econ-writing-workflow

Economics Writing Workflow

Role

Use this skill as the user's main entry point for economics writing work. It does not replace the specialized skills; it routes the task to the right writing module, keeps the workflow ordered, and checks that the final output matches the user's target.

This skill is not a full empirical pipeline. For data cleaning, variable construction, regression code, estimation, diagnostics, or reproducibility tasks, pair with empirical-econ-workflow.

Project-Level Skill Pinning

For multi-step economics writing, table, figure, journal-submission, or paper-formatting workflows, check whether the nearest project-level AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md already contains an economics-writing skill routing rule.

If no such rule exists, ask the user once whether to add a persistent local rule. Do not edit AGENTS.md or CLAUDE.md without explicit user approval, and do not ask for tiny one-off requests.

Recommended rule text:

## Economics Writing Skill Routing

For economics paper writing, journal adaptation, tables, figures, captions, notes, Word/PDF formatting, and submission checks, first route through `econ-writing-workflow`.

Use `cn-top-econ-writing` for Chinese top-journal prose and journal-specific submission style. Use `econ-table-figure-design` for tables, figures, maps, captions, notes, and export quality. Use `empirical-econ-workflow` when data cleaning, variable construction, regressions, sample audits, or estimation code are involved.

Keep the relevant skill active throughout the task unless the user explicitly opts out. Do not treat skill use as a one-time setup step: at the start of each substantive phase, and whenever the work crosses from prose into tables, figures, maps, journal formatting, data facts, or empirical code, reclassify the current subtask and load the relevant specialized skill or reference file.

During manuscript drafting or revision, separate paper-facing text from author memos and task logs before writing each paragraph, table note, figure note, appendix note, or footnote. Only reader-facing manuscript text may enter the paper. Author workflow notes, submission-positioning discussion, reasons for moving/deleting material, and author-agent internal decisions must stay in the response, task README, revision memo, or checklist.

When paper facts, variable definitions, sample construction, identification choices, target-journal requirements, table/figure meanings, or the user's intended claim are unclear, ask the user or mark a concrete `TODO`. Do not guess, invent, silently choose among substantive alternatives, or write around the uncertainty as if it were known.

Before drafting each paper-facing paragraph, apply draft-time argument clarity: ground abstract concepts in observable/model objects, state the comparison for relative or causal claims, keep design language separate from findings, distinguish mechanisms from plain heterogeneity, position close literature by the margin advanced, and keep terminology stable.

Before drafting literature-dependent claims, check whether the project has local reference papers, literature notes, `.bib` files, or source ledgers. Ask whether the literature is sufficient and whether the user wants help finding publicly available papers. If a Chinese or paywalled source cannot be obtained locally, tell the user; continuing is allowed, but affected judgments need concrete TODOs or more user confirmation. When the paper uses literature-based data, theories, variables, mechanisms, or empirical choices, read the relevant source material and align with it instead of inventing a new framing.

When writing regression results, main findings, mechanisms, heterogeneity, robustness, abstracts, introductions, or conclusions that mention coefficient size, translate estimates into economic magnitude using at least one appropriate benchmark. Prefer natural units or real policy changes when available; use means, standard deviations, or percentile spreads only when they fit the variable and identification source. Never invent descriptive statistics.

When producing tables, figures, maps, or edited images, verify the final rendered artifact itself before treating the task as complete. Check that text, legends, colorbars, inset maps, axes, notes, and substantive visual content do not overlap, obscure, or cover useful information.

After adding the rule, include a clear marker heading so future agents can detect it and avoid asking again.

