brycewang-stanford APSR Workflow Router (apsr-workflow)
The orchestrator for an APSR submission. Figure out the stage and the track, then send the user to the matching skill. APSR is a discipline-wide generalist journal — the router's first job is to make sure the paper is pitched to the whole discipline, not just a subfield.
When to trigger
- Starting a new APSR paper and unsure where to begin
- Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
- Deciding which of the five tracks fits the paper
- Returning with a decision letter (route to
apsr-rebuttal)
First question: which track?
| Situation | Track | Route to |
|---|---|---|
| Full original study, broad significance | Regular Article (< 11,000 words) | normal pipeline below |
| Focused single contribution | Research Note (< 7,000 words) | normal pipeline, tighter scope |
| Re-running / reassessing a published finding | Replications and Reappraisals | apsr-research-design + apsr-transparency-and-data-policy |
| Consolidating a literature or debate | Synthesis | apsr-literature-positioning + apsr-theory-building |
| Design finished, data not yet collected/analyzed | Registered Report | apsr-review-process (Stage 1) early |
If the design is prospective, decide on Registered Reports before collecting data — that is the whole point of the track.
Routing map (stage → skill)
Idea / fit? → apsr-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field? → apsr-literature-positioning
What's the argument? → apsr-theory-building
Is the design defensible? → apsr-research-design
Are the analyses sound? → apsr-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear? → apsr-tables-figures
Does it read for the discipline? → apsr-writing-style
Repro package & transparency? → apsr-transparency-and-data-policy
How will it be judged? → apsr-review-process
Ready to submit? → apsr-submission
Got an R&R / decision? → apsr-rebuttal
Default order
topic-selection → literature-positioning → theory-building → research-design → data-analysis → tables-figures → writing-style → transparency-and-data-policy → review-process → submission → rebuttal
Iterate: most papers loop theory ↔ design ↔ analysis several times before writing-style.
Discipline-wide routing check
Before selecting the next skill, force a one-minute APSR fit check:
| Check | Pass condition | Route if weak |
|---|---|---|
| Audience | A reader outside the author's subfield can state why the question matters to political science. | apsr-topic-selection |
| Track | The manuscript clearly fits Regular Article, Research Note, Replication/Reappraisal, Synthesis, or Registered Report. | track table above |
| Method pluralism | The chosen method is defended on its own terms rather than forced into a quantitative template. | apsr-research-design |
| Transparency | Data, code, qualitative evidence, formal proof, or interpretive materials have an explicit verification plan. | apsr-transparency-and-data-policy |
If the paper fails the audience check, do not route to writing-style. It needs a theory or fit repair, because APSR reviewers reject well-executed subfield papers that never become discipline-wide claims.
Anti-patterns
- Treating APSR like a subfield journal — the contribution must reach the whole discipline
- Forcing a quantitative template onto qualitative, formal, or interpretive work (APSR judges each on its own terms)
- Choosing Registered Reports after seeing results (impossible — Stage 1 precedes data)
- Skipping the reproducibility package until acceptance — it is verified by the editorial office
Output format
【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / transparency / review / submit / rebut
【Track】Regular Article / Research Note / Replication / Synthesis / Registered Report
【Route to】apsr-<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 APSR URLs behind every fact in this pack