Exhibits for General Readers (jep-exhibits-for-general-readers)
When to trigger
- A figure or table was lifted straight from a research paper and is dense
- A reader needs the caption and the body text to decode an exhibit
- The piece has too many exhibits, or exhibits that don't advance the argument
- A regression table with coefficients and asterisks is doing the explaining
The JEP exhibit bar
A JEP exhibit must be self-explanatory to a non-specialist and earn its place in the argument. Clarity beats density: the reader should grasp the point from the exhibit and its caption alone, in seconds, without parsing the methods. JEP avoids significance asterisks and coefficient-table presentation in favor of exhibits that show the idea.
Design principles
- One exhibit, one point. Each figure/table makes a single claim that maps to a step in the narrative arc. If it makes three points, split it or cut two.
- Self-explanatory title + caption. The title states the finding ("Pass-through has fallen since 2000"), not the variables ("Price on cost, 1990–2020"). The caption gives source, units, and the one thing to notice.
- Figures over tables for trends and comparisons. A clear line/bar chart usually beats a number grid for a general reader. Reserve tables for a few labeled, rounded quantities.
- Round and label. Plain units, rounded numbers, direct labels on lines/bars instead of a legend the reader must cross-reference.
- No significance asterisks or coefficient dumps. If uncertainty matters, show it as a shaded band or a stated range, not stars (mirrors
jep-evidence-without-equations).
- Minimal chartjunk. No 3-D, no needless gridlines, no decorative color. Color should encode meaning or be dropped (and survive grayscale, since print/archives may be monochrome).
- Few, load-bearing exhibits. A short synthesis essay carries a handful of exhibits, each indispensable — not a research paper's full battery.
Table discipline (when a table is right)
- Rows/columns labeled in plain words, not variable names.
- A small number of rounded figures, not full estimation output.
- A one-line note: source, units, sample/coverage, and the takeaway.
- No standard-error parentheses-and-stars apparatus; if precision matters, state a range in the note.
Checklist
Worked vignette (illustrative)
A draft transplants a research-paper Table 3: eight columns of coefficients, standard errors in parentheses, and rows of asterisks, titled "Regression results." The JEP exhibit replacing it is a single line chart titled with its finding — "Pass-through to consumer prices has roughly halved since 2000" — one line, directly labeled, a shaded band for the range across studies, source and units in a one-line note, and nothing else. The reader gets the point in three seconds, in grayscale, without reading the body — which is the entire test.
Anti-patterns
- A regression table with coefficients, SEs, and *** transplanted from the working paper
- A figure whose point you can't state in its title
- Legends and variable names that force the reader back into the text
- Color or 3-D that carries no information (and breaks in grayscale)
- Ten exhibits where three would carry the argument
- A "kitchen-sink" table of every specification (that belongs in research, not JEP)
Output format
【Exhibit】[figure/table] — one-point claim: [...]
【Finding-title】[...]
【Caption】source / units / what to notice
【Form】figure (trend/comparison) / small labeled table — chosen because [...]
【Uncertainty shown as】band / stated range (no asterisks)
【Grayscale-safe + chartjunk-free?】[Y/N]
【Count check】N exhibits, each load-bearing? [Y/N]
【Next step】jep-writing-style
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Journal-of-Economic-Perspectives-Skills/skills/jep-exhibits-for-general-readers/SKILL.md
1---2name: jep-exhibits-for-general-readers3description: Use when designing figures and tables for a Journal of Economic Perspectives (JEP) article aimed at a broad audience — clarity over density, self-explanatory exhibits. Handles exhibit design; defer prose evidence to jep-evidence-without-equations and overall structure to jep-narrative-arc.4---5
6
7# Exhibits for General Readers (jep-exhibits-for-general-readers)
8
9## When to trigger
10
11- A figure or table was lifted straight from a research paper and is dense
12- A reader needs the caption *and* the body text to decode an exhibit
13- The piece has too many exhibits, or exhibits that don't advance the argument
14- A regression table with coefficients and asterisks is doing the explaining
15
16## The JEP exhibit bar
17
18A JEP exhibit must be **self-explanatory to a non-specialist** and earn its place in the *argument*. Clarity beats density: the reader should grasp the point from the exhibit and its caption alone, in seconds, without parsing the methods. JEP avoids significance asterisks and coefficient-table presentation in favor of exhibits that *show the idea*.
