brycewang-stanford AJPS Workflow Router (ajps-workflow)
The orchestrator for an AJPS submission. Figure out the stage and the submission type, then send the user to the matching skill. AJPS is the MPSA's flagship, Wiley-published, double-blind journal whose defining feature is mandatory third-party verification of replication materials before publication — so this router also makes sure reproducibility is engineered from the start, not bolted on at acceptance.
When to trigger
- Starting a new AJPS paper and unsure where to begin
- Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
- Deciding whether the paper is an Article, Research Note, or Correspondence
- Returning with a decision letter (route to
ajps-rebuttal)
First question: which submission type?
| Situation | Type | Route to |
|---|---|---|
| Full original study | Article (<= 10,000 words) | normal pipeline below |
| A methodology advance or a meta-analysis | Research Note (<= 4,000 words) | normal pipeline, tighter scope |
| Critique / correction of a paper already published in AJPS | Correspondence (<= 4,000 words) | ajps-literature-positioning + ajps-data-analysis |
The Research Note is not a short empirical paper — at AJPS it is reserved for methodology (including methodology in normative theory) and meta-analyses. Do not mis-route a small empirical study into it.
Routing map (stage -> skill)
Idea / fit? -> ajps-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field? -> ajps-literature-positioning
What's the argument? -> ajps-theory-building
Is the design identified? -> ajps-research-design
Are the analyses sound? -> ajps-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear? -> ajps-tables-figures
Does it read well + fit caps? -> ajps-writing-style
Will the code re-run for a verifier? -> ajps-replication-and-verification
How will it be judged? -> ajps-review-process
Ready to submit? -> ajps-submission
Got an R&R / decision? -> ajps-rebuttal
Default order
topic-selection -> literature-positioning -> theory-building -> research-design -> data-analysis -> tables-figures -> writing-style -> replication-and-verification -> review-process -> submission -> rebuttal
Iterate: theory <-> design <-> analysis usually loops several times. Critically, start the replication-and-verification package while you analyze — at acceptance an independent verifier re-runs your code, and an unscripted analysis cannot be fixed quickly under deadline.
Anti-patterns
- Treating reproducibility as a post-acceptance chore — AJPS verifies before publishing
- Mis-routing a short empirical study into the methodology-only Research Note type
- Sending a critique of a non-AJPS paper as Correspondence (it is for published AJPS work)
- Forgetting that table/figure captions and footnotes count toward the word limit
Router pass for American Journal of Political Science
Run this as a concrete capability pass. First lock the political theory, design leverage, measurement validity, and scope condition; then test whether the manuscript addresses political-science reviewers who expect tight theory, transparent design, and a contribution that travels across political settings.
- Primary move: Run the pack as fit gate, evidence gate, writing gate, source-map gate, and output contract; stop when a gate lacks evidence.
- Decision ledger: return
claim / evidence / blocker / next editrows so the next pass can patch the manuscript directly. - Sibling comparison: compare against APSR for field-wide breadth, Journal of Politics for broader political-science audience, Political Analysis for methods-first work; if the neighboring outlet has the stronger audience claim, recommend re-routing before polishing.
- Verification floor: before submission-ready advice, re-open
resources/official-source-map.mdfor volatile rules and name the one unresolved fact that could change the recommendation.
Output format
【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / replication / review / submit / rebut
【Type】Article / Research Note (methodology|meta-analysis) / Correspondence
【Route to】ajps-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that
Supplementary resources
../../resources/external_tools.md— political-science data + software by method../../resources/official-source-map.md— official AJPS URLs behind every fact in this pack