First Decision

Before writing or editing, classify the request:

1. English paper prose: abstract, introduction, literature review, model/theory prose, empirical/results prose, conclusion, referee response, or English revision.
2. English diction cleanup: remove AI-like prose, translationese, vague contribution language, weak verbs, or template signposting.
3. Argument logic and draft-time clarity: full-paper logic, argument spine, paragraph-level clarity, concept grounding, comparison clarity, design/results separation, mechanism-versus-heterogeneity, contribution positioning, repeated material, misplaced sections, emphasis, ordering, or whether tables and figures serve the main line.
4. Regression results and economic magnitude: main regression interpretation, coefficient size, economic magnitude, marginal effects, interaction net effects, or result prose that needs means, standard deviations, percentiles, policy benchmarks, or log-to-percent conversions.
5. Literature and judgment grounding: local reference papers, literature search/download decisions, source ledgers, citation grounding, theory/mechanism/variable alignment, contribution boundaries, or literature-based judgment calibration.
6. Full-paper drafting from a result package: draft a complete paper from a research question, regression tables, figures, result folders, slides, variable notes, or design notes.
7. Chinese top-journal writing: Chinese paper structure, Chinese abstract, introduction, contribution framing, journal fit, submission style, or top-journal revision.
8. Chinese diction cleanup: remove AI 腔, 翻译腔, 作者备忘腔, unnatural collocations, or stiff Chinese academic prose.
9. Journal submission style: target-journal formatting, submission requirements, anonymous PDF checks, accepted-version Word formatting, title hierarchy, references, JEL codes, appendices, or journal-specific body/appendix placement.
10. Tables and figures: table/figure admission, main-text versus appendix placement, three-line tables, regression/robustness/heterogeneity/mechanism tables, notes, captions, palettes, fonts, or export quality.
11. Empirical workflow: data cleaning, variable construction, sample construction, regression code, estimation, diagnostics, or reproducibility.

If a request spans more than one category, handle them in this order:

1. empirical workflow and sample/design facts;
2. literature and judgment grounding;
3. table and figure design;
4. paper structure and section logic;
5. full-paper drafting plan;
6. prose and diction cleanup;
7. final formatting/export checks.

Routing

• For English paper prose, use econ-write.
• For English diction cleanup, use econ-write and load references/english-diction/ selectively.
• For full-paper logic, repeated material, emphasis, section ordering, and argument-spine audits, load references/argument-logic/ selectively before polishing prose. Before drafting or revising abstracts, introductions, literature positioning, design, results, mechanisms, heterogeneity, contributions, or conclusions, load references/argument-logic/06_draft_time_argument_clarity.md so clarity is handled during generation, not only in the final audit.
• For regression results, main findings, economic magnitude, coefficient interpretation, marginal effects, interaction net effects, log-to-percent conversions, or benchmark choices using means, standard deviations, percentiles, policy changes, or natural units, load references/regression-results/01_economic_magnitude_interpretation.md before drafting the relevant prose.
• For literature-dependent drafting, closest-literature positioning, literature search/download decisions, source ledgers, citation grounding, theory/mechanism/variable alignment, or calibration of similar judgments from prior papers, load references/literature-grounding/01_literature_and_judgment_grounding.md before drafting the relevant prose.
• For manuscript-facing versus author-facing voice, internal memo leakage, or requests to remove author workflow notes from paper prose, load references/manuscript-voice/01_no_author_memo_in_manuscript.md before finalizing text.
• For full-paper drafting from research questions, regression tables, figures, or result folders, load references/full-paper-drafting/ first, then route table/figure decisions to econ-table-figure-design and language-specific prose to econ-write or cn-top-econ-writing.
• For Chinese top-journal writing, use cn-top-econ-writing.
• For target-journal submission style, anonymous manuscript checks, accepted-version formatting, references, appendices, or requests such as “按《经济学（季刊）》投稿要求调整”, use cn-top-econ-writing and its references/journal-styles/ module. For 《经济学（季刊）》, load references/journal-styles/00_journal_submission_workflow.md, references/journal-styles/economics_quarterly.md, and when table/figure/appendix issues appear, references/journal-styles/common_chinese_journal_rules.md.
• For Chinese diction cleanup, use cn-top-econ-writing and load references/chinese-diction/ selectively.
• For tables, figures, notes, captions, palettes, typography, and export checks, use econ-table-figure-design.
• For data cleaning, regression code, variable construction, or estimation, pair with empirical-econ-workflow. Do not let this writing workflow invent or run empirical results by itself.

