jpart-workflow

JPART Workflow Router (jpart-workflow)

The orchestrator for a JPART submission. Figure out the stage, then send the user to the matching skill. JPART is the theory-and-research flagship of public administration — the owning society is the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) and the publisher is Oxford University Press. The router's first job is to make sure the paper builds or tests public-management theory, not just report an estimate.

When to trigger

• Starting a new JPART paper and unsure where to begin
• Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
• A reviewer or co-author said the paper is "atheoretical" or "reads like a policy report"
• Returning with a decision letter (route to jpart-rebuttal)

First question: is there a theoretical contribution?

JPART rejects strong empirics with no theory. Before routing anywhere, force this gate:

Symptom	What it means	Route to
Clean estimate, thin "so what"	finding without a theory move	jpart-theory-building
"We test X in setting Y" only	descriptive, no mechanism	jpart-topic-selection
Strong PA theory, weak identification	claim outruns design	jpart-research-design
Theory + design solid, prose buries it	contribution hidden	jpart-writing-style

JPART's own author guidance asks the abstract to state the theoretical approach first, then method, data, results, and implications for theory. If you cannot fill the theory slot, do not route forward.

Routing map (stage → skill)

Idea / fit for PA theory?         → jpart-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field?   → jpart-literature-positioning
What's the theoretical argument?  → jpart-theory-building
Is the design defensible?         → jpart-research-design
Are the analyses sound?           → jpart-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear?           → jpart-tables-figures
Does it read as theory + rigor?   → jpart-writing-style
Data + code release ready?        → jpart-transparency-and-data
How will it be judged?            → jpart-review-process
Ready to submit?                  → jpart-submission
Got an R&R / decision?            → jpart-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 JPART papers loop theory ↔ design ↔ analysis several times before writing-style.

Router stop conditions

Do not advance to the next skill when any of these are true:

Stop	Why it matters	Route back
The theory slot is a topic label, not a mechanism	JPART screens for contribution to PA theory	jpart-theory-building
The paper would still work if every agency, employee, or citizen detail were removed	The public-management setting is incidental	jpart-topic-selection
The design identifies an effect but not the claimed mechanism	Reviewers will read the contribution as overclaimed	jpart-research-design
Exhibits show coefficient grids but no magnitude, uncertainty, or mechanism	The result is not reviewable from the paper itself	jpart-tables-figures
Data/code release is impossible or ethically underspecified	Publication requires a public reproducibility path	jpart-transparency-and-data

The router should return a single next action, not a full rewrite plan. JPART work improves fastest when each pass fixes the highest-risk gate before polishing lower-risk prose.

Sibling-journal routing check (do not misfile)

JPART is not PAR, not JPAM, not Governance. One-minute check before drafting:

If the paper is really…	It belongs at…	Route if weak
A broad essay / practitioner-facing piece	Public Administration Review (PAR)	jpart-topic-selection
A policy-analysis / program-evaluation result	JPAM	jpart-topic-selection
Comparative-government / institutions, less management theory	Governance	jpart-literature-positioning
A public-management theory tested with rigorous (often experimental/causal) empirics	JPART	continue pipeline

Anti-patterns

• Treating JPART like a policy-evaluation outlet — it wants a public-management theory contribution
• Submitting a strong identification result with no mechanism or theoretical payoff
• Confusing JPART with PAR (broad/practitioner) or JPAM (policy analysis) — different fit, different reviewers
• Skipping the data-and-code release plan until acceptance — JPART requires it as a condition of publication

Output format

【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / transparency / review / submit / rebut
【Theory gate】contribution to PA theory stated? [Y/N]
【Stop condition】none / theory / incidental PA setting / mechanism-design mismatch / exhibit opacity / transparency gap
【Route to】jpart-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that

Supplementary resources

• ../../resources/external_tools.md — public-administration data + software by method
• ../../resources/official-source-map.md — official JPART URLs behind every fact in this pack