PoPS Workflow Router (ppsych-workflow)
Overview
This is the router. It tells you which ppsych- skill to use at the current stage* of a manuscript aimed at Perspectives on Psychological Science (PoPS) — the SAGE journal published in partnership with the Association for Psychological Science (APS), a bimonthly, broad, integrative outlet (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准). PoPS does not publish single empirical studies (those go to Psychological Science) or routine meta-analyses (those go to specialized review journals). It publishes broad integrative reviews, overviews of research programs, theoretical and conceptual statements, methodology and meta-science commentary, and big-picture "perspective" pieces across all of psychology and adjacent behavioral, social, neuro, and methods fields (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准). The contribution is a field-shaping synthesis or argument, not a new dataset.
So the lifecycle is not "design → run → estimate → defend." It is: find a synthesis- or argument-worthy question → decide whether a proposal is required → read across areas → impose an organizing framework → make the treatment comprehensive and balanced → model exemplary open science → manage the editor relationship → submit → revise. Default assumption unless the user says otherwise: the target is PoPS and the artefact is a broad integrative/theoretical/meta-science piece, not a primary-research paper.
When to trigger
- The user asks "what should I do next?" on a PoPS review, theoretical statement, or meta-science piece
- A draft reads like an annotated bibliography or a single-study report and needs a spine or a venue check
- Work is ping-ponging between coverage, framing, balance, open-science, and the proposal route
- A PoPS decision letter arrived and the user needs to switch into revision mode
First question: contribution type
| Situation |
Type |
Route note |
| Broad cross-area synthesis / overview of a research program |
Stand-alone integrative review |
main pipeline; proposal optional |
| A unifying theoretical / conceptual / metatheoretical argument |
Theoretical statement |
ppsych-organizing-framework is the engine |
| Systematic evidence about the field's practices (replication, bias, methods) |
Meta-science / methodology |
ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility early |
| Special issue, adversarial collaboration, multilab effort |
Cooperative contribution |
proposal required → ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning |
| Biography, book review, humor/opinion essay |
Miscellaneous |
proposal required → ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning |
| Single empirical study, or a routine meta-analysis |
Out of scope |
→ Psychological Science / a specialized review journal |
A positive editor reaction to a proposal is not an invitation; all manuscripts go through the same review (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准).
Routing table (symptom → next skill)
| Current symptom |
Next skill |
| Unsure the question is PoPS-shaped (broad, integrative, not a single study) |
ppsych-topic-selection |
| Need a proposal (cooperative/miscellaneous) or want to test a stand-alone idea |
ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning |
| Reading is unsystematic; cross-area coverage gaps likely |
ppsych-literature-synthesis |
| Draft is a list of papers, not an argument about the field |
ppsych-organizing-framework |
| Coverage, balance, or fairness across areas/camps in doubt |
ppsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance |
| Need a framework figure or who-found-what / practice-prevalence table |
ppsych-tables-figures |
| Prose dense or insular; a psychologist from another area can't follow |
ppsych-writing-style |
| Open data/materials/code, preregistration of a meta-science protocol |
ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility |
| Working with the editor on scope / what referees will weigh |
ppsych-editor-strategy |
| Ready to submit; need a preflight and reviewer suggestions |
ppsych-submission |
| Received a PoPS decision letter |
ppsych-revision |
Default order
ppsych-topic-selection — confirm the question is broad, integrative, PoPS-scale
ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning — proposal route (required for cooperative/miscellaneous)
ppsych-literature-synthesis — read across areas systematically
ppsych-organizing-framework — impose the analytical/conceptual spine
ppsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance — fair, field-spanning, reform-minded but evidence-based
ppsych-tables-figures — framework figure + summary/prevalence exhibits
ppsych-writing-style — the PoPS voice (broad, provocative, accessible); abstract ≤ 200 words last
ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility — exemplary open science (PoPS is a leader)
ppsych-editor-strategy — scope and the editor relationship
ppsych-submission — ScholarOne preflight + suggested reviewers
ppsych-revision — after the decision letter
ppsych-writing-style is a late polish — do not rewrite the intro before the framework and balance settle. For meta-science, pull ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility forward: the systematic protocol is part of the design, not an afterthought.
