scientific-email-polishing

# Scientific Email Polishing

## Table of Contents
- [Purpose](#purpose)
- [When to Use](#when-to-use)
- [Core Principles](#core-principles)
- [Workflow](#workflow)
- [Email Types](#email-types)
- [Tone Guidelines](#tone-guidelines)
- [Guardrails](#guardrails)
- [Quick Reference](#quick-reference)

## Purpose

This skill helps compose and polish professional scientific correspondence including emails to collaborators, cover letters to journal editors, and responses to peer reviewers. It ensures clear communication, appropriate tone, explicit asks, and professional formatting for academic contexts.

## When to Use

Use this skill when:

- **Professional emails**: To collaborators, department heads, funding officers
- **Journal cover letters**: Submitting manuscripts to journals
- **Response to reviewers**: Addressing peer review comments
- **Editor correspondence**: Queries, appeals, resubmission letters
- **Cold outreach**: Potential collaborators, speakers, advisors
- **Administrative emails**: To program officers, committee members

Trigger phrases: "write an email", "cover letter to journal", "response to reviewers", "email to collaborator", "professional email", "polish this email"

**Do NOT use for:**
- Recommendation letters (use `academic-letter-architect`)
- Research statements (use `career-document-architect`)
- Grant proposals (use `grant-proposal-assistant`)

## Core Principles

**1. One email, one purpose**: Each email should have a clear, single objective

**2. Explicit asks**: State exactly what you need from the recipient and by when

**3. Context first**: Open with enough context for the reader to understand immediately

**4. Professional but warm**: Formal doesn't mean cold; collegial is appropriate

**5. Scannable format**: Busy recipients skim; use structure to aid quick reading

## Workflow

Copy this checklist and track your progress:

```
Email Polishing Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Identify purpose and desired outcome
- [ ] Step 2: Draft subject li