Academic Project Report Skill

Overview

This skill produces professional academic project reports as .docx files. These reports typically combine visual analytical frameworks (e.g., Sustainable Business Model Canvas) with structured written concept notes grounded in theory and supported by APA 7 citations. The skill is designed for university-level coursework in social entrepreneurship, social innovation, and sustainability, but adapts to any academic context requiring structured project documentation.

When to Use This Skill

Use when the user asks you to:

• Write, rewrite, or improve an academic project report
• Create a concept note with theoretical grounding
• Produce a Sustainable Business Model Canvas with prose explanation
• Combine visual frameworks with structured academic writing
• Format a submission that needs APA 7 citations, headings, tables, and professional layout

Report Architecture

A typical project report has two major parts. Adapt based on the user's specific assignment requirements.

Part A: Analytical Framework (Visual)

Usually a Business Model Canvas or Sustainable BMC presented as a formatted table on a landscape page, followed by a prose explanation (~300-500 words) that walks through the canvas blocks.

Standard Sustainable BMC blocks:

Canvas Explanation should cover:

1. Core value proposition and what differentiates it
2. Customer segments and their roles
3. Key partners and why they matter
4. Revenue model and cost structure
5. Sustainability dimensions (social, environmental, economic)

Part B: Concept Note (Structured Text)

The concept note is the analytical core. Typical structure (adapt to assignment):

Total target: 2,000-3,000 words (excluding references, tables, canvas)

Supporting Elements

• Project Overview (~200 words): Mission, problem, concept, scope, constraints, SMART objectives
• Reference List: APA 7 format with hanging indent
• Tables: Impact indicators, stakeholder mapping, etc.

Writing Quality Standards

Theory Integration

Every section should connect theory to practice. Use the theory-to-section mapping pattern:

• Section 1: CLA/Iceberg (problem layers), Problem Tree (root causes), Systems Thinking (complexity)
• Section 2: Sustainable BMC (Evans et al.), CoP theory, System Leadership (Senge et al.)
• Section 3: Theory of Change, Transformative SI (Avelino et al.), Game Changers (Westley et al.)
• Section 4: Mixed methods assessment (Kickul & Lyons), Social innovation outcomes (Lindberg et al.)
• Section 5: Primary theoretical lens + supporting theory, applied to the specific initiative

Citation Style (APA 7)

Evaluation Criteria Alignment

Structure writing to satisfy these common evaluation dimensions:

1. Clarity and depth of problem analysis
2. Use of relevant theory in written sections
3. Originality and feasibility of the proposed concept
4. Coherence between problem, concept, impact logic, and measurement
5. Clarity of communication (structure, readability, flow)

Document Generation

Use the docx skill's infrastructure for creating the Word document. Key technical patterns:

Page Setup

// Portrait for text sections
{ width: 12240, height: 15840, margin: { top: 1440, right: 1440, bottom: 1440, left: 1440 } }

// Landscape for BMC canvas
{ width: 15840, height: 12240, margin: { top: 720, right: 720, bottom: 720, left: 720 } }

Color Palette (Professional Academic)

const PRIMARY = "1B4332";    // Deep green headers
const SECONDARY = "2D6A4F";  // Medium green subheaders
const ACCENT = "40916C";     // Light green accents
const GRAY = "666666";       // Meta text, headers/footers

Document Sections (as separate page sections)

1. Title Page (portrait, no header/footer)
2. Project Overview (portrait, with header)
3. Part A: BMC (landscape, with header)
4. Part B: Concept Note (portrait, with header and page numbers)

BMC Table Pattern

• Use 5-column table for top row (Partners, Activities, VP, Relationships, Segments)
• Use 3-column table for middle row (Resources, Channels, Revenue/Cost)
• Use 3-column table for sustainability row (Social, Environmental, Economic)
• Dark header cells with white text, content cells with bullet points

Body Text

• Font: Arial, size 24 half-points (12pt)
• Paragraph spacing: 200 after
• Headings: H1 for parts, H2 for sections, H3 for subsections

Reference List

• Hanging indent: indent: { left: 720, hanging: 720 }
• Font size slightly smaller (22 half-points / 11pt)

Process

1. Read the assignment brief carefully. Identify required sections, word limits, evaluation criteria.
2. Gather project content from user's existing documents, working docs, transcripts.
3. Map theory to sections using the theory-to-section matrix.
4. Draft each section with proper citations and data support.
5. Build the DOCX using docx-js with professional formatting.
6. Validate word count, citation completeness, and structural coherence.
7. Save to workspace folder and present to user.

Reference: Common Theoretical Frameworks

Read references/theory-frameworks.md for detailed descriptions of commonly used frameworks in social entrepreneurship and innovation courses, including CLA, Theory of Change, Systems Thinking, Sustainable BMC, Communities of Practice, and Multi-Level Perspective.

Reference: APA 7 Quick Guide

Read ../../references/apa7-guide.md for comprehensive APA 7 formatting rules including in-text citations, reference list formatting for journals, books, chapters, websites, and reports.