19
20## Design principles
21
22- **One exhibit, one point.** Each figure/table makes a single claim that maps to a step in the narrative arc. If it makes three points, split it or cut two.
23- **Self-explanatory title + caption.** The title states the *finding* ("Pass-through has fallen since 2000"), not the *variables* ("Price on cost, 1990–2020"). The caption gives source, units, and the one thing to notice.
24- **Figures over tables for trends and comparisons.** A clear line/bar chart usually beats a number grid for a general reader. Reserve tables for a few labeled, rounded quantities.
25- **Round and label.** Plain units, rounded numbers, direct labels on lines/bars instead of a legend the reader must cross-reference.
26- **No significance asterisks or coefficient dumps.** If uncertainty matters, show it as a shaded band or a stated range, not stars (mirrors `jep-evidence-without-equations`).
27- **Minimal chartjunk.** No 3-D, no needless gridlines, no decorative color. Color should encode meaning or be dropped (and survive grayscale, since print/archives may be monochrome).
28- **Few, load-bearing exhibits.** A short synthesis essay carries a handful of exhibits, each indispensable — not a research paper's full battery.
29
30## Table discipline (when a table is right)
31
32- Rows/columns labeled in plain words, not variable names.
33- A small number of rounded figures, not full estimation output.
34- A one-line note: source, units, sample/coverage, and the takeaway.
35- No standard-error parentheses-and-stars apparatus; if precision matters, state a range in the note.
36
37## Checklist
38
39- [ ] Each exhibit makes exactly one point tied to a narrative step
40- [ ] Title states the finding; caption gives source, units, and what to notice
41- [ ] Figures used for trends/comparisons; tables only for a few labeled quantities
42- [ ] Numbers rounded; lines/bars directly labeled (legend minimized)
43- [ ] No significance asterisks, no raw coefficient tables
44- [ ] Uncertainty shown as band/range, not stars
45- [ ] Exhibit is legible in grayscale; no chartjunk
46- [ ] Total exhibit count is small and every one is load-bearing
47
48## Worked vignette (illustrative)
49
50A draft transplants a research-paper Table 3: eight columns of coefficients, standard errors in parentheses, and rows of asterisks, titled "Regression results." The JEP exhibit replacing it is a single line chart titled with its finding — "Pass-through to consumer prices has roughly halved since 2000" — one line, directly labeled, a shaded band for the range across studies, source and units in a one-line note, and nothing else. The reader gets the point in three seconds, in grayscale, without reading the body — which is the entire test.
51
52## Anti-patterns
53
54- A regression table with coefficients, SEs, and *** transplanted from the working paper
55- A figure whose point you can't state in its title
56- Legends and variable names that force the reader back into the text
57- Color or 3-D that carries no information (and breaks in grayscale)
58- Ten exhibits where three would carry the argument
59- A "kitchen-sink" table of every specification (that belongs in research, not JEP)
60
61## Output format
62
63```
64【Exhibit】[figure/table] — one-point claim: [...]
65【Finding-title】[...]
66【Caption】source / units / what to notice
67【Form】figure (trend/comparison) / small labeled table — chosen because [...]
68【Uncertainty shown as】band / stated range (no asterisks)
69【Grayscale-safe + chartjunk-free?】[Y/N]
70【Count check】N exhibits, each load-bearing? [Y/N]
71【Next step】jep-writing-style
72```
73
74---
75
76**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Journal-of-Economic-Perspectives-Skills/skills/jep-exhibits-for-general-readers/SKILL.md`
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