# peer-review

> Structured manuscript and grant review with checklist-based evaluation covering methodology assessment, statistical validity, reporting standards compliance (CONSORT/STROBE), and constructive feedback for formal peer review writing.

**Use case**: Write formal peer reviews with structured checklist evaluation

**Canonical URL**: https://agentcookbooks.com/skills/peer-review/

**Topics**: claude-code, skills, science, scientific-writing

**Trigger phrases**: "peer review this manuscript", "review this paper", "write a formal review", "evaluate this manuscript", "critique this study"

**Source**: [K-Dense AI](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/peer-review)

**License**: MIT

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## What it does

`peer-review` is a Claude Code skill from K-Dense AI's [scientific-agent-skills repo](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills). It turns Claude into a structured manuscript reviewer that works through a checklist covering major scientific concerns — hypothesis clarity, study design, statistical validity, reporting standards compliance, and writing quality — then produces a formal review document with major and minor comments formatted for journal submission.

A session produces a review letter: a summary paragraph, numbered major concerns, numbered minor concerns, and a recommendation (accept/minor revision/major revision/reject). The checklist ensures nothing obvious is missed.

## When to use it

Reach for it when:

- You've been assigned a peer review and want a structured first pass before adding your expert judgment
- You're revising your own manuscript and want to anticipate what reviewers are likely to flag
- You're mentoring junior researchers and want to show what a complete review looks like

When *not* to reach for it:

- Evaluating the quality of evidence for a clinical decision — use `scientific-critical-thinking`
- Scoring a set of manuscripts with a numerical rubric — use `scholar-evaluation`

## Install

Copy the `SKILL.md` from K-Dense AI's [peer-review folder](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/peer-review) into `.claude/skills/peer-review/` in your project.

Trigger phrases: "peer review this manuscript", "review this paper", "write a formal review".

## What a session looks like

A typical session has three phases:

1. **Manuscript intake.** Paste the manuscript text or provide the file path. Claude identifies the study type (RCT, observational, review) and selects the appropriate reporting checklist.
2. **Checklist evaluation.** Claude works through each checklist item systematically, flagging concerns with supporting quotes from the manuscript.
3. **Review letter draft.** Findings are structured into a formal review document with summary, major concerns, minor concerns, and a recommendation. You edit and add domain expertise before submitting.

## Receipts

**Where it works well:**
- Methods and statistics sections — Claude catches missing details (sample size justification, blinding procedures, multiple comparison corrections) reliably
- Formatting and reporting guideline compliance — CONSORT flow diagrams, STROBE checklists, PRISMA flow

**Where it backfires:**
- Novelty assessment — Claude cannot judge whether a finding advances a field without domain knowledge you supply
- Detecting subtle data fabrication or image manipulation — this is not a research integrity tool

**Pattern that works:** use the skill output as a structured scaffold, then layer your own expert commentary on top rather than treating the generated review as final.

## Source and attribution

Originally authored by [K-Dense Inc.](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI). The canonical SKILL.md lives in the [`peer-review` folder](https://github.com/K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills/tree/main/scientific-skills/peer-review) of their public scientific-agent-skills repository.

License: MIT. Install, adapt, and redistribute with attribution preserved.

This page documents the skill from a practitioner's perspective. For the formal spec and any updates, defer to the source repo.