Anti-patterns
- Treating PoPS like Psychological Science: it does not take single empirical studies or routine meta-analyses (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准)
- Submitting a cooperative or miscellaneous piece with no proposal, or reading a proposal's positive feedback as an acceptance
- The annotated-bibliography failure: a "review" with no organizing argument
- Letting the author's own program become the review's center of gravity (self-promotion)
- Confusing PoPS with Psychological Bulletin (formal meta-analyses), Annual Review of Psychology (invited subfield surveys), or Current Directions (short, non-technical) — PoPS is the APS broad integrative + meta-science flagship
Routing by archetype
| Archetype |
Likely first bottleneck |
Enter at |
| field-defining integrative review |
scope is enormous; needs a taxonomy |
ppsych-organizing-framework |
| unifying theoretical statement |
the argument itself, not coverage |
ppsych-organizing-framework |
| meta-science / reform piece |
systematic evidence + open protocol |
ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility |
| big-picture opinion / perspective |
is it broad and defensible enough for PoPS? |
ppsych-topic-selection |
Minimal decision snippet
if decision_letter: -> ppsych-revision
elif ready_to_submit: -> ppsych-submission
elif open_science_or_metascience: -> ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility
elif prose_dense_or_insular: -> ppsych-writing-style
elif need_tables_or_figures: -> ppsych-tables-figures
elif coverage_or_balance_in_doubt: -> ppsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance
elif reads_like_a_list: -> ppsych-organizing-framework
elif reading_unsystematic: -> ppsych-literature-synthesis
elif needs_proposal_or_idea_test: -> ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning
else: -> ppsych-topic-selection
Supplementary resources
Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills → Perspectives-on-Psychological-Science-Skills/skills/ppsych-workflow/SKILL.md
1---2name: ppsych-workflow3description: Use when deciding which ppsych-* sub-skill to invoke next, or when sequencing a broad integrative review, theoretical statement, or meta-science piece from topic through revision for a Perspectives on Psychological Science (PoPS) manuscript. Routes by lifecycle stage and contribution type; it dispatches and does not draft content.4---567# PoPS Workflow Router (ppsych-workflow)89## Overview1011This is the router. It tells you **which ppsych-* skill to use at the current stage** of a manuscript aimed at *Perspectives on Psychological Science* (PoPS) — the **SAGE** journal published in partnership with the **Association for Psychological Science (APS)**, a **bimonthly**, broad, integrative outlet (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准). PoPS does **not** publish single empirical studies (those go to *Psychological Science*) or routine meta-analyses (those go to specialized review journals). It publishes **broad integrative reviews, overviews of research programs, theoretical and conceptual statements, methodology and meta-science commentary, and big-picture "perspective" pieces** across all of psychology and adjacent behavioral, social, neuro, and methods fields (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准). The contribution is a **field-shaping synthesis or argument**, not a new dataset.1213So the lifecycle is not "design → run → estimate → defend." It is: **find a synthesis- or argument-worthy question → decide whether a proposal is required → read across areas → impose an organizing framework → make the treatment comprehensive and balanced → model exemplary open science → manage the editor relationship → submit → revise.** Default assumption unless the user says otherwise: the target is PoPS and the artefact is a **broad integrative/theoretical/meta-science piece**, not a primary-research paper.1415## When to trigger1617- The user asks "what should I do next?" on a PoPS review, theoretical statement, or meta-science piece18- A draft reads like an annotated bibliography or a single-study report and needs a spine or a venue check19- Work is ping-ponging between coverage, framing, balance, open-science, and the proposal route20- A PoPS decision letter arrived and the user needs to switch into revision mode2122## First question: contribution type2324| Situation | Type | Route note |25|-----------|------|-----------|26| Broad cross-area synthesis / overview of a research program | **Stand-alone integrative review** | main pipeline; proposal optional |27| A unifying theoretical / conceptual / metatheoretical argument | **Theoretical statement** | `ppsych-organizing-framework` is the engine |28| Systematic evidence about the field's *practices* (replication, bias, methods) | **Meta-science / methodology** | `ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility` early |29| Special issue, adversarial collaboration, multilab effort | **Cooperative contribution** | **proposal required** → `ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning` |30| Biography, book review, humor/opinion essay | **Miscellaneous** | **proposal