Agent skill

Popdevr Topic Selection

by brycewang-stanford in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills

A skill your agent uses when deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR, Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target.

MITAuto-check passed

Install Popdevr Topic Selection

skills CLI
$ npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill popdevr-topic-selection -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills popdevr-topic-selection --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/Population-and-Development-Review-Skills/skills/popdevr-topic-selection .claude/skills/popdevr-topic-selection && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
popdevr-topic-selection
GitHub stars
1.2k
Token cost
~1.7k tokens
SKILL.md length
729 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
2,387
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR, Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target.

  • Works in 4 steps: A population–development linkage. It… → Broad interest across fields. An… → A real contribution. A new estimate that… → …
  • Deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR
  • SKILL.md covers When to trigger, The PDR fit test, Domain framing (connect… and Article-type choice, plus 5 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Popdevr Topic Selection is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR, Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target. PDR sits at the intersection of demography and development, so the test is a population-change question tied to social, economic, or environmental change and policy — broad interest, not a narrow estimate. Helps frame the question; it does not collect data.

Its SKILL.md is about 1.7k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

The repository describes itself as: Journal-specific Claude Code/Codex skill packs covering mainstream journals — AER, QJE, Nature, Cell, 管理世界, 经济研究 & 200+ more — your fast track to getting published. | 覆盖主流期刊的… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR
  • Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target

Example prompts

  • “/popdevr-topic-selection”

Workflow steps

4 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. A population–development linkage. It connects a demographic process or outcome (fertility,
  2. Broad interest across fields. An economist, an environmental scholar, and a policy reader should
  3. A real contribution. A new estimate that revises the population-and-development record, a
  4. A clean, answerable scope. Sharp enough to argue convincingly within ~8,000–10,000 words for an

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 932eb23. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Popdevr Topic Selection loads about 1.7k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 106 tokens; SKILL.md has 729 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~106
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.7k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills at commit 932eb23, republished under its MIT licence (© brycewang-stanford). 729 words, ~1,710 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/popdevr-topic-selection/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
popdevr-topic-selection
description
Use when deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR, Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target. PDR sits at the intersection of demography and development, so the test is a population-change question tied to social, economic, or environmental change and policy — broad interest, not a narrow estimate. Helps frame the question; it does not collect data.

Topic Selection & Fit (popdevr-topic-selection)

PDR advances knowledge of the relationships between population and social, economic, and environmental change, and provides a forum for public-policy discussion of those relationships. The bar is not "I estimated a demographic rate"; it is "this illuminates how population dynamics and development interact, in a way that a broad readership cares about." Use this skill to pressure-test fit before you invest.

When to trigger

  • Choosing among possible projects or framings for a PDR submission
  • A colleague said the paper is "pure demography" or "a development paper that ignores population"
  • Deciding between a Research Article, Notes & Commentary, and Data & Perspectives
  • Unsure whether the contribution is a new estimate, a synthetic framework, or a policy reframing

The PDR fit test

A strong PDR paper usually clears all four:

  1. A population–development linkage. It connects a demographic process or outcome (fertility, mortality, migration, ageing, household/population structure) to social, economic, or environmental change — or to the policy that mediates them — not a topic that merely uses population data.
  2. Broad interest across fields. An economist, an environmental scholar, and a policy reader should each see why it matters; PDR's audience spans demography, economics, sociology, public health, and environment/climate, not one sub-discipline.
  3. A real contribution. A new estimate that revises the population-and-development record, a synthetic/conceptual framework that reorganizes a debate (PDR especially values these), a decomposition that isolates what drives a trend, or a policy-relevant mechanism.
  4. A clean, answerable scope. Sharp enough to argue convincingly within ~8,000–10,000 words for an Article, or much tighter for a Note.

Domain framing (connect population to development, not just your sub-area)

Home domainReach population-and-development by…
Fertility / familytie parity, timing, or union change to economic development, gender, or policy
Mortality / healthconnect mortality or morbidity change to development, inequality, or health systems
Migration / urbanizationframe flows and urban growth as drivers/consequences of development
Ageing / population structurelink age structure (dividend, dependency) to growth, pensions, labor
Population & environmentconnect population dynamics to climate, land, resources, vulnerability
Formal / conceptualshow which population-and-development debate the framework newly clarifies

Article-type choice

  • Research Article — full study or substantial synthetic essay; broad population-and-development claim; typically ~8,000–10,000 words.
  • Notes & Commentary — one crisp argument, a focused finding, or a response on a current population question; short. Do not pad it into an Article.
  • Data & Perspectives — a new dataset, indicator, or interpretation of population statistics that the field should know about (route through popdevr-data-analysis + popdevr-transparency-and-data).

