bjps-workflow

BJPS Workflow Router (bjps-workflow)

The orchestrator for a British Journal of Political Science submission. Figure out the stage and the format, then send the user to the matching skill. BJPS is a broad, internationally-oriented general political-science journal (Cambridge University Press) that covers every subfield and methodology — the router's first job is to confirm the paper has wide interest and is pitched beyond a single subfield or national case.

When to trigger

• Starting a new BJPS paper and unsure where to begin
• Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
• Deciding which of the three formats fits the paper
• Returning with a decision letter (route to bjps-rebuttal)

First question: which format?

Situation	Format	Route to
Full original study, broad interest	Research Article (~10,000 words; 待核实 exact cap)	normal pipeline below
One crisp, focused contribution	Letter (short article, ~4,000 words; 待核实)	normal pipeline, tighter scope
Critique / correction of a published BJPS piece	Comment	bjps-literature-positioning + bjps-research-design

A Letter is not a half-finished Article — it is a complete, decisive contribution at short length. Do not pad a Letter into an Article, or starve an Article into a Letter.

Routing map (stage → skill)

Idea / fit?                      → bjps-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field?  → bjps-literature-positioning
What's the argument?             → bjps-theory-building
Is the design defensible?        → bjps-research-design
Are the analyses sound?          → bjps-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear?          → bjps-tables-figures
Does it read for the field?      → bjps-writing-style
Replication data & transparency? → bjps-transparency-and-data
How will it be judged?           → bjps-review-process
Ready to submit?                 → bjps-submission
Got an R&R / decision?           → bjps-rebuttal

Default order

topic-selection → literature-positioning → theory-building → research-design → data-analysis → tables-figures → writing-style → transparency-and-data → review-process → submission → rebuttal

Iterate: most papers loop theory ↔ design ↔ analysis several times before writing-style.

Wide-interest routing check

Before selecting the next skill, force a one-minute BJPS fit check:

Check	Pass condition	Route if weak
Interest	A scholar outside the author's subfield (or country specialism) can state why the question matters to political science generally.	bjps-topic-selection
Format	The manuscript clearly fits Research Article, Letter, or Comment.	format table above
Method pluralism	The method is defended on its own terms, not forced into a quantitative template; BJPS spans formal, quant, qual, and interpretive work.	bjps-research-design
Transparency	Replication data/code (or a qualitative-transparency / restricted-access plan) is mapped to the BJPolS Dataverse expectation.	bjps-transparency-and-data

If the paper fails the interest check, do not route to writing-style. It needs a theory or fit repair — BJPS reviewers reject competent single-country or single-subfield studies that never make a claim of general political-science interest.

Anti-patterns

• Treating BJPS like a national or subfield outlet — the contribution must travel beyond one case or specialism
• Forcing a quantitative template onto qualitative, formal, or interpretive work (BJPS judges each on its own terms)
• Confusing BJPS with its US generalist siblings (APSR, AJPS) or specialists (CPS, World Politics) — see README
• Deferring the replication package to acceptance — assemble it as you analyze

Output format

【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / transparency / review / submit / rebut
【Format】Research Article / Letter / Comment
【Route to】bjps-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — political-science data + software by method
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official BJPS URLs behind every fact in this pack