ier-topic-selection
Use when deciding whether a question is broad and rigorous enough for an International Economic Review (IER) manuscript, and which branch (theory / structural-macro / econometric method / applied micro) frames it. Tests fit and scope; it does not invent evidence or citations.
Profile →npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill ier-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 (ier-topic-selection) ## When to trigger - You have a result but are unsure it is *general-interest* — would a macro theorist and an applied micro reader both see why it matters? - The question feels like a field-journal question (a single applied estimate, a narrow extension) and you want to know if it clears IER's broad-rigor bar - The contribution is a model with a clean result, and you want to confirm theory is welcome here (it is — IER tilts theory/structural) - The team is choosing between IER, Econometrica/QE, a top-5, and a field journal and needs the boundary drawn ## What IER actually rewards IER was founded in 1960 to be a **forum for modern quantitative economics**, and its center of gravity is *rigor and generality* over topical novelty. The papers that fit are the ones where the contribution is a **method, a model, or a tight model-to-evidence link** that travels beyond the immediate application. Sort your question against these archetypes before going further: | Archetype | What makes it an IER paper | What gets it desk-rejected here | |-----------|----------------------------|---------------------------------| | Pure / applied theory | A new result
- When to trigger
- What IER actually rewards
- Where IER sits among the siblings (so you don't mis-target)
- Worked example (illustrative)
- How to sharpen the question
- Three questions that decide fit before you write
- Checklist
- What "International" does and does not mean
- Anti-patterns
- Output format
What does the ier-topic-selection skill do?
Use when deciding whether a question is broad and rigorous enough for an International Economic Review (IER) manuscript, and which branch (theory / structural-macro / econometric method / applied micro) frames it. Tests fit and scope; it does not invent evidence or citations.
How do I install it?
Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill ier-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.