ci-structure-and-exposition
Use to architect a Critical Inquiry (CI) essay — the order in which intervention, objects, and theory unfold so a reader from another field can follow an ambitious argument. CI essays are long-form humanistic prose, not IMRaD reports; this skill shapes the opening, the build, the turn, and the close. It structures the essay; it does not draft full sections.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill ci-structure-and-exposition --agent claude-code
Same command for any agent — swap --agent for codex, cursor, copilot.
Weekly change comes from our own snapshots, not the repository page — it measures attention, not adoption.
# Structure & Exposition (ci-structure-and-exposition) A *Critical Inquiry* essay is **long-form humanistic prose**, not an IMRaD report — there is no Methods–Results–Discussion skeleton. The architecture is rhetorical: how you bring a reader from another field into a conversation, build pressure, turn to your claim, and leave the field changed. This skill shapes that arc within the **~9,500-word** budget (notes included). ## When to trigger - Outlining the essay or reordering a draft that does not flow - The argument is sound but the reader gets lost or bored - The introduction buries the stakes, or the close fizzles - Sections read as disconnected set pieces ## The CI arc (a flexible template, not IMRaD) 1. **Opening that earns attention.** Begin with a scene, object, problem, or provocation that a non-specialist can feel — then surface the question and the stakes quickly. 2. **Stakes and intervention up front.** By the end of the opening movement, the reader knows what is at issue, what you will argue, and why it matters across fields (see `ci-argument-and-intervention`). 3. **The conversation.** Locate the debate and your pressure point without a dead "lit review" block (see `c
- When to trigger
- The CI arc (a flexible template, not IMRaD)
- Exposition for a cross-field reader
- Budget the length (notes count)
- Anti-patterns
- Operating pass for Critical Inquiry
- Output format
- Supplementary resources
What does the ci-structure-and-exposition skill do?
Use to architect a Critical Inquiry (CI) essay — the order in which intervention, objects, and theory unfold so a reader from another field can follow an ambitious argument. CI essays are long-form humanistic prose, not IMRaD reports; this skill shapes the opening, the build, the turn, and the close. It structures the essay; it does not draft full sections.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill ci-structure-and-exposition --agent claude-code` — it drops the skill into your project so the agent can pick it up. Swap the --agent value for codex, cursor or copilot if you use one of those.
Where does this skill come from?
From brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, a repository with 909 stars. We read it straight from the repository tree rather than a submitted listing, so what you see here is what is actually published.
Is a popular skill a good skill?
Not necessarily. Stars measure attention, not adoption — a repository can trend for a week and be abandoned. That is why we show the weekly change from our own snapshots next to the total, instead of a single flattering number.