From jaar-skills
Organizes a JAAR humanities article into a thesis-driven architecture with signposted analytical sections, a framing introduction, and a payoff conclusion, staying within ~8,000-12,000 words including references and footnotes.
How this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/jaar-skills:jaar-structure-and-expositionThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
A JAAR article is a humanities essay, not an IMRaD report: it has no fixed Methods/Results sections.
A JAAR article is a humanities essay, not an IMRaD report: it has no fixed Methods/Results sections. Its architecture must carry a thesis-driven argument and make the broad significance visible, all inside roughly 8,000–12,000 words including references and footnotes. This skill designs that build.
jaar-topic-selection), state the thesis early, and signal the method. By the end of the intro a
non-specialist knows the stakes and the claim.jaar-citation-and-style), and prune block quotations.【Intro】field-level problem + thesis + method signaled early? [Y/N]
【Positioning】woven in, not a detached survey? [Y/N]
【Sections】each advances the thesis; signposted?
【Conclusion】delivers field-level payoff (not a recap)? [Y/N]
【Length】within ~8,000-12,000 words incl. refs + footnotes?
【Next】jaar-writing-style
A JAAR essay has no IMRaD scaffold, so each section earns its place by the work it does for the argument. The shape below is common at the AAR/Oxford University Press flagship — adapt it; do not impose it mechanically.
| Section | Its one job | Failure mode |
|---|---|---|
| Introduction | Pose the field-level problem; state the thesis; signal method | Case minutiae before any stake |
| Positioning | Locate the intervention briefly | A detached survey |
| Analytical core (2–4 sections) | Each advances the thesis with evidence + method | A section that only describes |
| Methodological reflection | Make the method visible where it produces the reading | Method invisible after the intro |
| Conclusion | Deliver the payoff for the study of religion | "In this article I discussed…" |
A 14,000-word draft on "Sacred Geography in Two Andean Pilgrimages" buries its thesis on page nine behind a standalone literature review. Restructuring against JAAR's norms:
jaar-citation-and-style) brings the essay under the ceiling — references and footnotes
count toward the word total.Hedged calibration: the ~8,000–12,000-word range (including references and footnotes) and the absence of a fixed section template reflect the journal's humanities-essay norm; treat the word ceiling and any abstract or heading requirements as volatile and confirm them against the journal's current submission guidelines.
../../resources/official-source-map.md — article length range and structure expectationsnpx claudepluginhub brycewang-stanford/awesome-journal-skills --plugin jaar-skillsStructures a contestable thesis-driven argument for Journal of the American Academy of Religion articles. Use when feedback says draft is too descriptive or lacks a point.
Organizes PMLA essays (6,000–9,000 words) with a clear argument structure, close reading placement, and exposition for a generalist reader. Helps when outlining, cutting word count, or fixing a disjointed draft.
Organizes American Historical Review articles by interleaving narrative and analysis within ~8,000 words. Helps structure drafts that wander or separate story from argument.