thedixitjain Exhibits: Tables & Figures (jet-tables-figures)
When to trigger
- You need a diagram to convey an equilibrium, a mechanism, or a comparative-static
- You have a small numerical table illustrating a theorem
- You are formatting exhibits for elsarticle submission
What exhibits look like at JET
JET is a theorem-proof journal, so most exhibits are schematic, not data-driven. The typical JET figure clarifies an argument:
- Best-response / phase diagrams, indifference maps, region partitions of a parameter space
- Lattices / Hasse diagrams for order-theoretic results; timing / extensive-form trees for games
- Mechanism / information flow diagrams; revelation or allocation schematics
- Bound / tightness plots showing where a characterized object sits
Numerical tables are light and subordinate — admitted only to illustrate or test a theoretical result (see jet-data-analysis), never as the paper's payload.
Construction rules
- Notation must match the body exactly — same symbols, same names for regions/agents/types. A figure that renames objects costs the referee more than it saves.
- Vector output (PDF/EPS) for print; build diagrams in TikZ/PGF (native to elsarticle LaTeX) or
pgfplots; export matplotlib/Julia plots to PDF. - Self-contained captions/notes: define every symbol, axis, and shaded region in the note so the exhibit reads without the surrounding text.
- Label the economics, not just the math: name what a region/curve means (e.g., "pooling region"), not only the inequality that defines it.
- Number figures/tables and call them out in order in the text.
Exhibit necessity test
Keep an exhibit only if it does one of four jobs:
- Makes a theorem's domain or partition visible.
- Shows a counterexample or tightness construction.
- Clarifies a mechanism, timing, information flow, or allocation rule.
- Reproduces a small numerical illustration that is subordinate to a formal result.
If the exhibit is decorative or repeats a proof step without reducing cognitive load, delete it. JET referees value proof clarity more than visual volume.
Default schematic by result type
| Result type | Default JET schematic | Drawing notes |
|---|---|---|
| Parameter-region characterization | partition of the parameter square (e.g., pooling vs separating) | label regions with the economics; each boundary curve gets its defining equation in the note |
| Order-theoretic / lattice result | Hasse diagram of the relevant poset | orient the diagram by the order actually used in the proof |
| Dynamic game / contract | timeline or extensive-form tree | nodes say who moves and what is observed at that point |
| Mechanism / information flow | report → allocation/transfer schematic | one arrow per message; types listed on the input side |
| Tightness of a bound | the bound and the attaining example on one axis pair | mark the attainment point explicitly so tightness is visible |
TikZ skeleton for a region partition
\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=3]
\draw[->] (0,0) -- (1.05,0) node[below] {$\alpha$ (ambiguity)};
\draw[->] (0,0) -- (0,1.05) node[left] {$\Delta$ (type gap)};
\draw[thick] (0,0) .. controls (0.5,0.45) .. (1,0.6); % boundary from Prop. 3, eq. (11)
\node at (0.30,0.72) {separating};
\node at (0.70,0.22) {pooling};
\end{tikzpicture}
% Note text: symbols identical to the body; the boundary is the locus where (IC-H) binds, eq. (11).
Adapt the axes and boundary to your model, but keep the pattern: every drawn object traces back to a numbered equation or constraint in the text.
Caption discipline
- Sentence 1: what the exhibit shows in economic terms ("Figure 2 partitions the ambiguity–type-gap plane into pooling and separating regions").
- Middle sentences: define every symbol, axis, and shaded region; name the equation generating each curve.
- Last sentence: parameter values if numerical, with a pointer to the script that regenerates the exhibit (see jet-data-analysis).
Anti-patterns
- A figure introducing notation that conflicts with the proof
- Raster screenshots or low-resolution diagrams
- A large numerical table presented as a result in a theory paper
- A diagram with no self-contained note, unreadable away from its paragraph
Output format
【Exhibit】<schematic type> | small illustrative table
【Notation match】identical to body? [Y/N]
【Format】vector (TikZ/PDF), self-contained note? [Y/N]
【Role】clarifies argument | illustrates theorem (subordinate)
【Next】jet-writing-style / jet-submission
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Journal-of-Economic-Theory-Skills/skills/jet-tables-figures/SKILL.md