Scientific Writing ¡ Paper Polishing

Make AI polish your paper for your specialty and target journalwith the right style

If you only ask AI to “polish the Discussion,” it does not know whether you write in cardiology or neurology, or whether you target Lancet or PLOS ONE. It falls back to generic editing, which often means imprecise terminology, the wrong tone, and inflated statistical claims.

This template turns “everything AI needs to know to be genuinely useful” into fill-in-the-blank fields. Once you enter your specialty and target journal, AI can edit with the right terminology and the right journal conventions.

Use Free Template

Two layers in the template

You only fill the key variables. The general rules for medical writing are already built in.

You fill in

  • Specialty: This tells AI which terminology set to use, so it writes like a specialist instead of using generic wording.
  • Target journal: This tells AI which tone and style conventions to follow. Lancet and PLOS ONE do not expect the same writing voice.
  • Preferred language: The polished manuscript text stays in the manuscript’s original language, usually English. Change summaries and author-check items, which do not go directly into the manuscript, will be shown in your preferred language, for example Spanish or Chinese.

Already built in

  • Keep statistical hedges such as may, suggest, and appear to. Do not strengthen claims on your own.
  • Do not add data, citations, or conclusions. Improve the language without changing the study meaning.
  • Do not delete substantively important content. Only tighten redundancy and unclear phrasing.
  • Mark unclear meaning with [AUTHOR: please confirm ...] instead of guessing.
  • Always return three parts: polished text, change summary, and author-check items.

Same manuscript, two ways to ask

Specialty and target journal are the core inputs that tell AI which terminology and style system to use.

Ask AI directly

What you send to AI

Please polish my Discussion section.

What AI tends to do

- AI changes "may suggest" to "demonstrates"
- Deletes the sentence about sample size limitations
- Turns a statistical association into a causal claim

A reviewer will likely ask you to walk that back.
Use the template

Variables you fill in

Specialty: Cardiology
Target journal: European Heart Journal
Preferred language: English

AI's three-part output

1. Polished text
   Keeps statistical hedges
   and adjusts sentence structure to EHJ style...

2. Change summary
   - Standardizes the term adverse event
   - Fixes passive-voice consistency in Methods

3. Author-check items
   [AUTHOR: "increased risk" is not quantified in the original.
   Consider adding the number or keeping the original wording.]

How to use it

01

Fill the variables

Enter your specialty and target journal. Those two inputs decide the terminology and writing conventions AI should follow.

02

Copy the prompt into AI

Paste the full generated prompt into ChatGPT, Claude, or any other model you prefer.

03

Paste a manuscript section

Paste any section such as the abstract, introduction, methods, results, or discussion. AI will return polished text, a change summary, and author-check items.

Medical Paper Polish (Lite)Free

Enter your specialty and target journal, then copy the prompt into AI. It will ask for the manuscript section and return polished text, a change summary, and author-check items.

Use Free Template

FAQ

Why does the result change when I specify specialty and journal?

Because those two variables control two different decisions: what vocabulary AI should use, and how it should say it. Specialty sets the terminology. Journal sets the tone, sentence style, and level of caution.

Can I still use this if my target journal restricts AI-assisted writing?

You can still use it for language support, but disclosure requirements depend on the journal’s current policy. The template creates a structured prompt; authors still carry the academic responsibility.

Can AI be listed as a co-author?

No. Major journals and academic bodies do not accept AI tools as authors. AI can assist, but it cannot take author responsibility.

Is it safe to paste an unpublished manuscript into AI?

Use a chat mode with training or memory disabled whenever possible. For sensitive data, collaborations, or unpublished results, use an institution-approved enterprise environment first.