🩺 AI-Powered Clinical Research Writing Companion
From study design to journal submission — one skill for clinicians and medical researchers
中文 · Quick Start · Features · Prompt Library · Quick Start
"捉刀" — In Chinese, it means "to write on behalf of someone" (originating from Cao Cao asking Cui Yan to write for him). It also evokes the surgeon's scalpel, symbolizing precision and professionalism.
Writing clinical research papers is hard. You need to:
- Navigate complex study designs (RCT, cohort, case-control...)
- Follow strict reporting guidelines (CONSORT, STROBE, PRISMA, CARE...)
- Meet journal-specific requirements (NEJM, Lancet, JAMA, BMJ, Stroke, Neurology...)
- Switch between Chinese and English writing seamlessly
- Handle statistical analysis and visualization
- Prepare submission materials (Cover Letter, Rebuttal...)
MedPen is a comprehensive AI skill that guides you through the entire workflow — from study design to journal submission — with 21 specialized prompts tailored for clinical medicine.
| Stage | Prompts | What It Does |
|---|---|---|
| Study Design | #1-2, #11 | RCT/cohort/case-control design, sample size calculation, statistical planning |
| Paper Writing | #3-7, #13-14, #20 | Structured abstracts, IMRaD sections, case reports, systematic reviews |
| Translation & Polishing | #8-10 | Chinese↔English translation, natural academic style editing, tone refinement |
| Statistics & Visualization | #11-12 | Analysis plan design, medical chart recommendations (KM curves, forest plots...) |
| Submission Prep | #15-17, #19 | Journal selection, Cover Letter, pre-submission checklist |
| Peer Review Response | #17 | Rebuttal letter writing, reviewer comment handling |
| Quality Review | #18-19 | Simulated peer review, submission checklist |
| Basic Research | #20-21 | Lab methods writing, public dataset analysis (TCGA, SEER, MIMIC...) |
- English → Chinese: Translate papers for domestic journals (中华医学杂志, etc.)
- Chinese → English: Translate drafts for international journals (NEJM, Lancet, etc.)
- Natural Academic Style Editing: Refine drafts into fluent, native-level academic expression
Built-in compliance with international standards:
- CONSORT 2025 — Randomized controlled trials
- STROBE — Observational studies
- PRISMA 2020 — Systematic reviews & meta-analyses
- CARE — Case reports
- TRIPOD — Prediction models
- STARD — Diagnostic accuracy studies
MedPen provides writing guidance compatible with a broad spectrum of medical journals, from general medicine top-tier publications to specialized clinical and basic research venues across all medical disciplines. The underlying principles of structured reporting, ethical compliance, and statistical transparency are universally applicable, while specific formatting requirements can be adapted to any target journal.
- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/Neuro-S/MedPen.git- Copy the skill folder to your skills directory:
# Trae
cp -r MedPen ~/.trae/skills/
# OpenClaw
cp -r MedPen ~/.openclaw/skills/-
Restart your IDE or send
/reload -
Start using — just say:
- "Help me design a clinical study" → triggers Prompt #1
- "Translate my Chinese draft to English" → triggers Prompt #8
- "I have a draft, help me prepare for submission" → triggers sub-flow: #15→#16→#19
- "Help me reply to reviewers" → triggers Prompt #17
- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/Neuro-S/MedPen.git-
Copy the
.cursor/rules.mdfile (if available) or openreferences/prompts.mddirectly in Cursor's composer/chat. -
Start using — mention the prompt number or describe your task in natural language.
- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/Neuro-S/MedPen.git- Copy skill folders to your Claude Code skills directory:
# macOS / Linux
cp -r MedPen ~/.claude/skills/
# Windows (PowerShell)
cp -r MedPen "$env:USERPROFILE\.claude\skills\"- Start using — Claude Code will auto-detect the skill based on your request.
- Clone this repository:
git clone https://github.com/Neuro-S/MedPen.git-
Copy
.github/copilot-instructions.md(if available) to your repository or referencereferences/prompts.mdin Copilot Chat. -
Start using — describe your task in Copilot Chat.
