gcb-topic-selection
Use when deciding whether a research idea fits Global Change Biology (GCB) and how to frame its significance. GCB wants a mechanistic link between a global-change driver and a biological response, of broad relevance across systems. Tests fit and sharpens the question; it does not generate data or guarantee acceptance.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill gcb-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 (gcb-topic-selection) GCB's remit is the **interface between global environmental change and biological systems**. A paper fits when it shows **how a driver of global change affects (or is affected by) living systems** — and why that matters beyond a single site or species. This skill tests fit and sharpens the framing before you invest in design. ## When to trigger - Deciding whether an idea belongs in GCB versus a regional, taxon-specific, or conservation-practice journal - Framing the global-change **significance** and the **mechanism** up front - Choosing the article type (Primary Research Article, Technical Advance, Review, Opinion/Perspective) ## The GCB fit test 1. **Is there a global-change driver?** Climate warming, drought, rising CO2 / tropospheric ozone, nitrogen deposition, land-use change, ocean change — an aspect of change that affects a substantial part of the globe. 2. **Is there a biological response or feedback?** A response or feedback in a biological system, at any level from **molecular to biome**, aquatic or terrestrial, managed or natural. 3. **Is the link mechanistic?** GCB rewards *why/how*, not just *that* a correlation exists. 4.
- When to trigger
- The GCB fit test
- Sharpening the question
- Fit triage at a glance
- Worked micro-example (illustrative)
- Reframing pushback patterns
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
- Supplementary resources
What does the gcb-topic-selection skill do?
Use when deciding whether a research idea fits Global Change Biology (GCB) and how to frame its significance. GCB wants a mechanistic link between a global-change driver and a biological response, of broad relevance across systems. Tests fit and sharpens the question; it does not generate data or guarantee acceptance.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill gcb-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.