Active Routing During Work

Do not route only once at the beginning of a long task. At the start of each substantive phase, and whenever the work crosses from prose into tables, figures, maps, journal formatting, data facts, or empirical code, reclassify the current subtask and load the relevant specialized skill or reference file.

Route immediately when these boundaries appear:

• tables, figures, maps, image edits, captions, legends, colorbars, fonts, export quality, or main-text versus appendix placement: use econ-table-figure-design;
• abstracts, introductions, literature positioning, research design, results, mechanisms, heterogeneity, contributions, or conclusions where the wording depends on observable objects, comparison groups, design/results separation, mechanism evidence, contribution margins, or terminology stability: load references/argument-logic/06_draft_time_argument_clarity.md;
• main regression results, mechanism or heterogeneity estimates, coefficient size, economic magnitude, marginal effects, interaction net effects, log-to-percent conversions, mean/SD/percentile comparisons, or policy benchmark interpretation: load references/regression-results/01_economic_magnitude_interpretation.md;
• local reference papers, PDFs, .bib files, literature search/download, closest-literature positioning, data/theory/variable/mechanism alignment with prior papers, contribution boundaries, or claim-strength calibration: load references/literature-grounding/01_literature_and_judgment_grounding.md;
• target-journal style, anonymous submission, title hierarchy, references, JEL codes, appendices, Word/PDF submission format, or 《经济学（季刊）》 rules: use cn-top-econ-writing and its references/journal-styles/ module;
• data cleaning, variable construction, regression code, estimation, sample changes, or post-estimation sample audit: pair with empirical-econ-workflow;
• English prose or English diction: use econ-write;
• Chinese top-journal prose, Chinese diction, Chinese abstract, or Chinese contribution framing: use cn-top-econ-writing.

After a specialized skill settles its part, return to this workflow to integrate the decision into the paper-level order and final output check.

Operating Rules

• Read available manuscript context before giving paper-level prose advice. If only an excerpt is available, state that the advice is excerpt-level.
• Before drafting each paper-facing paragraph, apply the draft-time clarity gate: identify the object, observable or model anchor, claim type, comparison, and section function. If a needed object, comparison, timing, result variable, mechanism link, or literature margin is unclear, ask the user or leave a concrete TODO rather than smoothing over the gap.
• Do not rewrite tables or figures as prose problems. Table selection, sample comparability, notes, and visual design are part of the research presentation.
• Do not put author workflow notes in paper-facing text, table notes, or figure notes.
• Before delivering or inserting manuscript text, classify each sentence as paper-facing text, author memo, or task log. Only paper-facing text may enter the manuscript.
• If the manuscript context is unclear on research question, variables, sample, identification, table/figure meaning, target journal, or whether the author wants to keep/delete a substantive claim, ask the user or leave a concrete TODO; do not guess.
• When discussing regression results in the manuscript, translate the coefficient into at least one suitable economic magnitude benchmark. Do not invent means, standard deviations, percentiles, policy changes, or marginal effects; compute them from supplied materials, ask for them, or mark a concrete TODO.
• Before writing literature-dependent claims, check local literature materials and ask whether they are sufficient when that is unclear. If the user wants help finding literature, only rely on papers that can be inspected or that the user supplies. If important Chinese or paywalled papers are unavailable, say so and mark the affected judgment for user confirmation.
• When the paper uses or adapts data, theory, concepts, variables, mechanisms, classifications, model objects, controls, fixed effects, heterogeneity dimensions, robustness checks, or policy interpretations from reference papers, inspect the relevant source material first and align terminology, construction, sample scope, and claim strength with those sources. Do not invent a new framing when a local reference already provides the relevant concept or boundary.
• When writing main-text pointers to appendices, tables, figures, or online appendices, keep them as pure pointers: state what to see and where to see it; only when needed, name the substantive role for the current claim, such as robustness, variable construction, sample scope, background fact, or extended result. Do not write meta-language such as this is related to the main text or 因此与正文有关. Do not include layout or production language such as split columns, left/right halves, column width, page breaks, continued tables, repeated headers, or appendix-table formatting in the main text; put necessary reading guidance in the appendix text, table title, or note.
• Do not merge all specialized rules into the response. Load only the relevant child skill or reference files needed for the task.
• Preserve the user's language target: English manuscript tasks should output English unless asked otherwise; Chinese top-journal tasks should output Chinese unless asked otherwise.
• For full draft requests, never invent citations, data, variable definitions, identification claims, coefficient values, mechanisms, robustness results, or policy implications. Mark missing facts as concrete TODO items.
• Do not provide full manuscript drafting for paid paper-writing services, undisclosed ghostwriting, fabricated research, or academic misconduct. Offer an ethical outline, checklist, or teaching-oriented alternative instead.

