Use when drafting or polishing the prose of an American Historical Review (AHR) manuscript so it reads with clarity and authority for historians across all fields. The AHR rewards lucid, narrative-aware scholarly prose, not jargon. Tightens voice and readability; it does not invent content or argument.
SkillScore91Maintained
Automatic
◆Writing & Editing pack
Last verified 8/15/2026
What it changes
Passed 20 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 16 of 22 without it.
Without skill73%
With skill91%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
The response includes 【Format】 in the output summary.
The response includes 【Tense + voice】 in the output summary.
The response uses the bracketed header 【Format】 in the rubric.
and 6 more in the full report
5 fixed15 passed either way1 still failing1 broke
Pass-rate lift
+18 pp
Tokens
+5%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-41%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/15/2026v120 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 5 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 5
Prompt
I am preparing a manuscript for submission to the American Historical Review and would like you to review the tone, clarity, and readability of my introductory chapter. Please evaluate whether the prose speaks effectively to a general historical audience and format your assessment using the standardized six-line bracketed diagnostic list—evaluating early argument presence, subfield jargon accessibility, quote framing, tense and voice control, document formatting compliance, and the next suggested skill step.
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
The response includes 【Argument visible early?】 in the diagnostic output.
Missed
Passed
The response includes 【Next】ahr-citation-and-style in the diagnostic output.
Missed
Passed
case-01 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/15/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md59 linessingle file
Writing Style (ahr-writing-style)
The AHR is read by historians of every period and place. Its best articles are written in clear,
authoritative, narrative-aware prose that a specialist in another field can follow with pleasure.
This skill is about voice and readability — not about generating claims (that is
ahr-argument-development) or formatting notes (that is ahr-citation-and-style).
When to trigger
Drafting the introduction or polishing a full draft
The prose is dense with jargon or buries the argument
Quotations and evidence are dropped in without framing
Aligning tense, voice, and terminology before submission
Writing for the whole discipline
Lead with the idea. Each paragraph should advance the argument; the reader should never have to
reconstruct your point from a thicket of detail.
Minimize jargon; define terms of art. A historian of another field should follow your argument.
Translate insider vocabulary or explain it on first use.
Frame your evidence. Introduce a quotation, say what to notice, then interpret it — never let a
block quote do the arguing for you.
Control tense and voice. Narrate the past in the past tense; keep an authoritative but not
inflated voice; prefer active, concrete sentences.
Tell the story while you argue. History rewards narrative momentum; carry the reader through
time while the analysis accrues (see ahr-structure-and-exposition).
Quote with care. Reproduce sources accurately; use ellipses and brackets honestly; translate
where wording matters and note the translation.
Mechanics the AHR expects
Manuscript format: Word document, 8½ × 11, Times New Roman 12 pt, double-spaced, numbered
pages — and masked (no identifying details) for anonymous review.
Style authority:Chicago Manual of Style for prose and notes (see ahr-citation-and-style).
Length: ideally ≤ 8,000 words of text (notes/tables/charts excluded; verify current figure).
Anti-patterns
An introduction heavy with background that never states the argument
Theory-speak or subfield jargon that locks out other historians