brycewang-stanford Demography Workflow Router (demog-workflow)
The orchestrator for a Demography submission. Figure out the stage and the article type, then send the user to the matching skill. Demography is the multidisciplinary flagship of the Population Association of America — the router's first job is to confirm the paper poses a genuine population-science question (how populations change, or why, and with what consequences), not a study that merely uses demographic data in passing.
When to trigger
- Starting a new Demography paper and unsure where to begin
- Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
- Deciding which article type fits (Article vs. Note vs. Commentary)
- Returning with a decision letter (route to
demog-rebuttal)
First question: which article type?
| Situation | Type | Route to |
|---|---|---|
| Full original population study | Research Article (<= 8,000 words) | normal pipeline below |
| One focused, self-contained contribution | Research Note (<= 4,000 words) | normal pipeline, tighter scope |
| Short response/perspective on published work or a debate | Commentary (<= 2,000 words) | demog-literature-positioning + demog-writing-style |
Word caps are main-text counts (exclude abstract, keywords, footnotes, acknowledgments). Confirm current caps on the official page (see 待核实).
Routing map (stage -> skill)
Idea / fit? -> demog-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field? -> demog-literature-positioning
What's the argument/mechanism? -> demog-theory-building
Is the demographic design sound? -> demog-research-design
Are the analyses sound? -> demog-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear? -> demog-tables-figures
Does it read for population sci.? -> demog-writing-style
Data statement & repro package? -> demog-data-and-reproducibility
How will it be judged? -> demog-review-process
Ready to submit (ScholarOne)? -> demog-submission
Got an R&R / decision? -> demog-rebuttal
Default order
topic-selection -> literature-positioning -> theory-building -> research-design -> data-analysis -> tables-figures -> writing-style -> data-and-reproducibility -> review-process -> submission -> rebuttal
Iterate: most demographic papers loop theory <-> design <-> analysis several times (e.g., choosing among life-table, decomposition, event-history, or APC framings) before writing-style.
Anti-patterns
- Treating Demography like a generic applied-stats venue — the question must be about population change
- Forcing one demographic method (e.g., a regression) when the question calls for a life table, a decomposition, or an event-history model
- Calling the $1,000 editorial-management fee an open-access charge (Demography is free to read via S2O)
- Leaving the data availability statement until acceptance — build it as you go
Router pass for Demography
Run this as a concrete capability pass. First lock the demographic process, data source, time scale, selection/migration/mortality issue, and uncertainty; then test whether the manuscript addresses population-science reviewers who inspect demographic process, measurement, cohort/period logic, and population validity.
- 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 Population and Development Review for policy synthesis, JMF for family process, Social Forces for broader sociology; 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 / data / review / submit / rebut
【Type】Research Article / Research Note / Commentary
【Route to】demog-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that
Supplementary resources
../../resources/external_tools.md— population data + demographic software by method../../resources/official-source-map.md— official Demography URLs behind every fact in this pack