Guide · Agent skill
How to use the nature-polishing agent skill for academic papers
Updated · written with AI from the project's own documentation and checked against our catalogue data
nature-polishing is an agent skill that makes an AI agent work as an editor for existing scientific prose. It improves wording, flow and tightness, translates Chinese academic text into English, and can fix LaTeX layout problems, while keeping facts, terminology and evidence limits intact. This guide explains what an agent skill is, how to install this one, how to ask for work in plain language, and what to check before you submit.
Nature-Style Academic PolishingYuan1z0825/nature-skills · Apache-2.0 Download the skill Quick start
- 1Download the ZIP. Download the nature-polishing ZIP from the skill's page on this site.
- 2Unzip into a skills folder. Unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use, or into .claude/skills/ in a project.
- 3Or upload in the Claude apps. In the Claude apps, go to Settings → Capabilities → Skills and upload the ZIP.
- 4Paste your text with a clear request. Give the agent the paragraph or file and say what you want, such as polishing, translating or shortening.
- 5Check the detected settings. Read the one-line summary of paper type, section, language and journal, and correct any that are wrong.
- 6Review every change. Compare the polished version against your original and confirm that facts, numbers and terms still match.
- 7Compile and inspect layout fixes. For LaTeX layout work, compile the manuscript and check the rendered pages before and after each change.
What is an agent skill and what does nature-polishing do?
An agent skill is a folder of instructions and reference files that an AI agent loads when a task matches the skill's description. The agent reads the skill's main file, SKILL.md, and then the files it points to, instead of relying only on general knowledge.
nature-polishing is built for polishing, translating or tightening text you have already written. It is not meant for drafting new sections or rebuilding a paper's argument; the skill's own description directs that work to the separate nature-writing skill.
- Polish wording and flow in existing academic prose.
- Translate Chinese academic paragraphs into English.
- Shorten a manuscript to a word or length limit without dropping evidence.
- Adjust abstracts, introductions, results, discussions and titles toward Nature, Nature Communications or Nature Machine Intelligence conventions.
- Fix LaTeX layout problems such as stranded headings and figures splitting across pages.
How do you install the nature-polishing skill?
You can install the skill in one of three ways. Download the ZIP file from the skill's page on this site and unzip it. Then place the folder in one of these locations, depending on how you use your agent.
For a personal setup, put it in ~/.claude/skills/. For a single project, put it in the project's .claude/skills/ folder. If you use the Claude apps instead, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
- Personal: unzip into ~/.claude/skills/
- Single project: unzip into .claude/skills/ inside the project
- Claude apps: Settings → Capabilities → Skills, then upload the ZIP
What files come with the skill?
The package includes SKILL.md, which is the entry point the agent reads first, and manifest.yaml, which declares the axes the skill uses to choose guidance: paper type, section, language and journal. A references/ folder holds deeper guides, including the LaTeX layout reference, and a static/core/ folder holds the core stance, failure-mode diagnosis and output format.
The package also includes README files in English and Chinese and an agents/openai.yaml file. You do not need to edit any of them to use the skill.
- SKILL.md: router and workflow
- manifest.yaml: axes and file mapping
- static/core/: stance, failure modes, output format
- references/: on-demand guides such as latex-layout.md
- README_EN.md and README.md: human-readable overviews
How do you trigger the skill with a natural request?
You do not need special syntax. Describe the task in ordinary language and include the text or file. The skill's description lists trigger phrases such as 论文润色, 学术翻译 and 正文精简, as well as manuscript LaTeX layout fixes, so a request that uses those ideas is the most likely to load it.
Before polishing, the agent should state the detected settings in one short line, such as paper type, section, language and target journal. Correct it if any value is wrong. For follow-up edits, the agent reuses the earlier choices.
- Polish this Results paragraph for Nature Communications: [paste text]
- Translate this Chinese introduction paragraph into academic English and tighten it: [paste text]
- Shorten the discussion to 3,000 words without removing any evidence: [paste text]
- Fix the stranded headings and split figures in main.tex; compile and check the rendered pages
What should you expect the agent to check?
The agent applies guidance in a fixed order: paper-type structure first, then section job, journal framing, language rules for sentences, and the core stance throughout. If a paragraph has a structural problem that can only be fixed by inventing content, the agent should flag it rather than hide it.
For layout requests, the skill skips the prose settings and goes straight to the LaTeX reference. It asks the agent to compile the document and inspect rendered pages before and after changes, rather than judging from the .tex source alone.
- Flags wording that overstates claims or implies unsupported causation
- Checks that terms, units and numbers stay consistent
- Flags missing content instead of inventing it
- For layout fixes, compiles and visually checks the rendered output
What do you need before you start, and what are the safety notes?
The skill needs an agent that can read files in the SKILL.md format. Layout fixes also need a LaTeX toolchain that can compile your manuscript and render the pages for visual inspection. According to the skill's metadata, it does not run scripts and does not use the network.
The skill is guidance, not an authority on journal policy. Its guidance is described as derived from published corpus patterns, and the target journal's current rules take precedence. Polished text can still change a claim or a number, so a human author must check facts and terminology before submission.
- Required: an agent that reads SKILL.md-compatible skills
- Required for layout work: a LaTeX toolchain
- Runs scripts: no
- Uses network: no
- Always verify facts, numbers and terminology yourself
What people use it for
- Translating a Chinese results paragraph into English and tightening its sentences for a Nature-portfolio submission.
- Cutting a discussion section to a word limit while keeping every limitation and evidence boundary.
- Checking an abstract's claim strength and removing overstated or causal wording.
- Fixing a stranded section heading or a figure that splits across pages in a LaTeX manuscript.
- Making terms and units consistent across a revised manuscript.
Frequently asked questions
Is nature-polishing free to use and what is its licence?
The skill is published under the Apache-2.0 licence, according to the item details on this page. Check the licence file included with the download for the full terms.
What do I need to run the nature-polishing skill?
You need an agent that can read SKILL.md-compatible skills. For LaTeX layout fixes, you also need a LaTeX toolchain that can compile and render your manuscript so the agent can inspect the pages.
How do I install the nature-polishing skill?
Download the ZIP from this site and unzip it into ~/.claude/skills/ for personal use or into .claude/skills/ in a project. In the Claude apps, upload the ZIP under Settings → Capabilities → Skills.
Does nature-polishing write new sections or rebuild my argument?
No. The skill is for polishing, translating and tightening existing text. For drafting new sections or rebuilding the manuscript argument, the skill's description points to the separate nature-writing skill.
Can the skill guarantee my paper will be accepted by Nature?
No. The guidance is derived from published corpus patterns and is not official journal policy. Check the target journal's current rules, and have a human author verify facts and terminology.
Why isn't my skill triggering?
Check that the folder is in one of the documented locations and that SKILL.md is present. Then state your task clearly using the kind of request the description covers, such as polishing, translating or shortening academic text.
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Our verdict
Use nature-polishing if you already have a draft and want it polished, translated from Chinese, or cut to a length limit for a Nature-portfolio journal, and you can check the result yourself. Pick a different tool if you need new sections drafted or your argument rebuilt, which the skill's own description assigns to nature-writing, or if you expect official journal policy.
Download the skill