvard, APA, IEEE, etc.)Appendix formatCheck if university wants lettered (A, B, C) or numbered

---

Workflow: End-to-End#

Step-by-Step Execution#

text

1. UNDERSTAND THE PROJECT
   - Read the codebase, results, existing docs
   - Identify the core contribution

2. PLAN THE REPORT
   - Define chapter structure
   - Map: which data → which chapter
   - Identify figures needed
   - Create the execution plan

3. WAVE 0: DATA PREPARATION
   - Launch 5-6 parallel agents
   - Wait for ALL to complete
   - Verify outputs (spot-check numbers)

4. WAVE 1: CHAPTER WRITING
   - Launch 3-4 parallel agents
   - Each agent gets: chapter template + relevant Wave 0 data
   - Independent chapters can run in parallel

5. WAVE 2: ASSEMBLY
   - Merge chapters into main.tex
   - Run cross_ref_audit.py
   - Fix duplicate labels, undefined refs
   - Compile with tectonic
   - Quality review

6. ITERATE
   - Author reviews output
   - Targeted revisions (specific chapters/sections)
   - Re-compile and verify

Time Estimates (Based on Validated Run)#

WaveAgentsTypical DurationNotesWave 05-630-60 minDepends on codebase sizeWave 13-460-90 minLongest waveWave 21-220-40 minMostly automatedTotal****2-4 hoursFor ~80 page report

Without parallel agents, the same report takes 8-12 hours.

---

Key Lessons (From Production Use)#

1. Data before prose: Agents write poorly without concrete numbers. Wave 0 is essential.
2. Tectonic over BasicTeX: brew install tectonic — no sudo, handles packages automatically.
3. Cross-ref audit is mandatory: Parallel agents create duplicate labels. Automated script catches them.
4. Figure pipeline separate: Generate all figures first, reference later. Don't embed matplotlib in chapter agents.
5. Honest limitations: Explicitly prompt for limitations — Claude undersells weaknesses by default.
6. zsh gotcha: grep '!' breaks in zsh due to history expansion. Use Python scripts for pattern matching.
7. Plan file as source of truth: Write the full execution plan before launching any agents.
8. Spot-check Wave 0: Don't blindly pass data artifacts to writing agents. Verify key numbers.

---

Common Issues and Solutions#

IssueSolutionDuplicate \label{} across chaptersRun cross_ref_audit.py, rename with chapter prefixMissing package in tectonicTectonic auto-downloads; if stuck, try tectonic -X compileFigures too large / overlapping textUse [width=0.85\textwidth] and [htbp] float placementBibTeX not resolvingRun tectonic twice, or check .bib file syntaxInconsistent notation across chaptersDefine macros in preamble.tex, shared across all \input{} filesAgent writes without evidenceWave 0 completion gate — never skip data preparationAbstract too long for universityKeep to word limit; conference 5-sentence formula still worksExaminer criticizes missing limitationsUse the explicit limitations prompting strategy

---

References#

Inherited from ml-paper-writing#

DocumentContentsreferences/writing-guide.mdGopen & Swan 7 principles, micro-tips, word choicereferences/citation-workflow.mdCitation APIs, Python code, BibTeX management

New for write-report#

DocumentContentsreferences/compilation-guide.mdTectonic, latexmk, cross-ref audit, local compilationreferences/parallel-pipeline.mdWave architecture, agent orchestration, dependency graphscripts/cross_ref_audit.pyAutomated cross-reference and duplicate label checkertemplates/university-thesis/Generic university thesis LaTeX template

---

Author#

Canlah AI — Run performance marketing without breaking your brand.

• GitHub: github.com/PHY041
• All Skills: clawhub.ai/PHY041