# Manuscript Draft Standards

Use this file when drafting or revising `04_manuscript_draft.md`.

## 1. Default manuscript length

Unless the user explicitly asks for a short memo, conference abstract, highlight, or mini-communication, default to a **full original-article draft**.

Recommended total length for a manuscript package built from an observational result bundle:
- **Full original article:** roughly 3500-6000 words in the main draft
- **Extended structured draft:** roughly 2800-3500 words when data are solid but some interpretation is intentionally deferred
- **Mini-draft / memo:** under 2800 words **only** when the user asked for a short form or the evidence base is still obviously incomplete

If the draft lands below ~3000 words without an explicit reason, assume it is underdeveloped and expand it before handoff.

## 2. Section word bands

For a default full original article, use these planning bands:

- **Abstract:** 250-350 words
- **Introduction:** 700-1000 words
- **Methods:** 900-1300 words
- **Results:** 900-1400 words
- **Discussion:** 900-1400 words

These are working bands, not rigid laws. The point is to avoid a body-light manuscript where the abstract is detailed but the IMRAD sections stay skeletal.

## 3. Inline citation rule

The draft markdown should contain inline citations that can be traced directly to `references.bib`.

### Preferred drafting syntax

Use Pandoc-style cite keys:
- single source: `[@Chen_2024]`
- multiple sources: `[@Chen_2024; @Li_2024]`
- narrative form: `Chen et al. [@Chen_2024]`

### Avoid

- naked author-year mentions such as `(Chen et al., 2024)` with no BibTeX key
- long literature-summary paragraphs with zero inline citations
- filling `references.bib` while leaving the manuscript body uncited

## 4. Where citations usually belong

### Introduction

Most paragraphs should cite 1-3 directly relevant sources.

Use citations for:
- burden/background claims
- established exposure-outcome links
- prior single-country or mechanistic evidence
- identified controversies or evidence gaps

### Methods

Cite when you describe:
- external cohort/study sources
- harmonization protocols or reused instruments
- standard mediation/modeling approaches if the methods are inherited from established literature

Purely package-specific file handling or internally defined analysis contracts usually do not need external citations.

### Results

Do **not** force citations into every results paragraph. If a paragraph is purely reporting your own package outputs, tables, figures, coefficients, or heterogeneity metrics, external citations are usually unnecessary.

Add citations only when a results paragraph explicitly compares your findings with prior studies.

### Discussion

Most interpretive paragraphs should cite prior literature unless they are devoted entirely to your study's internal limitations or next-step logistics.

## 5. Reference-bibliography consistency

Before handoff:
- every cited BibTeX key in the draft must exist in `references.bib`
- every key kept in `references.bib` should either appear in the draft or be clearly retained for immediate revision work
- do not cite sources whose metadata are still obviously unresolved

## 6. Practical local checks

From the manuscript folder:

```bash
wc -w 04_manuscript_draft.md
rg -o '\[@[^]]+\]' 04_manuscript_draft.md | sed 's/[\[\]@]//g'
rg -n '\([A-Z][A-Za-z-]+ et al\.,? 20[0-9]{2}\)' 04_manuscript_draft.md
```

What to look for:
- the first command checks whether the draft is manuscript-length or memo-length
- the second surfaces inline citation payloads for quick manual inspection
- the third flags likely naked author-year citations that should be converted to keyed citations
