ectheory-topic-selection

Topic Selection (ectheory-topic-selection)

When to trigger

• You have a new estimator, limit result, or proof and are choosing a target journal
• Unsure whether the result is "ET-foundational" or really an applied/empirical paper
• Deciding between a full Article and a short Miscellanea
• Wondering whether the result fits one of ET's themed special-issue directions

The ET fit bar

ET rewards rigorous, general contributions to the mathematical and statistical foundations of econometrics — asymptotic theory, probability-theoretic methods, time-series and nonstationarity theory, high-dimensional and non-standard environments. The question to answer first: does this result teach econometricians something about a method, a limit, or an inferential problem in generality, rather than reporting one applied estimate? An empirical application is welcome only as illustration; the spine must be theory.

Signals of a good ET topic:

• A new limit theory (consistency, asymptotic normality, rate, FCLT) under explicitly stated, defensible regularity conditions
• A method whose inferential properties (size, power, robustness, partial identification) are characterized, not just asserted
• A result that generalizes a known special case (weaker assumptions, broader DGP, larger dimension, dependent data)
• Fit with current ET directions: econometric theory for ML/AI, causal inference under complex interference, robust inference and partial identification, high-dimensional and non-standard environments, network/spatial econometrics

Article vs Miscellanea

• Article — multiple major contributions, a new method with extensive proofs, and usually simulations or an application. Regular Articles must not exceed 50 pages (overflow → online Supplement).
• Miscellanea — a dedicated venue for one or two key innovations stated and proved concisely; typically fewer than 20 pages, often ~15. A clean single theorem that sharpens or corrects existing theory is a natural Miscellanea.
• The ET Interview is an invited oral-history genre, not author-submitted — do not target it.

Checklist

• The contribution is a general theory result, not a single applied estimate
• Regularity conditions are statable and defensible (see ectheory-identification-strategy)
• The generality over prior work is one sentence you can say out loud
• Article vs Miscellanea chosen, with a length budget against the 50-page ceiling
• Fit with ET scope / a themed direction articulated

Anti-patterns

• An applied paper with a thin "theory" wrapper (belongs at an applied outlet)
• A narrow corollary of a known theorem dressed as a full Article (consider Miscellanea or rework)
• Targeting the invited ET Interview genre as if it were submittable

Fit-vs-venue routing table

When a result could go to several outlets, route it by what each venue rewards. Econometric Theory owns the pure limit theory — the theorem and its proof are the contribution, with simulation as illustration.

Result shape	Best home	Why
New limit theory / proof, generality is the point	Econometric Theory	rigorous asymptotics is ET's identity
Method with heavy empirical payoff, lighter theory	applied-method outlet	the estimate carries the paper
One sharp theorem correcting/sharpening existing theory	ET Miscellanea	a concise 1–2 innovation venue
Theory plus a major economic-substance contribution	a general-interest journal	economics is co-equal there

A quick desk-reject self-test: if you cannot say in one sentence which assumption you weaken or which limiting law was previously unproven, the result is likely a corollary, not an ET Article.

Fit pass for Econometric Theory

Treat this skill as an executable review pass, not a prose hint. First lock the primitive assumptions, theorem statement, proof route, and example showing why the result matters; then judge whether the current manuscript answers the venue's real reader: econometric theorists who read for assumptions, theorem novelty, proof architecture, and relation to known asymptotics.

• Do the pass: Score the manuscript on venue fit, novelty, evidence readiness, and audience ownership; reject a prestige-only target when a sibling venue owns the contribution more directly.
• Return a ledger: give claim / evidence / risk / manuscript location rows, so the next agent can edit rather than rediscover the issue.
• Sibling guard: compare against Journal of Econometrics for applied-method reach, Quantitative Economics for theoretical economics, Econometrica for general theory-plus-economics contribution; if a sibling owns the contribution, recommend re-routing before polishing format.
• Stop condition: do not give submission-ready advice until the pack's resources/official-source-map.md has been checked for volatile rules and the manuscript has one concrete fix for the largest venue-specific risk.

Output format

【Result】one-line statement of the theorem/limit
【ET fit】foundational theory? [Y/N] + why
【Type】Article / Miscellanea + page budget
【Themed fit】direction (if any)
【Next step】ectheory-literature-positioning