Sociological Theory Skills

Theory-construction skill stack for Sociological Theory (ST), the American Sociological Association's dedicated theory journal, published by SAGE. ST is a THEORY journal: it publishes new substantive theories, history of theory, metatheory, formal theory construction, and synthetic contributions — and does NOT publish empirical hypothesis-testing (that is the lane of its siblings the American Soci

by @brycewang-stanford 12 skills

Install

npx skillmds@latest add plugin:brycewang-stanford/sociological-theory-skills

One command, no setup. In Claude Code it lands as a managed plugin you can enable, disable or remove with /plugin. On any other agent it installs the 12 skills into that agent's own folder.

Or inside Claude Code

In the Plugins tab, add this marketplace:

skillmds/skillmd
/plugin install brycewang-stanford-sociological-theory-skills@skillmd

Adds the marketplace once; later plugins need the second line only.

Or install by hand

Download the plugin and unzip its skills/ folder into your agent's skills directory. Works with every agent, no CLI needed.

Download plugin Paths per agent

Just the markdown? SKILL.md files only.

This plugin

skills: 12
authors: 1

Published by a registry member. Review its skills before installing.

Skills in this plugin

▌
Soctheory Rebuttal · brycewang-stanford
Use when writing the response document for a Sociological Theory (ST) Revise & Resubmit — structuring point-by-point replies that show the theory was genuinely strengthened, not just defended. Drafts the response; revise the manuscript's theory FIRST (soctheory-theory-construction / soctheory-argument-development) before writing the letter.

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Workflow · brycewang-stanford
Use when deciding which soctheory-* sub-skill to invoke next, or when sequencing a Sociological Theory manuscript from theoretical-problem framing through peer-review revision for a Sociological Theory (ST) submission. Routes — does not replace — the specialized skills.

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Submission · brycewang-stanford bundle
Use when running the final pre-submission preflight for a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript — Manuscript Central portal, ASA format and length cap, abstract, masking for double-anonymous review, ASA-style references, fee, ethics/originality, and required files. Theory-only journal; there is no data-availability or replication step.

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Writing Style · brycewang-stanford
Use when drafting or polishing a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript so it reads as an argument for a broad theoretical readership, follows the ASA Style Guide, and fits ST's length cap (max ~14,500 words inclusive of footnotes, references, tables, figures, and appendices — verify current). Tightens prose and format; it does not invent content.

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Review Process · brycewang-stanford
Use when you need to understand Sociological Theory (ST)'s double-anonymous peer review and interpret a decision letter focused on conceptual novelty and logical soundness. Explains the process and decision types; it does NOT draft the response document (that is soctheory-rebuttal).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Topic Selection · brycewang-stanford
Use when deciding whether an idea is a genuine theoretical problem and a fit for Sociological Theory (ST) rather than an empirical study or a review essay. Screens the problem and venue fit; it does NOT build the theory (soctheory-theory-construction) or position it in a tradition (soctheory-literature-positioning).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Boundary Conditions · brycewang-stanford
Use when specifying the scope, domain, and limits of a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript's theory — stating where it holds, where it does not, and what it does NOT claim. Bounds the theory as a contribution; it does NOT build the concepts (soctheory-theory-construction) or audit the reasoning (soctheory-argument-development).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Conceptual Exhibits · brycewang-stanford
Use when building the figures and typologies of a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript — mechanism diagrams, process models, 2x2 typologies, and concept maps that carry theoretical work (never regression tables or data plots). Designs conceptual exhibits; it does NOT build the underlying theory (soctheory-theory-construction) or write the prose (soctheory-writing-style).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Theory Construction · brycewang-stanford
Use when building the actual theory for a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript — turning a positioned problem into defined concepts, explicit mechanisms, internally consistent propositions, and scope conditions. Constructs the theory; it does NOT stress-test the argument's validity against rivals (soctheory-argument-development) or set the domain limits (soctheory-boundary-conditions).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Argument Development · brycewang-stanford
Use when stress-testing the reasoning of a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript — turning stated propositions into a valid, warranted argument that survives rival theories and counter-cases. Develops and audits the argument; it does NOT define the concepts (soctheory-theory-construction) or bound the theory's domain (soctheory-boundary-conditions).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Contribution Framing · brycewang-stanford
Use when articulating the theoretical contribution of a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript — naming the new way of seeing it provides and differentiating it from prior theory. Frames the contribution; it does NOT build the theory (soctheory-theory-construction) or audit its reasoning (soctheory-argument-development).

1k repo stars
▌
Soctheory Literature Positioning · brycewang-stanford
Use when locating a Sociological Theory (ST) manuscript in a tradition and conversation — naming whose theory you extend, challenge, or synthesize, and avoiding sibling-journal misattribution. Positions the argument; it does NOT build the concepts (soctheory-theory-construction) or frame the novelty (soctheory-contribution-framing).

1k repo stars