# Failure Paths — Academic Paper Writing Failure Path Map

This document records the failure scenarios that the academic-paper skill may encounter at each stage, their trigger conditions, and handling strategies. All agents should refer to this guide when they detect a failure scenario.

---

## Failure Path Overview

| # | Failure Scenario | Trigger Condition | Severity | Handling Strategy |
|---|---------|---------|--------|---------|
| F1 | Insufficient research foundation | Plan mode Step 0 finds no RQ / no data | High | Recommend running `deep-research` first |
| F2 | Wrong paper structure selected | structure_architect finds RQ-structure mismatch | Medium | Return to Phase 2, suggest alternative structures |
| F3 | Severely over word count | Draft exceeds target word count by 30% or more | Medium | Identify sections to cut, suggest condensing |
| F4 | Severely under word count | Draft is 30% or more below target word count | Medium | Identify sections to expand, suggest additions |
| F5 | Citation format entirely wrong | citation_compliance finds > 50% format errors | High | Completely re-run citation phase |
| F6 | Poor bilingual abstract quality | Chinese and English abstracts have inconsistent logic | Medium | Re-run abstract_bilingual |
| F7 | Peer review rejection | peer_reviewer issues a Reject verdict | High | Analyze rejection reasons, recommend major revision or restructuring |
| F8 | Plan mode does not converge | > 15 rounds of dialogue without completing all chapters | Medium | Suggest switching to outline-only mode |
| F9 | Incomplete handoff materials | From deep-research but missing key materials | Low | List missing items, suggest supplementing or re-running |
| F10 | User abandons midway | Explicitly states unwillingness to continue | Low | Save completed Chapter Plan |
| F11 | Desk-reject | Journal editor rejects without sending to reviewers | High | Classify rejection cause, select recovery strategy |
| F12 | Conference-to-journal conversion failure | Conference paper expansion to journal article rejected | Medium | Ensure 30-50% new content + proper citation |

---

## Detailed Handling Strategies

### F1: Insufficient Research Foundation

**Trigger Timing**: Plan mode Step 0 (Research Readiness Check) or Full mode Phase 0

**Detection Indicators**:
- User cannot describe their research question in one sentence
- No literature foundation
- No concept of research methods
- Topic is too broad and cannot be focused

**Handling Process**:
```
1. Affirm the user's research interest
2. Specifically explain what is currently missing
3. Recommend using deep-research (socratic mode)
4. Explain that they can come back to continue after deep-research is completed
5. If the user insists on continuing, switch to outline-only mode (low risk)
```

**Response Template**:
```
Your research topic is very interesting, but I notice that a clear research question
and literature foundation are still missing.

I recommend you first use the deep-research tool to:
1. Systematically search and organize relevant literature
2. Focus on a researchable question
3. Gain a preliminary understanding of possible research methods

Once completed, bring the materials back and we can produce a high-quality paper
more efficiently.
```

---

### F2: Wrong Paper Structure Selected

**Trigger Timing**: Phase 2 (structure_architect_agent)

**Detection Indicators**:
- RQ is a causal question but a Literature Review structure was selected
- No data but IMRaD was selected
- Topic suits a Case Study but Policy Brief was selected
- Word count target and structure are mismatched (e.g., 3000-word IMRaD)

**Handling Process**:
```
1. Point out the mismatch between RQ and structure
2. Explain why they are mismatched
3. Suggest 1-2 alternative structures
4. Explain how the alternative structures better answer the RQ
5. Return to Phase 2 to let the user re-select
```

---

### F3: Severely Over Word Count

**Trigger Timing**: Phase 4 (after draft_writer_agent completes)

**Detection Indicators**:
- Actual word count > target word count x 1.3

**Handling Process**:
```
1. List actual word count vs. target word count for each chapter
2. Identify the most over-count chapters
3. Suggest reduction strategies:
   a. Merge duplicate arguments
   b. Condense the literature review (keep core literature)
   c. Remove overly detailed method descriptions
   d. Compress repeated literature dialogue in Discussion
4. Do not proactively delete; let the user decide
```

---

### F4: Severely Under Word Count

**Trigger Timing**: Phase 4 (after draft_writer_agent completes)

**Detection Indicators**:
- Actual word count < target word count x 0.7

**Handling Process**:
```
1. List actual word count vs. target word count for each chapter
2. Identify the most deficient chapters
3. Suggest expansion strategies:
   a. Increase the depth and breadth of the literature review
   b. Add more evidence and examples
   c. Expand Discussion (more literature dialogue)
   d. Add more detail to methodology descriptions
4. Provide specific expansion directions
```

