name: skdformat description: ShanghaiTech graduate thesis formatting, structure checking, and LaTeX implementation with shtthesis. Use when creating, linting, fixing, or migrating a ShanghaiTech thesis or dissertation, especially for LaTeX projects that need compliant covers, abstracts, table of contents, chapter structure, references, appendices, blind-review builds, or print-ready output.

skdformat

Overview

Use this skill to create or audit ShanghaiTech thesis documents. Treat the bundled reference as the source of truth, and treat shtthesis as the preferred LaTeX implementation layer rather than a replacement for the rules.

Read references/shanghaitech-thesis-format.md for exact requirements. For a new self-contained LaTeX project, also read references/thesis-starter.tex, references/build-thesis-example.ps1, and references/shtthesis-user-guide.txt as needed.

Workflow

1. Determine the task mode:
   • create a new thesis skeleton
   • lint an existing Word or LaTeX thesis
   • fix concrete formatting violations
   • migrate existing content into a compliant thesis structure
2. Apply precedence in this order:
   • school rules
   • bundled reference
   • shtthesis defaults only when they do not conflict
3. Read only the relevant reference sections:
   • content and required sections: ## 3 and ## 4
   • citation rules: ## 5 and ### 7.8
   • page layout and typography: ## 6
   • LaTeX template behavior: ## 7
   • implementation checklist: ## 8
   • starter project skeleton: references/thesis-starter.tex
   • example dual-build wrapper: references/build-thesis-example.ps1
   • raw shtthesis guide text: references/shtthesis-user-guide.txt
4. Produce concrete outputs:
   • file edits or code
   • rule-based findings with exact file references
   • missing items and the required fixes
   • build commands and assumptions

LaTeX Defaults

Prefer shtthesis for ShanghaiTech graduate theses.

Use these defaults unless the existing project already has a justified alternative:

• \documentclass[master]{shtthesis} or \documentclass[doctor]{shtthesis}
• compile with latexmk -pdfxe
• use latexmk -pdflua if cross-platform PDF compatibility becomes a problem
• do not use pdfLaTeX
• keep reference.bib and shanghaitech-emblem.pdf in the project root
• set thesis metadata only through \shtsetup{...}
• use the standard structure:

\maketitle
\frontmatter
\begin{abstract}...\end{abstract}
\begin{abstract*}...\end{abstract*}
\makeindices
\mainmatter
% chapters
\makebiblio
\appendix
% appendices
\backmatter
% acknowledgement / resume / publications

• use anonymous for blind-review output
• use print for print-ready output
• do not enable comfort by default for graduate theses
• if strict bilingual figure/table captions are required, load bicaption with list=off

Use this minimal metadata pattern when creating a new project:

\shtsetup{
  degree-name = {...},
  degree-name* = {...},
  title = {...},
  title* = {...},
  keywords = {...},
  keywords* = {...},
  author = {...},
  author* = {...},
  institution = {...},
  institution* = {...},
  supervisor = {...},
  supervisor* = {...},
  supervisor-institution = {...},
  discipline-level-1 = {...},
  discipline-level-1* = {...},
  date = {...},
  date* = {...},
  bib-resource = {reference.bib},
}

Linting Checklist

When checking an existing thesis, verify at minimum:

• required sections exist and appear in the correct order
• Chinese and English cover metadata are consistent
• abstracts are both present and semantically aligned
• front matter pagination and right-page starts are correct
• heading depth and numbering follow the school rules
• figure, table, and equation numbering is chapter-based
• reference style and citation commands match the required scheme
• appendix and backmatter ordering is correct
• anonymous and formal builds do not leak author information

If the project already contains build wrappers or automation, preserve them unless they clearly violate the rules.

Reporting

When the user asks for a review or formatting check:

• report violations before summaries
• cite exact file paths and line references when possible
• distinguish between hard rule violations and template-specific recommendations
• prefer minimal fixes that preserve the author’s writing and project structure

Related Resources

Read references/shanghaitech-thesis-format.md when exact wording, page layout values, citation details, or shtthesis command behavior is needed.