# 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.