Generate Abstract

Read the manuscript and generate a structured abstract.

Arguments

• $ARGUMENTS — optional target word count (default: 150 words)

Steps

1. Parse the target word count from arguments (default 150 if not specified).

1. Read index.qmd in full:

• Identify the research question from the Introduction
• Identify the data and methods from the Data/Methods sections
• Identify key results from the Results section
• Identify the contribution from the Conclusion

1. Read the registered notebooks to extract key quantitative findings:

• Main coefficient estimates and significance levels
• Sample size
• Key figures or descriptive statistics

1. Draft a structured abstract with these components:

• Motivation (1–2 sentences): What problem or question does this paper address? Why does it matter?
• Data and methods (1–2 sentences): What data, sample, and empirical approach are used?
• Key results (2–3 sentences): What are the main findings? Include specific numbers where possible.
• Contribution (1 sentence): What is the paper's contribution to the literature or policy?

1. Verify the word count is within ±10% of the target. Adjust if needed.

1. Present the draft to the user for review.

1. On approval, update the abstract: field in the YAML front matter of index.qmd:

yaml abstract: | <drafted abstract text>

Error handling

• If index.qmd has only [FILL:] placeholders in the body sections, inform the user that the manuscript needs more content before an abstract can be generated.
• If the current abstract field already contains real content (not a [FILL:] placeholder), show it and ask whether to replace or refine it.