commres-theory-building
Use when building the theoretical argument and hypotheses of a Communication Research (CR) manuscript into a testable, mechanism-level contribution. CR rewards explicit constructs, a stated communication process, and numbered hypotheses with mediation/moderation, not a bare effect. Structures the argument; it does not run analyses.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill commres-theory-building --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.
# Theory & Hypotheses (commres-theory-building) At CR a result is not a contribution until it is attached to a **testable communication mechanism**. This skill turns an idea into theory: precise constructs, an explicit process, and **numbered hypotheses** that the design will test. CR is a hypothetico-deductive journal — a paper that documents an effect without a tested mechanism rarely clears the bar. ## When to trigger - The empirics are strong but the "so what / why" is thin - A reviewer said the paper is "atheoretical," "ad hoc," or "just a main effect" - You need to state constructs, mechanisms, and predictions explicitly before collecting data - Connecting your work to (or extending) an established communication theory ## Build the argument (theory → mechanism → hypotheses) 1. **Concept.** Define the key constructs precisely (e.g., exposure, framing, presence, perceived norms); distinguish each from its near neighbors so measurement is unambiguous. 2. **Mechanism.** State the communication process: who sends/receives what, through which channel, with what cognitive/affective/social step that produces the outcome. This is the mediator. 3. **Boundary conditions.** Name the mode
- When to trigger
- Build the argument (theory → mechanism → hypotheses)
- The mediation/moderation core (CR-specific)
- The theory-contribution bar at CR (calibration anchor, hedged)
- Reviewer-pushback patterns and the theory-level fix
- Worked micro-example: from effect to mechanism (illustrative)
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
- Supplementary resources
What does the commres-theory-building skill do?
Use when building the theoretical argument and hypotheses of a Communication Research (CR) manuscript into a testable, mechanism-level contribution. CR rewards explicit constructs, a stated communication process, and numbered hypotheses with mediation/moderation, not a bare effect. Structures the argument; it does not run analyses.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill commres-theory-building --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.