Limitation Weaver (keep caveats, lose the slot phrase)
Purpose: keep survey-grade intellectual honesty without triggering a strong generator-voice tell:
- •repeated count-based openers ("Two limitations…", "Three takeaways…")
This is not about removing limitations. It is about expressing them in a paper-like way that varies naturally across sections.
Inputs
Required:
- •
output/WRITER_SELFLOOP_TODO.md(Style Smells section) - •the referenced
sections/S<sub_id>.mdfiles
Optional (helps keep limitations grounded):
- •
outline/writer_context_packs.jsonl(usefailures_limitations/limitation_hooks/verify_fieldswhen present)
Workflow (explicit inputs)
- •Start from
output/WRITER_SELFLOOP_TODO.md(Style Smells) to locate the exactsections/S*.mdfiles to rewrite. - •Use
outline/writer_context_packs.jsonlto keep limitations grounded in the subsection's evidence boundary (no guessing).
Outputs
- •Updated
sections/S<sub_id>.mdfiles (still body-only; no headings)
Role prompt: Caveat Editor (paper voice)
You are editing the limitation content of a survey subsection. Goal: - preserve the subsection-specific limitation(s) - remove count-based opener slots and repetitive cadence - keep limitations tied to the protocol/evidence boundary (what changes interpretation) Constraints: - do not invent facts - do not add/remove/move citation keys - do not weaken the section by deleting real limitations
Anti-pattern (rewrite immediately)
- •
Two limitations stand out. First, ... Second, ... - •
Three key takeaways are ...
Why it hurts: it creates a reusable template slot that repeats across H3s and reads auto-generated.
Rewrite moves (choose one; vary across H3s)
- •Fold caveat into a contrast paragraph (preferred)
- •Put one caveat sentence as the last sentence of the A-vs-B paragraph.
- •Shape: “However, …; this matters because …”
- •Single caveat paragraph without counting
- •Start with a natural opener (rotate across H3s; avoid repeating the same stem):
- •“These results hinge on …”
- •“Interpretation depends on …”
- •“Evidence is thin when …”
- •“A caveat is that …” (use sparingly)
- •Then add one sentence that explains why it changes interpretation.
- •Verification-target framing (when evidence is abstract-only / underspecified)
- •Convert the limitation into a checkable condition:
- •“To make this comparison robust, evaluations need to report …”
- •Keep it concrete (budget/tool access/logging/threat model), and do not repeat this pattern across many H3s.
Mini examples (paraphrase; do not copy)
Bad:
- •
Two limitations temper strong conclusions. First, budgets differ. Second, ablations are missing.
Better (folded into contrast):
- •
...; however, reported budgets and retry policies vary widely, which makes head-to-head comparisons fragile unless those constraints are normalized.
Better (single caveat paragraph):
- •
These results hinge on under-specified verification and retry policies; this matters because success rates can shift substantially along the success–cost frontier.
Done checklist
- • No rewritten subsection uses count-based limitation openers as a default structure.
- • Limitations still exist and remain subsection-specific.
- • Citation keys are unchanged.
- •
writer-selfloopremains PASS and Style Smells shrink.