# Restat Writing Style > Use when revising the prose of a The Review of Economics and Statistics (REStat) manuscript — especially the abstract and introduction — so the applied question and the estimate land immediately in REStat house style. Polishes framing and prose; it does not change results or identification. - Skill: `thedixitjain/restat-writing-style` (Agent Skill) - Install (CLI): `npx skillmds add thedixitjain/restat-writing-style` - Raw SKILL.md: https://api.skillmd.com/api/skills/thedixitjain/restat-writing-style/raw - Safety review: pending - Works with: Claude Code, Claude.ai, OpenAI Codex - Category: Coding & Dev Tools - Author: thedixitjain (https://skillmd.com/u/thedixitjain) - Updated: 2026-09-08 - Page: https://skillmd.com/skills/thedixitjain/restat-writing-style --- # Writing Style (restat-writing-style) ## When to trigger - The introduction buries the question and the estimate under setup and machinery - The abstract exceeds REStat's limit or does not state the finding - A reader cannot say, after one paragraph, what was measured and what it matters for - Prose is in passive throat-clearing mode ("has been studied extensively") ## The REStat prose bar REStat is **empirical-first applied economics**, so the intro must put the **applied question, the design, and the headline estimate (with units and a standard error)** on page one. The abstract is **≤100 words** (source map refreshed 2026-06-20), in JEL-suitable form — so every word earns its place. The house style is plain, quantitative economics prose: state the number, state the design that earns it, state why an applied audience cares. REStat's measurement tradition means the writing should also make the **quality of the data/measurement** legible early when that is part of the contribution. ## The REStat introduction arc 1. **Question + headline quantity, first breath.** "When [X] changes, how much does [Y] move?" → "we find [estimate, with units and SE]." 2. **Why it is hard / why prior estimates are unreliable.** The identification or measurement obstacle, named. 3. **Approach.** Data + design (DID / RD / IV / shift-share) + what makes the measurement credible — in one paragraph. 4. **Result restated with mechanism / interpretation** and its uncertainty carried through. 5. **Contribution as a delta against named work** (from `restat-literature-positioning`), with scope honestly bounded. 6. **Brief roadmap** — no over-signposting. ## Abstract rules (REStat) - **≤100 words**; live-check the current submission guidelines before upload. - State the question, the design, and the **finding with a number**, not just "we study X." - JEL-suitable: written so it can be classified; keywords/JEL codes accompany the title page. - No undefined jargon; an applied economist outside your subfield should follow it. ## Checklist - [ ] First paragraph states the applied question + the headline estimate (units + SE) - [ ] Abstract ≤100 words and states the finding with a number - [ ] Identification/measurement obstacle named before the machinery - [ ] Approach (data + design + measurement credibility) in one paragraph - [ ] Contribution framed as a delta against named work, scope bounded - [ ] Roadmap brief; no over-signposting; active, plain quantitative prose - [ ] Intro written/finalized AFTER identification and robustness settled ## Anti-patterns - Leading the intro with the estimator or the data-cleaning, not the question (method-first reads like *J. Econometrics*) - An abstract that says "we study X" with no number — wasting a ≤100-word budget - Throat-clearing ("has been studied extensively") and vague stakes - Burying the headline estimate on page 4 - Over-signposted roadmaps doing the argument's job - Polishing the intro before the estimate and robustness are final ## Abstract micro-edit (illustrative) - **Weak (over budget, no number):** "This paper studies the effect of broadband access on rural entrepreneurship. Using a difference-in-differences approach exploiting a staggered rollout, we examine how internet access shapes business formation and discuss policy implications." — says nothing, spends words. - **REStat-shaped (≤100 words, states the finding):** "We estimate the effect of rural broadband access on small-business formation using a staggered subsidy rollout and a heterogeneity-robust difference-in- differences design, correcting for measurement error in rollout dates. Access raises new business registrations by 8.1 per 10,000 residents per year (s.e. 1.4), a 14% increase, concentrated where a supplier base already existed. The estimate is robust to alternative estimators and few-cluster inference. Both the estimator and the measurement correction matter, reconciling earlier near-zero estimates." (≈80 words) ## Worked example pointer See `../../resources/worked-examples/01-introduction.md` for a before→after REStat-style introduction that executes this arc (fictional, illustrative). ## Output format ``` 【Para-1 test】question + estimate (units + SE) present? [Y/N] 【Abstract】word count ≤100? states finding with a number? [Y/N] 【Obstacle named】identification/measurement obstacle before machinery? [Y/N] 【Approach】data + design + measurement credibility in one para? [Y/N] 【Contribution】delta vs named work + bounded scope? [Y/N] 【Prose】active, plain, no throat-clearing? [Y/N] 【Next step】restat-replication-package ``` --- **Source:** [`brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills`](https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) → `Review-of-Economics-and-Statistics-Skills/skills/restat-writing-style/SKILL.md`