academic-voice

Rewrites informal text into doctoral-level scholarly prose with hedging and precision.

1|Updated Jun 20, 2026
One-click install
npx skills add https://github.com/RHuebner1972/doctoral-second-brain --skill academic-voice-rhuebner1972
Or copy as Structured Prompt for Agent
Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: academic-voice
Source: https://github.com/RHuebner1972/doctoral-second-brain/tree/main/skills/academic-voice
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/RHuebner1972/doctoral-second-brain --skill academic-voice-rhuebner1972

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

What problem does it solve? Doctoral learners often draft in conversational language that fails to meet scholarly register expectations, leading to committee feedback about tone, overstatement, and informality. This Skill diagnoses and rewrites such passages into precise, objective, appropriately hedged academic prose. ## Core Features & Use Cases - Register Diagnosis: Scans pasted text for contractions, colloquialisms, vague pronouns, weak verbs, unsupported claims, and misplaced first person. - Guided Revision: Returns a clean revised version plus a numbered change log explaining the rationale behind each significant edit. - Pattern Coaching: Identifies recurring issues the writer should self-monitor, building long-term scholarly writing habits. - Use Case: A doctoral candidate pastes a literature review paragraph containing phrases like "a lot of studies show" and receives a revised version using "a substantial body of research suggests," along with explanations of each change. ## Quick Start Paste a passage from your dissertation draft and ask the assistant to rewrite it in academic voice with an annotated change log.

Frequently Asked Questions about academic-voice

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema
How do I make my dissertation writing sound more academic?

Paste your draft passage and request an academic voice revision. The Skill scans for contractions, informal vocabulary, and overstatements, then returns a rewritten version with a change log explaining each edit and its rationale.

How to fix informal language in a literature review?

Replace colloquialisms like "a lot of" with "a substantial number of" and weak verbs like "show" with "demonstrate" or "suggest." The Skill performs these substitutions automatically and flags vague pronoun references for clarification.

When should I use first person in academic writing?

First person is appropriate in positionality and role-of-the-researcher sections, but literature reviews and most methodology sections should use "the researcher" or passive constructions. The Skill applies these context-dependent rules during revision.

What is hedging in scholarly writing and why does it matter?

Hedging qualifies claims with words like "may," "suggests," or "is associated with" instead of stating causation as certain. The Skill converts overstatements such as "this proves" into appropriately hedged alternatives grounded in evidence.

Does the Skill explain why it changes my text?

Yes. Every revision includes a numbered change log explaining the rationale for significant edits, plus a patterns-to-watch section listing recurring issues so you can self-monitor in future drafts.