- Open
references/prompts.md - Copy the Prompt you need
- Paste into Claude, ChatGPT, Cursor, or any AI assistant
- Fill in your content and run
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 1 | Clinical Study Design Consultation | "Help me design a study" |
| 2 | Sample Size Calculation | "Calculate sample size" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 3 | Structured Abstract | "Write an abstract" |
| 4 | Introduction | "Write an introduction" |
| 5 | Methods | "Write methods section" |
| 6 | Results | "Write results section" |
| 7 | Discussion | "Write discussion" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 8 | Chinese → English (Medical) | "Translate to English" |
| 9 | English → Chinese (Medical) | "Translate to Chinese" |
| 10 | Natural Academic Style Editing | "Polish academic style" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 11 | Statistical Analysis Plan | "Design statistical analysis" |
| 12 | Medical Chart Guidance | "Recommend charts/figures" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 13 | Case Report (CARE) | "Write a case report" |
| 14 | Systematic Review (PRISMA) | "Write a systematic review" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 15 | Journal Selection Strategy | "Recommend journals" |
| 16 | Cover Letter | "Write a cover letter" |
| 17 | Rebuttal Letter | "Reply to reviewers" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 18 | Simulated Peer Review | "Review my paper" |
| 19 | Pre-submission Checklist | "Check before submission" |
| # | Prompt | Trigger |
|---|---|---|
| 20 | Lab Methods Writing | "Write lab methods" |
| 21 | Public Dataset Analysis | "Analyze public dataset" |
MedPen/
├── README.md # This file (English)
├── README_CN.md # Chinese version
├── LICENSE # MIT License
├── SKILL.md # Lightweight task router
├── .gitignore # Git ignore rules
├── docs/ # Documentation
│ ├── USAGE.md # Detailed usage guide
│ ├── ROADMAP.md # Future development roadmap
│ └── images/ # Screenshots / diagrams
└── references/ # Core rules and prompt library
├── safety-and-compliance.md
├── minimum-inputs.md
├── quality-gates.md
├── statistical-anti-misuse.md
├── journal-requirements.md
├── medical-terminology.md
└── prompts.md
You don't need to start from the beginning. Jump directly to any sub-flow:
| Sub-Flow | Trigger Statement | Prompt Chain |
|---|---|---|
| Translate → Submit | "I have a Chinese draft, help me translate and prepare for submission" | #8 → #10 → #15 → #16 → #19 |
| Translate Only | "Help me translate/polish this paper" | #8 or #9 or #10 |
| Submission Only | "Help me prepare submission materials" | #15 → #16 → #19 |
| Rebuttal Only | "Help me reply to reviewers" | #17 |
| Review Only | "Help me review this paper" | #18 or #19 |
| Statistics Only | "Help me design statistical analysis" | #11 → #12 |
| Case Report Only | "Help me write a case report" | #13 |
| Systematic Review Only | "Help me write a systematic review" | #14 |
- ❌ Never fabricate patient data, results, or statistics
- ❌ Never forge ethics approval numbers or trial registration IDs
- ❌ Never invent references or citations
- ✅ All AI-generated content must be verified by the author
- ✅ Clinical decisions should not rely solely on AI suggestions
- ✅ Patient information must be de-identified
MedPen is designed for future expansion. Planned modules:
| Module | Feature | Tech Stack |
|---|---|---|
| #9 | Reference Management (auto-formatting, DOI lookup) | Python + Crossref/PubMed API |
| #10 | Medical Data Preprocessing (Table 1 auto-generation) | Python/R |
| #11 | Auto Chart Generation (KM curves, forest plots...) | Python/R |
| #12 | Reporting Guideline Compliance Check | Python rule engine |
| #13 | Journal Format Auto-Adaptation | Python + journal templates |
| #14 | Medical Terminology Auto-Check | Python + MeSH dictionary |
| #15 | Public Dataset Interface (SEER, MIMIC, TCGA) | Python + dataset APIs |
See docs/ROADMAP.md for details.
Contributions are welcome! You can:
- Submit Issues: Report bugs or suggest new features
- Submit PRs: Improve existing prompts or add new ones
- Share Cases: Submit usage examples and best practices
# 1. Fork this repository
# 2. Create a branch
git checkout -b feature/your-feature
# 3. Commit changes
git commit -m "Add: new prompt for XXX"
# 4. Push to branch
git push origin feature/your-feature
# 5. Create Pull RequestThis project is licensed under the MIT License.
You are free to:
- ✅ Use, modify, and distribute
- ✅ Use for commercial purposes
- ✅ Use for academic research
Requirement: Retain the original copyright notice and license declaration.
- Inspired by awesome-ai-research-writing
- Referenced research-writing-skill
- Referenced academic-writing-skills
- Built for clinicians, medical researchers, and graduate students worldwide
MedPen / 捉刀 — Write with precision, publish with confidence.