From gcb-skills
Tests whether a research idea fits Global Change Biology (GCB) and sharpens its framing by checking for a mechanistic link between a global-change driver and a biological response with broad relevance.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/gcb-skills:gcb-topic-selectionThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
GCB's remit is the **interface between global environmental change and biological systems**. A paper
GCB's remit is the interface between global environmental change and biological systems. A paper fits when it shows how a driver of global change affects (or is affected by) living systems — and why that matters beyond a single site or species. This skill tests fit and sharpens the framing before you invest in design.
Run a candidate idea through this triage before committing. The verdict column reflects how GCB's scope screen tends to treat each pattern; it is guidance, not a guarantee.
| Idea pattern | Driver? | Mechanism? | Broad reach? | Likely verdict |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Warming alters microbial carbon cycling across biomes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Strong fit |
| Single-site phenology record, no mechanism | Weak | No | No | Reframe or redirect |
| Conservation action plan for one reserve | No | No | No | Out of scope |
| New flux-partitioning method tested globally | Implicit | Methodological | Yes | Technical Advance |
| Synthesis of eCO2 effects on N cycling | Yes | Yes | Yes | Research Review |
An idea: "drought reduced tree growth in our forest plot." As stated it is a local description — likely out of scope. Sharpened for GCB: "we test whether drought-induced growth decline is driven by hydraulic failure versus carbon starvation, and whether the threshold transfers across an aridity gradient from temperate to semi-arid forests." Now there is a named driver (drought), a contested mechanism (hydraulic vs carbon), and cross-system reach (the aridity gradient). The same data, reframed around mechanism and generality, becomes a candidate Primary Research Article. The framing is illustrative.
【One-sentence fit】driver → response, system, scale
【Mechanism】what is being explained, not just correlated
【Broad relevance】why it matters beyond one site/species
【Evidence type】manipulation / observation / modelling / synthesis
【Article type】Primary Research Article / Technical Advance / Research Review / Opinion / Perspective
【Fit verdict】strong / needs reframing / out of scope → why
【Next】gcb-literature-positioning
../../resources/external_tools.md — global-change data sources by driver/system../../resources/official-source-map.md — GCB aims-and-scope and article typesnpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin gcb-skillsGuides manuscript fit and framing for Global Change Biology, including global-change-driver requirements, evidence bar, and desk-reject heuristics.
Explains Global Change Biology's manuscript evaluation pipeline: desk-rejection triggers, peer-review criteria, and decision categories. Helps researchers scope and frame submissions to pass editorial screening.
Helps determine if a project fits Conservation Biology journal criteria and which article type to target, focusing on novelty, transferability, and direct conservation relevance.