---

### F5: Citation Format Entirely Wrong

**Trigger Timing**: Phase 5a (citation_compliance_agent)

**Detection Indicators**:
- Citation format error rate > 50%
- Systematic errors (e.g., all missing DOIs, all using wrong format)

**Handling Process**:
```
1. Analyze error patterns (systematic vs. scattered)
2. If systematic errors:
   a. Identify root cause (user may have selected the wrong citation format)
   b. Confirm the correct citation format
   c. Completely re-run citation phase
3. If scattered errors:
   a. Fix one by one
   b. Produce a correction report
```

---

### F6: Poor Bilingual Abstract Quality

**Trigger Timing**: Phase 5b (abstract_bilingual_agent)

**Detection Indicators**:
- Chinese and English abstracts cover different key points
- One language version omits important findings
- Keywords do not correspond between Chinese and English
- Word count seriously deviates from standards

**Handling Process**:
```
1. Compare the structure and coverage of Chinese and English abstracts
2. List inconsistencies
3. Rewrite based on the actual paper content as the standard
4. Ensure both versions are independently written but cover the same key points
```

---

### F7: Peer Review Rejection

**Trigger Timing**: Phase 6 (peer_reviewer_agent issues Reject)

**Detection Indicators**:
- Two or more of the five dimensions scored below 60
- Fatal flaws exist (logical breakdowns, missing core evidence, serious methodology flaws)

**Handling Process**:
```
1. List all issues flagged as Critical
2. Classify the nature of the problems:
   a. Fixable (writing, formatting, minor logic issues) → Recommend Major Revision
   b. Structural issues (argument architecture needs reorganization) → Return to Phase 3 for restructuring
   c. Fundamental issues (RQ infeasible, insufficient data) → Return to Phase 0 for re-evaluation
3. Produce a revision roadmap
4. Execute revision after user confirmation
```

**Note**: If still Reject after 2 rounds of revision, recommend the user to:
- Consult domain experts
- Rethink the research design
- Consider switching target journals (lower the bar)

---

### F8: Plan Mode Does Not Converge

**Trigger Timing**: Plan mode dialogue exceeds 15 rounds

**Detection Indicators**:
- User repeatedly modifies the direction of the same chapter
- Unable to make definitive decisions
- Discussion drifts off the paper topic

**Handling Process**:
```
1. Pause and summarize what has been determined so far
2. List completed and uncompleted chapters
3. Provide two options:
   a. Jump to outline-only mode (directly produce an outline)
   b. Continue dialogue (but narrow the scope of each discussion)
4. Save the completed Chapter Plan
```

---

### F9: Incomplete Handoff Materials

**Trigger Timing**: intake_agent detects deep-research materials but they are incomplete

**Detection Indicators**:
- Has RQ but missing Annotated Bibliography
- Has Bibliography but missing Synthesis Report
- Has INSIGHT Collection but some INSIGHTs are incomplete

**Handling Process**:
```
1. List received and missing materials
2. Assess the impact of missing materials:
   a. Missing Bibliography → Need Phase 1 (literature_strategist)
   b. Missing Synthesis → Can continue, Phase 3 handles it additionally
   c. Missing Methodology Blueprint → Need Phase 0 supplementary questions
3. Recommend:
   a. Return to deep-research to complete the missing parts
   b. Or supplement within academic-paper (add Phase 0 interview questions)
```

---

### F10: User Abandons Midway

**Trigger Timing**: User explicitly states unwillingness to continue

**Detection Indicators**:
- "Forget it" / "Not writing anymore" / "Too complicated" / "Let me think about it"
- Abandons after prolonged unresponsiveness

**Handling Process**:
```
1. Respect the user's decision
2. Save all completed outputs:
   - Paper Configuration Record
   - Chapter Plan (completed portions)
   - INSIGHT Collection
   - Any completed draft sections
3. Inform the user they can come back anytime with these materials to continue
4. Do not actively persuade them to continue (but encouragement is fine)
```

**Save Format**:
```markdown
## Academic Paper — Saved Record

**Topic**: {topic}
**Progress**: Phase {N} / Step {M}
**Completed**:
- [x] Paper Configuration Record
- [x/partial] Chapter Plan (completed {N}/{total} chapters)
- [ ] Draft
- [ ] Citation check
- [ ] Peer review

**How to Resume**: Bring this record and restart academic-paper; can continue from Phase {N}
```