Argument-Logic References

Load only the relevant files:

• references/argument-logic/01_argument_spine.md: one-chain paper logic and missing-link audit.
• references/argument-logic/02_redundancy_linter.md: repeated, appendix, and delete/merge material.
• references/argument-logic/03_emphasis_and_ordering.md: what to foreground, delay, or de-emphasize.
• references/argument-logic/04_table_figure_logic.md: whether tables and figures serve the main line.
• references/argument-logic/05_revision_workflow.md: full-paper logic revision workflow.
• references/argument-logic/06_draft_time_argument_clarity.md: draft-time concept grounding, comparison clarity, design/results separation, mechanism-versus-heterogeneity, literature-margin positioning, and terminology stability.

Full-Paper Drafting References

Load only the relevant files:

• references/full-paper-drafting/01_input_checklist.md: input audit and draftability levels.
• references/full-paper-drafting/02_from_results_to_outline.md: result ledger, argument spine, and table/figure placement logic.
• references/full-paper-drafting/03_section_drafting_order.md: section order and language-specific routing.
• references/full-paper-drafting/04_missing_information_policy.md: anti-fabrication rules and TODO format.
• references/full-paper-drafting/05_full_draft_workflow.md: full result-package-to-paper workflow.

Literature-Grounding References

Load before drafting or revising literature-dependent sections or judgments:

• references/literature-grounding/01_literature_and_judgment_grounding.md: checks local references, asks whether literature is sufficient, builds source and judgment ledgers, aligns reused data/theory/variables/mechanisms with sources, and audits claim strength.

Manuscript-Voice References

Load when drafting, revising, polishing, or auditing prose that will enter the manuscript:

• references/manuscript-voice/01_no_author_memo_in_manuscript.md: separates manuscript text from author memos and task logs; includes forbidden and context-dependent author-memo patterns.

Regression-Results References

Load before drafting or revising main result prose, abstracts, introductions, conclusions, or referee responses that discuss coefficient size:

• references/regression-results/01_economic_magnitude_interpretation.md: chooses natural units, policy changes, means, standard deviations, percentile spreads, marginal effects, interaction net effects, and log-to-percent conversions for reader-facing economic magnitude.

Output Check

Before finalizing a response, confirm that:

• the routed skill still matches the current subtask, not just the original request;
• any table/figure decision has main-text versus appendix placement;
• any empirical claim is grounded in provided or inspected evidence;
• any main regression or important mechanism/robustness result has an economic magnitude benchmark, or a concrete TODO if the needed descriptive statistics are missing;
• any literature-dependent claim, theory, mechanism, variable, data source, empirical choice, contribution boundary, or policy implication is grounded in inspected local sources or marked with a concrete TODO;
• any full-draft output has an input audit, argument spine, table/figure placement plan, and unresolved TODO list when needed;
• any prose revision removes vague, inflated, AI-like, or translation-like wording;
• any drafted or revised paragraph grounds abstract concepts, states needed comparisons, keeps design separate from findings, explains mechanism links rather than relabeling heterogeneity, and uses stable terminology;
• no paper-facing paragraph, table note, or figure note contains author-facing workflow notes, draft-management explanations, or internal discussion with the author;
• any remaining uncertainty is stated as a concrete limitation or next step.