Back-fill verified experiment results into an existing empirical paper draft. Resolves placeholders, upgrades weak claims, and syncs numbers and figures.
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---
name: latex-paper-results-backfill
description: "Back-fill verified experiment results into an existing empirical paper draft. Resolves placeholders, upgrades weak claims, and syncs numbers and figures."
metadata:
short-description: Post-experiment paper completion from verified results
---
<!--ACAT-ADAPTED: 资产补齐自 yunshenwuchuxun/latex-paper-skills@d0f106108cb0(results-backfill + _shared),正文未改。溯源见 references/UPSTREAM.md。2026-09-09 专项治理。-->
# Results Back-fill
Use this skill **after** `empirical-paper-writer` has produced a draft with
placeholders and the user has run experiments outside the AI session.
## When to Use
- `empirical-paper-writer` has completed design + code + placeholder draft.
- The user has run experiments in their configured conda environment.
- `paper/results/` contains new CSV / data files from completed experiments.
## When NOT to Use
- The paper draft does not yet exist (use `empirical-paper-writer` first).
- Experiments have not been run yet.
- The user only wants experiment design without paper completion.
## Inputs
- `paper/main.tex` (draft with placeholders)
- `paper/results/*.csv` (experiment results)
- `notes/design/experiment-matrix.csv`
- `issues/<timestamp>-<slug>.csv`
- `brief/contribution-map.yaml`
- `paper.config.yaml` (runtime configuration)
## Outputs
- Updated `main.tex` with verified results, real figures/tables, factual claims
- Updated issues CSV with `Result_Status=verified` and `Status=DONE`
- Generated LaTeX input files under `paper/results/`
- Drafted abstract (W0)
- Refined prose (RF1)
- Compiled `main.pdf`
## Non-Negotiable Rules
1. **No fabrication**: Only use data from actual result files. Never invent numbers.
2. **Verify before claiming**: Only upgrade `(hypothesis)` to factual claim when CSV data confirms the result.
3. **Bounded claims**: Factual statements must include specific numbers from verified results (e.g., "reduces violations by 12.3%"), not vague improvements.
4. **Dependency enforcement**: Follow the same dependency rules as `empirical-paper-writer` — never mark DONE if dependencies are not DONE/SKIP.
## Workflow
### Phase 1: Results Discovery
1. Read `paper.config.yaml` for runtime configuration.
2. Scan `paper/results/` for all CSV, JSON, and data files.
3. Read `notes/design/experiment-matrix.csv` to identify all planned experiments.
4. Match result files to experiment-matrix rows:
```bash
python3 scripts/discover_results.py --project-dir <paper_dir>
```
See `references/backfill-workflow.md` for naming conventions and the
`assets/result-file-template.csv` schema.
5. If matches look correct, update the matrix in-place:
```bash
python3 scripts/discover_results.py --project-dir <paper_dir> --update-status
```
6. Read the issues CSV and update `Result_Status` for matched experiment issues (E5-E8).
### Phase 2: Paper Back-fill
Execute in order:
1. **Contribution upgrade**:
- Read `brief/contribution-map.yaml`.
- For each claim with verified supporting experiments, update `main.tex`:
- Replace `(hypothesis)` with bounded factual statement.
- Update Introduction contributions list.
2. **Results section fill**:
- Main comparison: populate tables from `main_results.csv`.
- Ablation studies: populate ablation table from ablation results **and** upgrade the surrounding narrative from hypothesis-safe to verified, bounded claims.
- Robustness/error analysis: populate figures/tables **and** write verified takeaways tied to specific numbers.
- Efficiency: populate efficiency comparison table **and** write a bounded trade-off discussion (accuracy vs cost).
3. **LaTeX table/figure generation**:
- Convert CSV results to LaTeX `\input{}` files under `paper/results/`:
```bash
python3 scripts/generate_results_table.py <results.csv> -o paper/results/<name>.tex --bold-best --caption "..." --label "tab:..."
```
- Generate TikZ plots or include matplotlib-exported PDFs where appropriate.
- Replace `\fbox{...placeholder...}` with actual `\includegraphics` or table references.
4. **Figure resolution**:
- For each remaining `\fbox{...}` placeholder:
- If data exists → generate the figure.
- If data is missing → replace with `[Figure pending: <reason>]`.
5. **Abstract (W0)**:
- Draft abstract from verified results following the rules in `experiment-evidence.md`:
- Problem (1 sentence)
- Method (1-2 sentences)
- Setting (1 sentence)
- Key result (1 sentence, verified only)
- Implication (1 sentence)
- Maximum 250 words. No citations. No unexpanded acronyms.
6. **Conclusion upgrade**:
- Update the Conclusion section to remove `(hypothesis)` / `[Pending: ...]` tags for any claim now supported by verified results.
- Ensure every factual takeaway is **bounded** by specific numbers from verified tables/figures.
7. **Mark issues DONE**:
- Update E5-E8, W0, and any back-filled Writing issues in the issues CSV.
- Respect dependency enforcement.
### Phase 3: Polish
1. **RF1 — Rhythm refinement**:
- Apply `latex-rhythm-refiner` section-by-section.
- Preserve all citations and verified numbers.
2. **QA**:
- Run citation audit:
```bash
python3 ../arxiv-paper-writer/scripts/citation_policy.py --project-dir <paper_dir> audit-bib
python3 ../arxiv-paper-writer/scripts/citation_policy.py --project-dir <paper_dir> audit-tex --issues <issues.csv>
```
- Run issue validation with tex audit:
```bash
python3 ../empirical-paper-writer/scripts/validate_empirical_paper_issues.py <issues.csv> --audit-tex <paper_dir>/main.tex
```
3. **Compile**:
```bash
python3 ../arxiv-paper-writer/scripts/compile_paper.py --project-dir <paper_dir> --check-warnings --fail-on-warnings
```
4. Deliver `main.tex`, `ref.bib`, figures, and `main.pdf`.
## Runtime Environment
Before running any script:
1. Read `paper.config.yaml` → `runtime.conda_env` or `runtime.python`.
2. If `conda_env` is set, activate it: `conda activate <env_name>`.
3. If `python` is set, use that interpreter directly.
4. If neither is set, ask the user which conda environment to use.
## Relationship to Other Skills
```
paper-from-zero
↓ routes to
empirical-paper-writer (design + code + placeholder draft)
↓ user runs experiments
results-backfill (this skill: back-fill results + complete paper)
```
## Success Criteria
- All `\fbox` placeholders resolved or explicitly marked `[Pending: <reason>]`.
- No `(hypothesis)` tags remain for claims with verified evidence.
- Abstract is non-placeholder, <=250 words, matches verified results.
- All DONE issues pass dependency check.
- `validate_empirical_paper_issues.py --audit-tex` produces zero warnings for verified issues.
- Paper compiles without `Overfull \hbox` warnings.