required** → `ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning` |31| Single empirical study, or a routine meta-analysis | **Out of scope** | → *Psychological Science* / a specialized review journal |3233> A positive editor reaction to a proposal is **not** an invitation; all manuscripts go through the same review (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准).3435## Routing table (symptom → next skill)3637| Current symptom | Next skill |38|-----------------|------------|39| Unsure the question is PoPS-shaped (broad, integrative, not a single study) | `ppsych-topic-selection` |40| Need a proposal (cooperative/miscellaneous) or want to test a stand-alone idea | `ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning` |41| Reading is unsystematic; cross-area coverage gaps likely | `ppsych-literature-synthesis` |42| Draft is a list of papers, not an argument about the field | `ppsych-organizing-framework` |43| Coverage, balance, or fairness across areas/camps in doubt | `ppsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance` |44| Need a framework figure or who-found-what / practice-prevalence table | `ppsych-tables-figures` |45| Prose dense or insular; a psychologist from another area can't follow | `ppsych-writing-style` |46| Open data/materials/code, preregistration of a meta-science protocol | `ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility` |47| Working with the editor on scope / what referees will weigh | `ppsych-editor-strategy` |48| Ready to submit; need a preflight and reviewer suggestions | `ppsych-submission` |49| Received a PoPS decision letter | `ppsych-revision` |5051## Default order52531. `ppsych-topic-selection` — confirm the question is broad, integrative, PoPS-scale542. `ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning` — proposal route (required for cooperative/miscellaneous)553. `ppsych-literature-synthesis` — read across areas systematically564. `ppsych-organizing-framework` — impose the analytical/conceptual spine575. `ppsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance` — fair, field-spanning, reform-minded but evidence-based586. `ppsych-tables-figures` — framework figure + summary/prevalence exhibits597. `ppsych-writing-style` — the PoPS voice (broad, provocative, accessible); abstract ≤ 200 words last608. `ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility` — exemplary open science (PoPS is a leader)619. `ppsych-editor-strategy` — scope and the editor relationship6210. `ppsych-submission` — ScholarOne preflight + suggested reviewers6311. `ppsych-revision` — after the decision letter6465> `ppsych-writing-style` is a late polish — do not rewrite the intro before the framework and balance settle. For **meta-science**, pull `ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility` forward: the systematic protocol is part of the design, not an afterthought.6667## Anti-patterns6869- Treating PoPS like *Psychological Science*: it does **not** take single empirical studies or routine meta-analyses (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准)70- Submitting a cooperative or miscellaneous piece with **no proposal**, or reading a proposal's positive feedback as an acceptance71- The annotated-bibliography failure: a "review" with no organizing argument72- Letting the author's own program become the review's center of gravity (self-promotion)73- Confusing PoPS with **Psychological Bulletin** (formal meta-analyses), **Annual Review of Psychology** (invited subfield surveys), or **Current Directions** (short, non-technical) — PoPS is the APS broad integrative + meta-science flagship7475## Routing by archetype7677| Archetype | Likely first bottleneck | Enter at |78|-----------|-------------------------|----------|79| field-defining integrative review | scope is enormous; needs a taxonomy | `ppsych-organizing-framework` |80| unifying theoretical statement | the argument itself, not coverage | `ppsych-organizing-framework` |81| meta-science / reform piece | systematic evidence + open protocol | `ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility` |82| big-picture opinion / perspective | is it broad and defensible enough for PoPS? | `ppsych-topic-selection` |8384## Minimal decision snippet8586```87if decision_letter: -> ppsych-revision88elif ready_to_submit: -> ppsych-submission89elif open_science_or_metascience: -> ppsych-transparency-and-reproducibility90elif prose_dense_or_insular: -> ppsych-writing-style91elif need_tables_or_figures: -> ppsych-tables-figures92elif coverage_or_balance_in_doubt: -> ppsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance93elif reads_like_a_list: -> ppsych-organizing-framework94elif reading_unsystematic: -> ppsych-literature-synthesis95elif needs_proposal_or_idea_test: -> ppsych-proposal-and-commissioning96else: -> ppsych-topic-selection97```9899## Supplementary resources100101- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — search, preregistration, repositories, synthesis tooling102- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — official PoPS URLs behind every fact in this pack103104---105106**Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Perspectives-on-Psychological-Science-Skills/skills/ppsych-workflow/SKILL.md`