Thesis Formatting Compliance Automation
Budget: $3,000 – $5,000 USD
I am building an AI-driven thesis formatting and citation compliance engine for university-level academic manuscripts.
The goal is to process a raw thesis manuscript (Microsoft Word or LaTeX) and generate:
A fully structured and style-compliant Word version
A synchronized LaTeX version
A validated and consistent BibTeX database
A structured compliance report
The system must support dynamic style switching (APA, MLA, Chicago, or department-specific templates) using a rule-based core with optional NLP/LLM enhancement.
This is not a simple document converter. It must combine deterministic structural validation with citation integrity checks.
Core Functional Requirements
1. Structural Analysis & Normalization
Detect and validate:
Chapter and section hierarchy
Figure and table numbering
Appendix placement
Caption formatting
Restructure document hierarchy when possible
Flag structural inconsistencies in a compliance report
2. Citation & BibTeX Validation
Validate every in-text citation against the .bib database
Detect:
Missing entries
Unused references
Mismatched keys
Regenerate reference lists according to selected style
Ensure ordering and formatting compliance
3. Style Switching Engine
Apply different citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
Support department-specific template configuration
Allow rules to be defined via JSON or config file
4. Compliance Report Generation
Each run must produce a clean, structured report summarizing:
Section hierarchy validation
Citation–BibTeX consistency results
Reference list completeness
Formatting compliance issues
Report format: JSON + human-readable summary (PDF or HTML preferred)
Deliverables
A runnable Python-based script or lightweight desktop application
Modular source code with clear comments explaining:
Parsing logic
Rule-based validation approach
Any NLP/LLM components used
Sample processed files:
Word (.docx)
LaTeX (.tex)
BibTeX (.bib)
that successfully pass:
Structural compliance check
Citation validation
Reference list validation
Technical Preferences
Python preferred
Use of:
python-docx (or equivalent)
Pandoc (if needed)
LaTeX toolchain
BibTeX parsing libraries
Clean modular architecture
Secure file handling (temporary processing only)
Important
Reliability and correctness are more important than UI design.
Please share previous work involving:
Document parsing
Citation systems
Word add-ins
LaTeX class/style development
Academic publishing tools
Milestone-based development is preferred.
The goal is to process a raw thesis manuscript (Microsoft Word or LaTeX) and generate:
A fully structured and style-compliant Word version
A synchronized LaTeX version
A validated and consistent BibTeX database
A structured compliance report
The system must support dynamic style switching (APA, MLA, Chicago, or department-specific templates) using a rule-based core with optional NLP/LLM enhancement.
This is not a simple document converter. It must combine deterministic structural validation with citation integrity checks.
Core Functional Requirements
1. Structural Analysis & Normalization
Detect and validate:
Chapter and section hierarchy
Figure and table numbering
Appendix placement
Caption formatting
Restructure document hierarchy when possible
Flag structural inconsistencies in a compliance report
2. Citation & BibTeX Validation
Validate every in-text citation against the .bib database
Detect:
Missing entries
Unused references
Mismatched keys
Regenerate reference lists according to selected style
Ensure ordering and formatting compliance
3. Style Switching Engine
Apply different citation styles (APA, MLA, Chicago, etc.)
Support department-specific template configuration
Allow rules to be defined via JSON or config file
4. Compliance Report Generation
Each run must produce a clean, structured report summarizing:
Section hierarchy validation
Citation–BibTeX consistency results
Reference list completeness
Formatting compliance issues
Report format: JSON + human-readable summary (PDF or HTML preferred)
Deliverables
A runnable Python-based script or lightweight desktop application
Modular source code with clear comments explaining:
Parsing logic
Rule-based validation approach
Any NLP/LLM components used
Sample processed files:
Word (.docx)
LaTeX (.tex)
BibTeX (.bib)
that successfully pass:
Structural compliance check
Citation validation
Reference list validation
Technical Preferences
Python preferred
Use of:
python-docx (or equivalent)
Pandoc (if needed)
LaTeX toolchain
BibTeX parsing libraries
Clean modular architecture
Secure file handling (temporary processing only)
Important
Reliability and correctness are more important than UI design.
Please share previous work involving:
Document parsing
Citation systems
Word add-ins
LaTeX class/style development
Academic publishing tools
Milestone-based development is preferred.