Deterministic thesis workflow tools for citation sync, format checks, review handoff, and pre-submission readiness.
Spend your time thinking, not fixing formatting.
Quickstart · Outputs · Scenarios · Rule Packs · Boundaries
Thesis Skills is not an AI writing assistant, not a thesis template, and not a tool that writes thesis content for you.
It is a CLI workflow system that connects the tools many graduate students and researchers already use: Word, Zotero, EndNote, LaTeX, structured check reports, safe fix patches, review handoff artifacts, and pre-submission readiness checks.
┌───────────────────────────────────────────┐
Zotero / EndNote ─┤ ├─→ LaTeX thesis
Word .docx ───────┤ Thesis Skills ├─→ Review Word export
LaTeX project ────┤ ├─→ Defense pack
└───────────────────────────────────────────┘
│
▼
check reports → dry-run fixes → readiness gate
The goal is simple: turn scattered, manual, error-prone thesis finishing work into a workflow that is checkable, repeatable, and auditable.
For repetitive finishing work, the expected time savings are concrete:
| Workflow | Manual baseline | With Thesis Skills | Speedup |
|---|---|---|---|
| Bibliography intake | 30-60 min | 2-5 min | ~10× faster |
| Word ↔ LaTeX review handoff | 1-3 hrs | 5-10 min | ~15× faster |
| Deterministic format checks | 1-3 hrs | 2-5 min | ~20× faster |
| Safe report-driven fixes | 1-2 hrs | 5-10 min | ~10× faster |
| Pre-submission readiness review | 30-60 min | 1-2 min | ~30× faster |
| Defense prep inventory | 2-4 hrs | 10-15 min | ~15× faster |
Time savings are conservative estimates for repetitive formatting and handoff work. Thesis Skills does not replace writing, thinking, advisor judgment, or institutional confirmation.
Run the built-in sample project through the check pipeline:
git clone https://github.com/quzhiii/thesis-skills.git
cd thesis-skills
test -d examples/minimal-latex-project
python run_check_once.py \
--project-root examples/minimal-latex-project \
--ruleset university-generic \
--skip-compileExpected result: JSON reports are written to examples/minimal-latex-project/reports/, including run-summary.json and readiness-report.json, without requiring a local LaTeX installation.
If you already have a LaTeX thesis project:
python run_check_once.py \
--project-root thesis \
--ruleset university-generic \
--skip-compileMore details: docs/quickstart.md.
1. Intake 2. Check 3. Fix safely 4. Gate 5. Handoff
────────── ─────────── ───────────── ───────── ─────────────
Zotero references dry-run patches PASS advisor Word
EndNote → language → preview first → WARN → review TODOs
Word/LaTeX format apply explicitly BLOCK defense pack
┌──────────────────────────────────────────────────────────────┐
│ Readiness verdict: WARN │
├───────────────────────┬────────┬─────────────────────────────┤
│ Dimension │ Status │ Why it matters │
├───────────────────────┼────────┼─────────────────────────────┤
│ References │ PASS │ all cite keys resolve │
│ Language │ WARN │ 2 style warnings remain │
│ Format │ PASS │ labels and refs are stable │
│ Compile evidence │ WARN │ skipped in demo mode │
│ Export evidence │ WARN │ not produced by smoke test │
│ Review-loop evidence │ WARN │ not produced by smoke test │
└───────────────────────┴────────┴─────────────────────────────┘
Next actions:
1. Review reports/check_language-report.json
2. Generate Word export / review-loop artifacts when those handoffs are needed
3. Re-run without --skip-compile before final submission
A real run writes machine-readable artifacts such as:
reports/check_references-report.jsonreports/check_language-report.jsonreports/check_format-report.jsonreports/check_content-report.jsonreports/readiness-report.jsonreports/run-summary.json
Example JSON snippets and demo walkthroughs: docs/examples.md.
python 00-bib-zotero/sync_from_word.py \
--project-root thesis \
--word-file thesis.docx \
--apply
python run_check_once.py \
--project-root thesis \
--ruleset university-generic \
--skip-compilepython run_check_once.py \
--project-root thesis \
--ruleset university-generic
python 16-check-readiness/check_readiness.py \
--project-root thesis \
--ruleset university-generic \
--mode advisor-handoffpython 02-latex-to-word/migrate_project.py \
--project-root thesis \
--output-file thesis-review.docx \
--profile review-friendly \
--apply truepython 04-word-review-ingest/feedback_ingest.py \
--project-root thesis \
--input review-feedback.json
python 03-latex-review-diff/review_diff.py \
--project-root thesispython 17-defense-pack/generate_outline.py \
--project-root thesis \
--ruleset university-generic
python 17-defense-pack/generate_figure_inventory.py \
--project-root thesis \
--ruleset university-genericMore scenarios: docs/examples.md.
Rule packs encode institution- or journal-specific requirements: project layout, reference format, language rules, formatting rules, content requirements, and readiness criteria.
90-rules/packs/
├── university-generic/ # Generic university thesis starter
├── journal-generic/ # Generic journal article starter
├── tsinghua-thesis/ # Tsinghua University example
└── demo-university-thesis/ # Concrete non-Tsinghua example pack
Create a custom rule pack:
python 90-rules/create_pack.py \
--pack-id my-university \
--display-name "My University Thesis" \
--starter university-generic \
--kind university-thesis- Python 3.10+
- Windows / macOS / Linux
- LaTeX optional for the
--skip-compiledemo; run without--skip-compilewhen you want compile-log diagnostics
| Thesis Skills is | Thesis Skills is not |
|---|---|
| A bridge between Word, Zotero, EndNote, and LaTeX | A thesis template or document class |
| A deterministic checker for formatting and structural rules | An AI writing assistant that generates thesis content |
| A report-driven workflow with dry-run previews | A replacement for Grammarly or other prose editors |
| A pre-submission readiness gate | An automatic final defense PPT generator |
| Extensible through institution-specific rule packs | A guarantee that every school or journal rule is already supported |
| CLI-based with auditable artifacts | A GUI or web-based editor |
| Document | Purpose |
|---|---|
docs/quickstart.md |
Minimal install and first check run |
docs/examples.md |
Output previews and scenario examples |
docs/modules.md |
Full module reference moved out of the README |
docs/architecture.md |
Workflow and module architecture |
docs/getting-started-zh.md |
Step-by-step beginner guide in Chinese |
CHANGELOG.md |
Release history |
The long module table lives in docs/modules.md so this README stays focused on the product workflow.
Thesis Skills is designed to work alongside mature templates and institution-specific document classes.
| Institution | Template repository |
|---|---|
| Tsinghua University | tuna/thuthesis |
| Shanghai Jiao Tong University | sjtug/SJTUThesis |
| University of Science and Technology of China | ustctug/ustcthesis |
| Peking University | CasperVector/pkuthss |
| Stanford University | dcroote/stanford-thesis-example |
| University of Cambridge | cambridge/thesis |
Special thanks to tuna/thuthesis and other open-source thesis template projects. These projects make high-quality LaTeX thesis writing more accessible and inspired the workflow design of Thesis Skills.
MIT License