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+# Style contract (operative checklist for every section pass)
+
+Sources: Shaib et al. 2026 slop taxonomy (density/relevance/coherence are the load-bearing
+dimensions); Buschek's four reviewer complaints; 2026 banned-pattern lists. Applied as a per-
+section pass, not a vibe.
+
+## Hard bans (lexical)
+delve, tapestry, landscape (figurative), testament, pivotal, showcase, intricate, vibrant,
+seamless, elegant, dramatically, novel (self-describing), comprehensive (self-describing),
+notably, crucially, interestingly, importantly, "It is worth noting", "Moreover," as sentence
+opener, "In recent years", "has garnered attention", "paradigm shift".
+Technical terms that overlap ban lists (e.g., "robust" in "threshold-robust") stay.
+
+## Punctuation & rhythm
+- Em dash: ≤2 per section, never two in one sentence, never as paired parenthetical.
+- No exclamation marks. Semicolons fine.
+- Every paragraph contains at least one sentence under ~12 words.
+- No uniform paragraph shapes: don't end three consecutive paragraphs with a summary clause.
+
+## Structure
+- The contrast template ("X, not Y" / "not X, but Y") has a total budget of ONE device:
+  the title and its single echo at the end of paragraph 1. Zero elsewhere. Express other
+  contrasts by stating the positive finding and letting the numbers carry the negation.
+- Rule-of-three closers only when the three items are an exhaustive measured list.
+- No chronological narration of the investigation. Structure follows claims.md.
+- Results topic sentences contain a finding or a number, never a plan ("We then examine...").
+
+## Integrity (Buschek's four, mapped to our risks)
+- Marketing language: zero unevidenced evaluative adjectives. "near-perfect" only with the AUC
+  in the same sentence.
+- Performative related work: every citation paired with the precise claim it supports; check
+  each against papers/notes/*.md before the citation lands.
+- Misrepresentation: prior-work characterizations quote verbatim with page/section; corrections
+  target the quoted words only (claims.md C6a discipline).
+- Stretched summaries: no interpretive metaphors for results. One flourish per section maximum,
+  and it must be cuttable without losing content.
+
+## Density (the actual anti-slop weapon)
+- Every sentence must add a number, a definition, a caveat, or a logical step. Otherwise cut.
+- Modal verbs (could/might/may) confined to Discussion and future work.
+- Hedges appear only where claims.md concedes; one hedge per concession, not a seesaw.
+
+## Honesty rails (project-specific)
+- Never compare λ values across estimator versions; state scale ownership at first use.
+- "Settled" always defined as the measured low-velocity band, with its residual velocity given.
+- No mechanism claims; observations and their direct logical consequences only.
+- No promises (code release, future experiments) that the authors have not decided.