Nih biosketch xml to pdf

NIH Biosketch XML to PDF Converter

Generate an NIH Biographical Sketch PDF from a SciENcv 1.3 schema XML file, producing the new Common Form layout (effective 01/25/2026).

When this skill applies

The user has a SciENcv 1.3 XML file (with <profile> root containing <identification>, <education>, <employment>, and optionally <funding>, <distinctions>, <contributions>, and <statements> sections) and wants a formatted PDF matching the current NIH biographical sketch form.

Backward compatibility: The script accepts XML from both the new and old format. If the XML has citations embedded under contributions or the personal statement (old format), those citations are collected into the Products section in the PDF output. This enables converting old-format documents to the new layout.

Dependencies

This skill requires Python with the reportlab library for PDF generation.

Preferred: pip install reportlab

Alternatives (if reportlab is unavailable):

• fpdf2 -- lighter weight, simpler API: pip install fpdf2
• weasyprint -- HTML/CSS to PDF, more flexible styling but heavier install: pip install weasyprint

If using an alternative library, you'll need to adapt the bundled script or write equivalent PDF generation code following the layout described below.

Workflow

Step 1: Install dependencies

Check if reportlab is available. If not, install it:

pip install reportlab

Step 2: Find the XML file

Look in the current working directory for an XML file containing biosketch data. The file should have a <profile> root element with <identification>, <education>, <employment>, and optionally <contributions> and <statements>.

Note: The SciENcv 1.3 schema uses a namespace (http://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/sciencv). The bundled script handles both namespaced and non-namespaced XML.

Step 3: Run the bundled script

This skill includes a Python script at scripts/generate_pdf.py that handles the full conversion. Run it with:

python <skill-path>/scripts/generate_pdf.py <input.xml> [output.pdf]

If output.pdf is omitted, the script will use the same base name as the input with a .pdf extension.

Step 4: Report results

Tell the user the output PDF path and summarize what was rendered (education entries, positions, honors, products, contributions, research support entries, page count).

PDF layout reference

The generated PDF follows the new NIH Common Form layout (effective 01/25/2026):

• Page header: "OMB No. 0925-0001 and 0925-0002" (left), "Biographical Sketch Format Page" (right)
• Title: "BIOGRAPHICAL SKETCH" (centered, bold)
• Subtitle: Instructions text about providing information for Senior/key personnel

Common Form sections:

• Identifying Information: NAME, ORCID iD, eRA COMMONS USER NAME, POSITION TITLE (each as a labeled line with horizontal rules)
• Professional Preparation: Table with columns for INSTITUTION AND LOCATION, DEGREE, Completion Date (MM/YYYY), FIELD OF STUDY
• Appointments & Positions: Positions from the past 3 years, reverse chronological order
• Products: Two subsections:
  • "Most closely related to the proposed project" (up to 5)
  • "Other significant products" (up to 5)

NIH Supplement sections:

• Personal Statement: Narrative text only (no citations)

• Honors: List of honors and awards (up to 15)

• Contributions to Science: Up to 5 numbered contributions, each with a narrative description only (no embedded citations)

• Research Support: Ongoing and completed support (optional)

• Page footer: "Page X of Y" (right-aligned)