---

## Relationships Between Failure Paths

```
F1 (Insufficient research foundation) → Recommend deep-research → May encounter F9 (incomplete materials) upon return
F2 (Wrong structure) → Return to Phase 2 → May cascading affect F3/F4 (word count issues)
F5 (All citations wrong) → May be a downstream effect of F2 (wrong format selected)
F7 (Rejection) → Analysis may require returning to F2 (structure) or F1 (foundation)
F8 (Non-convergence) → May evolve into F10 (abandonment)
```

### F11: Desk-Reject Recovery

**Trigger**: Editor rejects the paper without sending to reviewers.

**Cause Classification & Recovery**:

| Cause | Diagnostic Signs | Recovery Strategy |
|-------|-----------------|-------------------|
| **Scope Mismatch** | Editor states "outside journal scope" or "not aligned with journal aims" | Re-analyze journal scope using `top_journals_by_field.md`; identify 3 alternative journals; may need to reframe the paper's contribution |
| **Insufficient Novelty** | "Incremental contribution" or "well-established findings" | Sharpen the contribution positioning WITHIN the documented search bounds (#548): enumerate the nearest prior work and state the delta precisely; consider additional analysis or a new dataset; never respond by absolutizing novelty language ("first study to...") beyond what the documented search supports |
| **Formatting Non-Compliance** | Immediate rejection for template/length/style violations | Review target journal's author guidelines; use `formatter_agent` to reformat; resubmit (often same journal accepts after formatting fix) |
| **Poor Opening** | No specific reason given; likely the abstract/introduction failed to hook | Rewrite abstract with the CARS model (Create A Research Space); lead with the gap, not the background; have `peer_reviewer_agent` evaluate the new opening |

**General Protocol**:
1. Do NOT take desk-reject personally — 30-50% of submissions to top journals are desk-rejected
2. Read the editor's email carefully for any specific feedback
3. Determine the cause category above
4. If Scope Mismatch: pivot journal, not paper
5. If Novelty/Opening: revise paper, then resubmit (different journal recommended)
6. Turnaround target: 2 weeks for reformatting, 4 weeks for substantive revision

---

### F12: Conference-to-Journal Conversion Failure

**Trigger**: Attempt to expand a published conference paper into a journal article fails review.

**Common Rejection Reasons & Solutions**:

| Reason | Solution |
|--------|----------|
| **Insufficient Extension** (< 30% new content) | Journal expects 30-50% new material beyond the conference version. Add: extended related work, additional experiments/data, deeper analysis, new discussion sections |
| **Self-Plagiarism Flag** | Explicitly cite the conference version in the introduction: "This paper extends our previous work [conf-citation] with..." Use iThenticate to verify < 30% text overlap |
| **Stale Results** | If the conference paper is > 2 years old, results may be outdated. Update experiments with current data/baselines; acknowledge temporal limitations |
| **Missing Journal Standards** | Conference papers often lack: detailed methodology, reproducibility information, limitations section, broader impact discussion. Add all of these |

**Conversion Checklist**:
- [ ] Conference version explicitly cited in introduction
- [ ] 30-50% genuinely new content added (not just padding)
- [ ] Text overlap with conference version < 30% (verified by similarity tool)
- [ ] All reviewer expectations for a journal-length paper met
- [ ] Notation in cover letter: "This is an extended version of [conference paper]"
- [ ] Check journal policy: some journals prohibit conference-to-journal conversion

---

## Preventive Measures

| Failure Path | Preventive Measure |
|---------|---------|
| F1 | Phase 0 / Step 0 strictly checks research readiness |
| F2 | structure_architect cross-validates the match between RQ and structure |
| F3/F4 | draft_writer checks word count progress after completing each section |
| F5 | draft_writer uses the correct format during writing |
| F6 | abstract_bilingual writes independently based on the paper content as the standard |
| F7 | argument_builder stress-tests arguments in Phase 3 |
| F8 | socratic_mentor sets a dialogue cap per chapter |
| F9 | intake_agent performs a complete materials check when detecting a handoff |
| F10 | Maintain dialogue rhythm to avoid user fatigue |
| F11 | Phase 7 researches target journal scope when producing the cover letter; format_agent strictly follows formatting rules |
| F12 | intake_agent detects whether this is a conference paper expansion; calculate new content ratio early |
