# AI-Driven Scholarly Peer Review via Persistent Workflow Prompting, Meta-Prompting, and Meta-Reasoning

arXiv: https://arxiv.org/abs/2505.03332 · HTML: https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.03332/

## Key facts

- Cited by 4 papers in the map (data through 14 Oct 2026).
- Placed in Knowledge- and tool-augmented reasoning, one of 17 directions in LLM reasoning.
- First posted on arXiv 6 May 2025.

## Placed in

- LLM reasoning / [Knowledge- and tool-augmented reasoning](https://mlsanity.com/lr/knowledge-and-tool-augmented-reasoning/)

## Built on by (most cited first, 4 of 4)

- [LLM Context Conditioning and PWP Prompting for Multimodal Validation of Chemical Formulas](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2505.12257/) (2025)
- [FMMD: A multimodal multidisciplinary dataset of open peer reviews from F1000Research](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2602.14285/) (2026)
- [LLM-Based Scientific Peer Review: Methods, Benchmarks, and Reliability Challenges](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2606.25057/) (2026)
- [AI-Facilitated Analysis of Abstracts and Conclusions: Flagging Unsubstantiated Claims and Ambiguous Pronouns](https://mlsanity.com/paper/2506.13172/) (2025)

## Abstract (arXiv)

Critical peer review of scientific manuscripts presents a significant challenge for Large Language Models (LLMs), partly due to data limitations and the complexity of expert reasoning. This report introduces Persistent Workflow Prompting (PWP), a potentially broadly applicable prompt engineering methodology designed to bridge this gap using standard LLM chat interfaces (zero-code, no APIs). We present a proof-of-concept PWP prompt for the critical analysis of experimental chemistry manuscripts, featuring a hierarchical, modular architecture (structured via Markdown) that defines detailed analysis workflows. We develop this PWP prompt through iterative application of meta-prompting techniques and meta-reasoning aimed at systematically codifying expert review workflows, including tacit knowledge. Submitted once at the start of a session, this PWP prompt equips the LLM with persistent workflows triggered by subsequent queries, guiding modern reasoning LLMs through systematic, multimodal evaluations. Demonstrations show the PWP-guided LLM identifying major methodological flaws in a test case while mitigating LLM input bias and performing complex tasks, including distinguishing claims from evidence, integrating text/photo/figure analysis to infer parameters, executing quantitative feasibility checks, comparing estimates against claims, and assessing a priori plausibility. To ensure transparency and facilitate replication, we provide full prompts, detailed demonstration analyses, and logs of interactive chats as supplementary resources. Beyond the specific application, this work offers insights into the meta-development process itself, highlighting the potential of PWP, informed by detailed workflow formalization, to enable sophisticated analysis using readily available LLMs for complex scientific tasks.