Topic Selection & Section Fit (jpsp-topic-selection)
JPSP rewards a theoretical contribution, not just a clean effect. Before anything else you must
make two decisions: (1) is the contribution big enough for JPSP's long-format, multi-study standard,
and (2) which of the three sections is it for. Picking the wrong section is a common, avoidable
cause of a desk re-route or rejection — each section is edited separately.
When to trigger
- Deciding whether a project is a JPSP paper or belongs in a shorter / more specialized outlet
- Choosing among ASC, IRGP, and PPID
- Reframing a single-study finding into a JPSP-scale theoretical package
Step 1 — Choose the section
| Section |
Core remit |
Signals it's the right home |
| ASC — Attitudes and Social Cognition |
Attitudes, persuasion, social cognition, attribution, stereotyping, emotion/motivation in social contexts |
The contribution is about how people think, evaluate, and feel in social contexts |
| IRGP — Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes |
Dyads, close relationships, intragroup and intergroup processes, group behavior |
The unit is a relationship or group, not a lone perceiver |
| PPID — Personality Processes and Individual Differences |
Personality structure, development, assessment; trait processes; individual differences |
The contribution is about who people are and how they differ, not a manipulated social state |
Borderline cases (e.g., self-regulation, identity, culture) can fit more than one section. Decide by
the theoretical question the paper answers, name the section in the cover letter, and confirm the
live per-section remit (待核实 on exact wording).
Step 2 — Test JPSP-scale fit
- Theoretical contribution. New theory + evidence; using theory to explain a new phenomenon;
novel connections between theories; a new mechanism; conditions/moderators that reconcile
conflicting findings; a new construct shown to matter. A lone "X affects Y" effect is not enough.
- Generative. Does it open questions, not just close one? JPSP papers seed literatures.
- Multi-study capable. Can the idea sustain several related studies converging on the claim?
If it is inherently one study, JPSP is likely the wrong format.
- Reaches the section's readership. It must matter beyond a narrow subtopic of the section.
Anti-patterns
- Submitting a single experiment and hoping JPSP waives the multi-study norm
- Choosing the section by author habit rather than the paper's theoretical question
- Pitching a methods-only or measure-only paper with no theoretical advance
- "Significance-chasing": a surprising effect with no theory behind it
Borderline routing: when two sections both seem to fit
The most common section-choice errors at JPSP. Decide by the theoretical question, name the section in the cover letter, and confirm live remits against the submission guidelines (待核实).
| If the paper is about… |
Tempting wrong call |
Decide by |
| Self-regulation |
"personality → PPID" |
A manipulated social state → ASC; a trait difference → PPID |
| Stigma / prejudice |
"groups → IRGP" |
The perceiver's cognition → ASC; intergroup process → IRGP |
| Identity / self |
"individual → PPID" |
A relational/group identity → IRGP; trait structure → PPID |
| Culture |
"any of the three" |
Route by the process, not the moderator |
A correct route is itself a fit signal: it tells the editor you understand the remit. A mis-route risks a return.
Fit pass for Journal of Personality and Social Psychology
Treat this skill as an executable review pass, not a prose hint. First lock the construct validity, study sequence, power/robustness plan, and boundary conditions; then judge whether the current manuscript answers the venue's real reader: psychology reviewers who need a theoretical construct, validated measurement, and cumulative-study logic.
- Do the pass: Score the manuscript on venue fit, novelty, evidence readiness, and audience ownership; reject a prestige-only target when a sibling venue owns the contribution more directly.
- Return a ledger: give
claim / evidence / risk / manuscript location rows, so the next agent can edit rather than rediscover the issue.
- Sibling guard: compare against Psychological Science for shorter general-interest findings, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin for field scope, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology for experiment-centered claims; if a sibling owns the contribution, recommend re-routing before polishing format.
- Stop condition: do not give submission-ready advice until the pack's
resources/official-source-map.md has been checked for volatile rules and the manuscript has one concrete fix for the largest venue-specific risk.
