AlterLab Academic Skills plugin
AlterLab Academic Skills bundles 241 research skills: literature review, manuscripts, citation checks, statistics, databases
- 87 ★ on the repository
- Last commit
- MIT
Minimal access
Why this level
- The skills give methods and scripts and reach open keyless APIs, and add no permissions of their own
Install
- Works in
Manual install
/plugin marketplace add AlterLab-IEU/AlterLab-Academic-SkillsThen `/plugin install alterlab-essentials@alterlab-academic-skills` and `/reload-plugins`; other domains install as separate plugins.
Access and checks
How we reviewMinimal accessThe tool runs nothing and makes no network calls.
- The skills give methods and scripts and reach open keyless APIs, and add no permissions of their own
This is third-party code. Review the repository files before installing.
What it does
A library of Agent Skills for faculty and researchers: literature review, manuscript writing and review, citation checking, research design and statistics, scientific databases and toolkits, and the Turkish academic system (YÖK, ÜAK, DergiPark, TÜBİTAK). Each skill is a `SKILL.md` file, usually with references and small scripts, giving Claude a method for one kind of task. All 241 skills work with no external key, account or login, using Claude own tools, keyless public APIs and local libraries. A key may only add something, such as access to your own account or a higher limit, and is listed in `metadata.credentials`, and `scripts/check_keyless.py` enforces this in CI. The README states the skills were tested live: 90 percent of tasks pass with the skill and 52 percent without it. Every reference is checked in five open indexes, and an unchecked one never passes. Install goes through Claude Code plugins by domain: `alterlab-essentials` as a starter set, then `alterlab-core`, `alterlab-databases`, `alterlab-bioinformatics`, `alterlab-cheminformatics`, `alterlab-turkish-academia` and others.
Who it is for. Faculty and researchers who write papers, verify bibliographies and work with scientific databases, including the Turkish academic system.
Good fit when
- Before submitting a paper every reference has to be verified in open indexes
- A literature review is built on a topic and needs a method from search to synthesis
- A study needs a design and statistical tests picked and an analysis plan written
- Preparing for docent status in Turkey needs the YÖK and ÜAK requirements by field
Not a fit when
- You need student skills: they live in the separate AlterLab-FC-Skills project
- The result is to be submitted with no check: the author asks to treat it as an assistant draft
- You need one narrow skill: the set is large, so install only the needed domain
Example request
Verify all references in my manuscript against open indexes and show which ones did not confirmLimitations
- The result remains an assistant draft: the skills ask Claude to cite sources and disclose AI help, and they do not guarantee correctness or completeness.
- Reference checks use open indexes, and an unchecked item stays unchecked.
- Some skills target the Turkish academic system.
- Keys and accounts are needed only for optional extras, and the list sits in each skill `metadata.credentials`.
How to disable. Run `/plugin uninstall` for the needed domain plugin in Claude Code.
FAQ
Is an API key needed for the skills?
No. All 241 skills work with no key, account or login, and a key only adds optional extras.
How do I install a single domain?
With `/plugin install alterlab-databases@alterlab-academic-skills` or the similar one for another domain, then `/reload-plugins`.
How are references checked?
Every reference is checked in five open indexes, and an unchecked one is never counted as passed.
What are the Turkish skills?
They cover YÖK, ÜAK docent requirements in all 12 fields, DergiPark and the TÜBİTAK ARDEB and BİDEB programs.
Is there a student version?
Yes, student skills live in the sister project AlterLab-FC-Skills.
Discussion
No questions or reviews yet.
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Comparison with similar tools
Cards that share the main search query, and how they differ.
| Tool | Official | Repository stars | Main difference |
|---|---|---|---|
| AlterLab Academic Skills (this card) | no | 87 | |
| AI-research-feedback | no | 560 | five skills for review, analysis plans and grants, while this is a 241 skill library with reference checks |
| paper-preflight | no | 182 | checks paper references before submission, while the AlterLab set covers the whole research cycle |
README in short
The README lists four set properties, explains the skill structure and keyless principle, gives install via Claude Code plugins, a domain guide, a section on testing and its limits, reference integrity tools, license rules and citation.