Anti-patterns

  • "First study of topic X in country Y" as the whole contribution (descriptive, narrow)
  • A pure demographic estimation paper with no development, policy, or environment payoff (fits Demography / Population Studies better)
  • A development or policy paper that invokes "population" rhetorically but asks no population question
  • A method demonstration with no population-and-development substance
Show full SKILL.md (272 more words)Show less

Desk-screen fit patterns (what the editors' first read rejects)

PDR editors and an editorial committee read every submission first; a paper can be declined before review for poor fit or low likelihood of favorable reviews. The usual triggers and the reframe:

Desk-screen patternWhy it fails the population-and-development testReframe toward fit
A clean causal estimate with demographic controlsThe population process is a covariate, not the objectMake a population quantity the object and tie it to development/policy
A development-economics paper that mentions populationNo population dynamic is theorizedCenter a fertility/mortality/migration/ageing process and its development meaning
A single-country narrative with no broad hookAn environment or economics reader sees nothingConnect to a general population-and-development debate or comparison
A polemical policy essayNot grounded in population evidence or peer-reviewableAnchor the argument in demographic evidence and the scholarly literature

Worked fit check (illustrative vignette)

A researcher has census evidence that fertility fell fastest in districts that electrified earliest. Run the four-part test:

  1. Population–development linkage? Yes in potential — but as stated it is a fertility-and- infrastructure correlation. Reframe: ask how a development input (electrification) reshapes the timing and quantum of childbearing and what that implies for the demographic dividend (illustrative).
  2. Broad interest? After reframing, yes — economists and policy readers care about the dividend.
  3. Real contribution? A decomposition of fertility change into development-driven channels is a genuine population-and-development move.
  4. Answerable scope? Yes, as a Research Article on one country's transition.

Verdict: thin as a correlation, strong as a development-and-fertility-transition paper.

Output format

【Question】one sentence (population dynamics ↔ development/policy)
【Broad interest】which fields beyond your own care, and why
【Contribution type】estimate / synthetic framework / decomposition / policy mechanism / data
【Type】Research Article / Notes & Commentary / Data & Perspectives
【Fit verdict】strong / needs reframing / off-fit (why)
【Next】popdevr-literature-positioning

Supplementary resources

© brycewang-stanford, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in Population-and-Development-Review-Skills/skills/popdevr-topic-selection of brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 932eb23

Compare with similar skills

Popdevr Topic Selection next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Popdevr Topic Selection compared with similar skills
SkillStarsUsed inTokensAuto-checkLicenceRepo updated
Popdevr Topic Selection this skillbrycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills1.2k—~1.7kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Table Fitasgeirtj/system_prompts_leaks69k—~772Automated safety check: PassCC0-1.0
Furniture Fit Checkpascalorg/editor25k—~5.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Bio Population Genetics Population StructureGPTomics/bioSkills1.2k1 repos~5.6kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
TopicsZimoLiao/scholaraio576—~294Automated safety check: PassMIT
Topic Modelingbrycewang-stanford/Auto-Empirical-Research-Skills4.5k—~3.7kAutomated safety check: PassCustom licence

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Questions about Popdevr Topic Selection

What does Popdevr Topic Selection do?

A skill your agent uses when deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR, Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target. Popdevr Topic Selection is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR, Wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target.

When should I use Popdevr Topic Selection?

Popdevr Topic Selection fits situations like: deciding whether a project fits Population and Development Review (PDR; wiley / Population Council) and which article type to target.

How do I install Popdevr Topic Selection in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill popdevr-topic-selection -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (Population-and-Development-Review-Skills/skills/popdevr-topic-selection in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .claude/skills/popdevr-topic-selection in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Popdevr Topic Selection in Codex?

Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill popdevr-topic-selection -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (Population-and-Development-Review-Skills/skills/popdevr-topic-selection in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .agents/skills/popdevr-topic-selection in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Popdevr Topic Selection in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill popdevr-topic-selection -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/popdevr-topic-selection, .gemini/skills/popdevr-topic-selection, .github/skills/popdevr-topic-selection and .opencode/skills/popdevr-topic-selection in your project.

What does Popdevr Topic Selection need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Popdevr Topic Selection is instructions for the agent only.

Does Popdevr Topic Selection access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Popdevr Topic Selection safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Popdevr Topic Selection use?

Popdevr Topic Selection is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Popdevr Topic Selection use?

About 1.7k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 6.8k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Popdevr Topic Selection?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Popdevr Topic Selection: Table Fit (asgeirtj/system_prompts_leaks, 69k stars), Furniture Fit Check (pascalorg/editor, 25k stars), Bio Population Genetics Population Structure (GPTomics/bioSkills, 1.2k stars) and Topics (ZimoLiao/scholaraio, 576 stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Popdevr Topic Selection?

brycewang-stanford (a GitHub user) maintains it in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, which has 1,216 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2,387 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 27, 2026.

Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.