ci-topic-selection
Use when deciding whether a project fits Critical Inquiry (CI) and which format to target. CI is the leading interdisciplinary journal of criticism and theory in the arts and humanities, associated with no single school and tied to no single discipline; the test is a theoretical intervention with stakes beyond one field, not subfield novelty or a competent close reading alone. Helps frame the project; it does not gather sources.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill ci-topic-selection --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.
# Topic Selection & Fit (ci-topic-selection) *Critical Inquiry* is the discipline-crossing flagship of **criticism and theory** in the arts and humanities. The bar is not "a smart reading no one has done" — it is **"a theoretical intervention that reorients a conversation across fields."** Use this skill to pressure-test fit before you invest. ## When to trigger - Choosing among possible projects or framings for a CI essay - A reader said the piece feels "like a seminar paper" or "department-internal" - Deciding between a full **Article** and a **Critical Response** - Wondering whether the project is really theory, or just an able reading ## The CI fit test A strong CI essay usually clears all four: 1. **An intervention, not a reading.** It changes how readers think about a concept, a practice, a period, or a medium — it does not merely interpret one more text competently. 2. **Interdisciplinary stakes.** A scholar in a *different* field (an art historian reading a literary essay; a philosopher reading a film essay) should see why it matters. The claim travels. 3. **Theory doing real work.** A concept (from theory, philosophy, or the essay's own coinage) is put to work on objects a
- When to trigger
- The CI fit test
- Reach past your home field (CI is interdisciplinary by design)
- Pitch test — one paragraph, addressed across fields
- Quick disqualifiers (settle before investing)
- Format choice
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
- Supplementary resources
What does the ci-topic-selection skill do?
Use when deciding whether a project fits Critical Inquiry (CI) and which format to target. CI is the leading interdisciplinary journal of criticism and theory in the arts and humanities, associated with no single school and tied to no single discipline; the test is a theoretical intervention with stakes beyond one field, not subfield novelty or a competent close reading alone. Helps frame the project; it does not gather sources.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill ci-topic-selection --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.