- name:
- imrad
- description:
- Use when deciding whether IMRaD fits, drafting a fresh IMRaD output, transforming mixed material into IMRaD, or reviewing an IMRaD draft for structure, evidence, and section-boundary correctness.
IMRaD
Overview
Single entry skill for IMRaD work. First choose one mode, then apply the shared IMRaD rules and the mode-specific workflow. Do not ask the user to name a mode unless the prompt is genuinely ambiguous and the choice would materially change the deliverable.
Use IMRaD Only When
Use IMRaD only if ALL are true:
- A clear question or problem exists
- A method exists or can be responsibly inferred
- Results exist or can be responsibly scoped as non-empirical
- Interpretation is needed
Do NOT use IMRaD for:
- Simple Q&A or plain explanations
- Tutorials or step-by-step guides
- Brainstorming or ideation without a meaningful method-result path
- Purely stylistic editing with no structural IMRaD objective
Mode Selection
Choose exactly one mode:
- Reviewer: The input is already an IMRaD draft and the user wants review, audit, diagnosis, or structural quality checks.
- Detector: The user asks whether IMRaD should be used, which IMRaD parts are present, or what assumptions would be needed to proceed.
- Recomposer: The user provides notes, transcripts, mixed reasoning, or non-IMRaD material and wants it reorganized into IMRaD.
- Writer: The user wants a fresh research-style output in IMRaD and there is no existing draft to review.
Tie-breakers:
- Existing IMRaD draft plus review language means Reviewer, not Recomposer.
- Applicability or readiness questions mean Detector, not Writer.
- Non-IMRaD source material plus "turn this into IMRaD" means Recomposer.
- If the user wants a complete IMRaD output and does not explicitly ask for applicability diagnosis first, proceed with Writer or Recomposer and surface assumptions in Methods.
Shared Rules
- Keep IMRaD section boundaries strict.
- Never fabricate empirical data, citations, experiments, measurements, or observations.
- If the input is incomplete, state assumptions explicitly.
- Non-empirical results MUST be labeled as
inferred, hypothetical, expected, or simulated.
- Every major claim in Results or Discussion MUST trace back to explicit input evidence or explicit assumptions.
- Be concise, precise, and non-redundant.
- Prefer bullets over long narrative paragraphs when they improve clarity.
Section Rules
Apply these rules whenever producing a full IMRaD document.
Introduction
- Define background and context
- Identify the question, problem, or objective
- State the objective or hypothesis
- Do NOT include methods, results, or conclusions
Methods
- Describe the approach, process, tools, data sources, and assumptions
- Include reproducibility details when applicable
- Put inferred assumptions here when the input is incomplete
- Do NOT include findings or interpretation
Results
- Present findings, outputs, or observations objectively
- Separate empirical from non-empirical outputs when both appear
- Do NOT include interpretation, implication, or argument
Discussion
- Interpret only what Results support
- Answer the question from Introduction
- Include limitations and concrete next steps when relevant
Mode Workflows
Detector
Use when the user needs an IMRaD go/no-go decision or a gap analysis.
Workflow:
- Evaluate IMRaD applicability.
- Classify Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion as
explicit, partial, inferable, or unavailable.
- Identify the assumptions required to proceed responsibly.
- Recommend
use full IMRaD, use partial IMRaD, or do not use IMRaD.
Output MUST include:
- IMRaD applicability:
high, medium, or low
- Section availability for Introduction, Methods, Results, Discussion
- Inferred components
- Key assumptions required
- Recommendation
Constraints:
- Diagnose only
- Do NOT output a full IMRaD article by default
- Do NOT treat missing evidence as observed results
Reviewer
Use when the input is an IMRaD draft and the task is review rather than rewriting.
Workflow:
- Validate section presence and order.
- Check section-boundary purity.
- Trace major claims to Results evidence or explicit assumptions.
- Flag unsupported claims, over-interpretation, and weak question-method-result linkage.
- Produce actionable fixes with severity.
Output MUST include:
- Overall assessment
- Strengths
- Issues list with:
severity: high, medium, or low
section
problem
why it matters
suggested fix
- Optional verdict:
structurally sound, needs revision, or unsuitable as IMRaD
Constraints:
- Review the draft; do NOT rewrite the full document unless the user explicitly asks
- Do NOT invent missing evidence
- Distinguish empirical vs non-empirical results when reviewing claims
Recomposer
Use when non-IMRaD or mixed material needs to become a clean IMRaD draft.
Workflow:
- Extract the core question or problem.
- Derive or identify the method or approach.
- Separate findings from interpretation.
- Compose Introduction, Methods, Results, and Discussion in exact order.
- Validate claim traceability and section boundaries before finalizing.
Output MUST:
- Produce a full IMRaD document in exact section order
- Use the Section Rules above
- Make assumptions explicit in Methods
- Label non-empirical results explicitly
Constraints:
- Do NOT hide inferred assumptions
- Do NOT introduce claims unsupported by source material or explicit assumptions
- Do NOT collapse reporting and interpretation into the same section
Writer
Use when the user wants a fresh research-style IMRaD output from a question, topic, or task brief.
Workflow:
- Define the question, objective, or hypothesis.
- Describe the method or analytical approach.
- Present results objectively.
- Interpret the results in Discussion.
Output MUST:
- Produce a full IMRaD document in exact section order
- Use the Section Rules above
- Keep results objective and discussion interpretive
- Mark any non-empirical results explicitly
Constraints:
- If methods or results are missing, infer them only for analytical or design-oriented tasks
- Put assumptions in Methods
- Optional
Abstract or Conclusion sections are allowed only when the user explicitly asks for them
Common Failures
- Over-triggering IMRaD for simple explanatory tasks
- Mixing Results with Discussion
- Rewriting a draft when the user only asked for review
- Presenting inferred content as observed evidence
- Skipping assumptions that were necessary to build Methods or Results