Academic writing assistant for papers, theses and articles
Academic writing has its own rules: claims need hedging, paragraphs need one point, sources need to be part of the argument, not stuck on top of it. This prompt has your todo.is agent review a chapter or paper like a careful supervisor and comment on tone, argument, flow and referencing, without writing it for you.
The prompt
- Act as an academic writing assistant for this [DOCUMENT TYPE] in [FIELD]: [FILE]. Target: [TARGET JOURNAL OR READER]. Review it and comment on: 1) academic tone (informal words, overclaiming, missing hedging like "suggests" or "may"), 2) paragraph structure (one claim per paragraph, clear topic sentences), 3) how well sources are integrated and whether claims need a citation, 4) signposting between sections, 5) consistency of terms, tense and [CITATION STYLE] references. Add comments in the margin of a Word copy and suggest tracked-style rewordings for at most 10 sentences. Write a short summary of the 3 biggest issues. Keep my argument and my voice.
What to change
- [DOCUMENT TYPE]: e.g. "master's thesis chapter", "journal article", "conference paper", "literature review".
- [FIELD]: e.g. "public health", "mechanical engineering", "education".
- [FILE]: Attach the Word file or PDF.
- [TARGET JOURNAL OR READER]: e.g. "a Q1 nursing journal", "my thesis committee", "a general academic audience".
- [CITATION STYLE]: e.g. "APA 7", "Vancouver", "IEEE", "Harvard".
Example result
- Summary: 3 biggest issues
- Master's thesis, chapter 2 (results and discussion) · education · APA 7
- 1. Overclaiming. "This proves that peer tutoring improves grades" (p. 4). With 48 students and no control group, the data suggests an association, not proof.
- 2. Paragraphs doing two jobs. Section 2.3 mixes results and interpretation in the same paragraphs. Report the finding first, then discuss it.
- 3. Sources listed, not used. "Many studies agree (Ali, 2019; Brook, 2020; Chen, 2021)." Say what they found and how your result fits.
- Suggested rewordings (sample)
- • Original: "This proves that peer tutoring improves grades."
- Suggested: "These results suggest that peer tutoring may be associated with higher grades in this group."
- • Original: "A lot of students said it was really helpful."
- Suggested: "Most participants (31 of 48) described the sessions as helpful."
- • Original: "As we can see in the table..."
- Suggested: "As Table 3 shows..."
- Tone and language
- • Informal words found: "a lot of" (6), "really" (4), "get" (9). Alternatives: many, considerably, obtain or receive
- • Tense: methods in past tense, but results switch to present in 2.2. Use past tense for your own findings.
- Citations
- • 3 in-text citations not in the reference list: Ortiz (2018), Nwosu et al. (2022), Park (2020)
- • Two journal titles not in italics; one DOI missing
- Signposting
- • Add a one-sentence roadmap at the start of the chapter
- • End 2.3 with a link to the limitations in 2.4
- Kept as is
- • Your research questions and the order of your argument
How to do it with todo.is
- Copy the prompt and add your field, document type, target and citation style.
- Attach the chapter and send it to your todo.is agent from the web app or by email.
- Open the Word copy: comments sit in the margin next to the exact sentence.
- Send the next chapter with "same review, and remember my field and style" to keep feedback consistent.
Tips for a better result
- Name the target journal. Its author guidelines change word limits, voice (we vs passive) and reference style.
- Review one chapter at a time. Feedback on 6,000 words is focused; feedback on 60,000 is not.
- Hedging is not weakness. "Suggests", "may" and "in this sample" match the claim to the strength of your data.
- Check your university's rules on AI use for theses. Feedback on your own draft is often allowed, but some ask you to declare it.
academic writing assistant: FAQ
- What is academic tone? Formal, precise and cautious: specific words instead of vague ones, claims matched to the evidence, no slang or contractions, and sources woven into the argument.
- Will it write my thesis for me? No. This prompt asks for comments and a few suggested rewordings, so the argument and writing stay yours. That is also what most universities allow.
- Can it check my references? Yes. It checks that every in-text citation has a matching reference and that the format follows your style. It can also look up missing DOIs.
- Is my unpublished research kept private? Your files stay in your own agent workspace and only your agent uses them.
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