Output format
【Section】ASC / IRGP / PPID + one-line justification by theoretical question
【Contribution type】new theory / new mechanism / reconciliation / new construct / …
【Multi-study plausible】Y/N — sketch of the study set
【JPSP-scale?】Y/N — if N, where instead
【Next】jpsp-literature-positioning
Supplementary resources
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Journal-of-Personality-and-Social-Psychology-Skills/skills/jpsp-topic-selection/SKILL.md
1---2name: jpsp-topic-selection3description: Use when judging whether a personality/social-psychology project fits the Journal of Personality and Social Psychology (JPSP) and — critically — which of the three independently edited sections (ASC, IRGP, PPID) it belongs to. Tests theoretical-contribution fit and section choice; it does not generate research ideas.4---567# Topic Selection & Section Fit (jpsp-topic-selection)89JPSP rewards a **theoretical contribution**, not just a clean effect. Before anything else you must10make two decisions: (1) is the contribution big enough for JPSP's long-format, multi-study standard,11and (2) which of the **three sections** is it for. Picking the wrong section is a common, avoidable12cause of a desk re-route or rejection — each section is edited separately.1314## When to trigger1516- Deciding whether a project is a JPSP paper or belongs in a shorter / more specialized outlet17- Choosing among **ASC**, **IRGP**, and **PPID**18- Reframing a single-study finding into a JPSP-scale theoretical package1920## Step 1 — Choose the section2122| Section | Core remit | Signals it's the right home |23|---------|-----------|------------------------------|24| **ASC** — Attitudes and Social Cognition | Attitudes, persuasion, social cognition, attribution, stereotyping, emotion/motivation in social contexts | The contribution is about how people *think, evaluate, and feel* in social contexts |25| **IRGP** — Interpersonal Relations and Group Processes | Dyads, close relationships, intragroup and intergroup processes, group behavior | The unit is a *relationship or group*, not a lone perceiver |26| **PPID** — Personality Processes and Individual Differences | Personality structure, development, assessment; trait processes; individual differences | The contribution is about *who people are and how they differ*, not a manipulated social state |2728> Borderline cases (e.g., self-regulation, identity, culture) can fit more than one section. Decide by29> the **theoretical question** the paper answers, name the section in the cover letter, and confirm the30> live per-section remit (待核实 on exact wording).3132## Step 2 — Test JPSP-scale fit33341. **Theoretical contribution.** New theory + evidence; using theory to explain a new phenomenon;35 novel connections between theories; a new mechanism; conditions/moderators that reconcile36 conflicting findings; a new construct shown to matter. A lone "X affects Y" effect is not enough.372. **Generative.** Does it open questions, not just close one? JPSP papers seed literatures.383. **Multi-study capable.** Can the idea sustain **several related studies** converging on the claim?39 If it is inherently one study, JPSP is likely the wrong format.404. **Reaches the section's readership.** It must matter beyond a narrow subtopic of the section.4142## Anti-patterns4344- Submitting a single experiment and hoping JPSP waives the multi-study norm45- Choosing the section by author habit rather than the paper's theoretical question46- Pitching a methods-only or measure-only paper with no theoretical advance47- "Significance-chasing": a surprising effect with no theory behind it4849## Borderline routing: when two sections both seem to fit5051The most common section-choice errors at JPSP. Decide by the **theoretical question**, name the section in the cover letter, and confirm live remits against the submission guidelines (待核实).5253| If the paper is about… | Tempting wrong call | Decide by |54|------------------------|---------------------|-----------|55| Self-regulation | "personality → PPID" | A *manipulated social state* → ASC; a *trait difference* → PPID |56| Stigma / prejudice | "groups → IRGP" | The perceiver's *cognition* → ASC; *intergroup process* → IRGP |57| Identity / self | "individual → PPID" | A *relational/group* identity → IRGP; *trait structure* → PPID |58| Culture | "any of the three" | Route by the *process*, not the moderator |5960A correct route is itself a fit signal: it tells the editor you understand the remit. A mis-route risks a return.616263## Fit pass for Journal of Personality and Social Psychology6465Treat this skill as an executable review pass, not a prose hint. First lock the construct validity, study sequence, power/robustness plan, and boundary conditions; then judge whether the current manuscript answers the venue's real reader: psychology reviewers who need a theoretical construct, validated measurement, and cumulative-study logic.6667- **Do the pass:** Score the manuscript on venue fit, novelty, evidence readiness, and audience ownership; reject a prestige-only target when a sibling venue owns the contribution more directly.68- **Return a ledger:** give `claim / evidence / risk / manuscript location` rows, so the next agent can edit rather than rediscover the issue.69- **Sibling guard:** compare against Psychological Science for shorter general-interest findings, Personality and Social Psychology Bulletin for field scope, Journal of Experimental Social Psychology for experiment-centered claims; if a sibling owns the contribution, recommend re-routing before polishing format.70- **Stop condition:** do not give submission-ready advice until the pack's `resources/official-source-map.md` has been checked for volatile rules and the manuscript has one concrete fix for the largest venue-specific risk.7172## Output format7374```75【Section】ASC / IRGP / PPID + one-line justification by theoretical question76【Contribution type】new theory / new mechanism / reconciliation / new construct / …77【Multi-study plausible】Y/N — sketch of the study set78【JPSP-scale?】Y/N — if N, where instead79【Next】jpsp-literature-positioning80```8182## Supplementary resources8384- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — data sources by section/design85- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — official per-section remits and rules8687---8889**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Journal-of-Personality-and-Social-Psychology-Skills/skills/jpsp-topic-selection/SKILL.md`
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