brycewang-stanford CR Workflow Router (commres-workflow)
The orchestrator for a Communication Research (CR) submission. CR is SAGE's quantitative, social-scientific communication journal — predominantly hypothesis-testing experiments and surveys with rigorous measurement and explicit theory. The router's first job is to confirm the paper is theory-driven and quantitatively identified, then send the user to the matching skill.
When to trigger
- Starting a new CR paper and unsure where to begin
- Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
- Deciding whether the study type (experiment / survey-panel / content analysis) is CR-shaped
- Returning with a decision letter (route to
commres-rebuttal)
First question: is this a quantitative, theory-testing communication paper?
| Situation | Read | Route to |
|---|---|---|
| Hypothesis-driven experiment or survey, measured constructs | core CR fit | normal pipeline below |
| Computational/text-as-data with hypothesis tests on communication processes | in scope if theory-led | pipeline; emphasize measurement validation |
| Mostly qualitative / interpretive / critical | likely off-fit | re-route to Journal of Communication / New Media & Society before polishing |
| Method/measurement paper for its own sake | off-fit | Communication Methods and Measures |
CR is not multi-paradigm. If the contribution is interpretive or a platform description, the generalist or digital-media siblings fit better — decide this before investing in the pipeline.
Routing map (stage → skill)
Idea / fit? → commres-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field? → commres-literature-positioning
What are the hypotheses & mechanism? → commres-theory-building
Is the design causally defensible? → commres-research-design
Are the analyses sound? → commres-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear? → commres-tables-figures
Does it read as social science? → commres-writing-style
Data, code & open practices? → commres-transparency-and-data
How will it be judged? → commres-review-process
Ready to submit? → commres-submission
Got an R&R / decision? → commres-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 CR papers loop theory ↔ design ↔ measurement several times before writing-style. If the
design is prospective, route to commres-transparency-and-data early to preregister.
Anti-patterns
- Treating CR like a generalist or qualitative outlet — CR judges quantitative, theory-testing work
- A bare effect with no mechanism (mediation/moderation) — CR rewards process, not main effects alone
- Content analysis without reported intercoder reliability
- Causal language on a single cross-sectional survey
- Leaving the data-availability statement and reproducibility materials until acceptance
Router pass for Communication Research
Treat this skill as an executable review pass, not a prose hint. First lock the communication process, the measured constructs, the study design, and the inferential claim; then judge whether the manuscript answers CR's real reader: a quantitatively trained communication scientist who weighs theory, measurement validity, identification, and effect interpretation.
- Do the pass: Run the pack as a sequence — fit gate, theory/measurement gate, identification gate, evidence gate, transparency gate, output contract; stop when a gate lacks evidence.
- Return a ledger: give
claim / evidence / risk / manuscript locationrows so the next agent edits rather than rediscovers the issue. - Sibling guard: Journal of Communication (ICA flagship, all-paradigm), Human Communication Research (interpersonal/HCR), New Media & Society (digital, more qualitative). If a sibling owns the contribution, recommend re-routing before polishing format.
- Stop condition: do not give submission-ready advice until
resources/official-source-map.mdhas been checked for volatile rules and the manuscript has one concrete fix for the largest venue-specific risk.
Output format
【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / transparency / review / submit / rebut
【Study type】experiment / survey-panel / content analysis / computational
【Route to】commres-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that
Supplementary resources
../../resources/external_tools.md— communication data + software by method../../resources/official-source-map.md— official CR/SAGE URLs behind every fact in this pack