Use when drafting or polishing a British Journal of Political Science (BJPS) manuscript so it reads for a broad, international political-science audience, follows Cambridge's house (Harvard author-date) style, and fits the word caps (Research Articles ~10,000 words; Letters ~4,000; abstract <= 150 words). Tightens prose and format; it does not invent content.
SkillScore86Maintained
Automatic
◆Writing & Editing pack
Last verified 8/15/2026
What it changes
Passed 19 of 22 test cases with the skill, and 17 of 22 without it.
Without skill77%
With skill86%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Clarifies that the reference list is excluded from the main manuscript word count.
Confirms that parenthetical author-year citation formatting with page numbers complies with Cambridge house style.
2 fixed17 passed either way3 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+9 pp
Tokens
+33%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-28%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/15/2026v119 of 22 cases passed with skill
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 2 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 2
Prompt
Does the 10,000-word limit for a BJPS Research Article include the bibliographic reference list at the end of the manuscript?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Clarifies that the reference list is excluded from the main manuscript word count.
Missed
Passed
case-12 · 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.md85 linessingle file
Writing Style (bjps-writing-style)
A BJPS paper must be readable by a political scientist outside its subfield and outside its country of
study, formatted to Cambridge's house style (Harvard author-date referencing), and disciplined to
the word cap. This skill is about reaching a broad, international readership and respecting the format
— not about generating claims.
When to trigger
Drafting the introduction, framing the contribution, or final polish
Over the word cap and needing to cut without losing the argument
Writing the ≤ 150-word abstract
Aligning citations/headings/format to Cambridge's house style before submission
Reach the broad, international reader
Front-load the contribution. By the end of the introduction the reader knows the question, the
argument, the evidence, and why it matters to political science broadly. Don't make a generalist
dig for the "so what."
Don't assume the country context. A reader unfamiliar with your case should follow the paper;
gloss country-specific institutions and acronyms on first use.
Minimize subfield jargon or define it on first use; an IR reader should follow a behaviour paper.
Argument-first prose. Lead with claims; use evidence to support them. Avoid "the data show…"
without saying what they show and why it matters.
Signpost. Clear section structure so a reader can navigate the argument.
Format to Cambridge house style
Citations: Harvard author-date in text (e.g., (Elster 1983, 174)); reference list with the
Cambridge format (Elster J (1983) Explaining Technical Change. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.).
Keep one consistent style (manage with Zotero/BibTeX). References excluded from the word count.
Manuscript prep: double spacing, ≥ 12-point type, generous margins; accepted in MS Word or
LaTeX (待核实 current specifics).
Anonymize: BJPS is double-blind — no author names/affiliations/acknowledgments or funding
notes in the manuscript, no obvious self-references ("as we showed in…"), strip identifying file
metadata, and prepare a separate title page.
Abstract: ≤ 150 words, stating question, approach, and finding.
Fit the word cap (Research Article ~10,000; Letter ~4,000; caps 待核实)
Use when drafting or polishing an American Political Science Review (APSR) manuscript so it reads for the whole discipline, follows the APSA Style Manual, and fits the word caps (most Articles < 11,000 words; Research Notes < 7,000; abstract <= 150 words). Tightens prose and format; it does not invent content.