| name | jpart-workflow |
| description | Use as the entry point for any Journal of Public Administration Research and Theory (JPART) manuscript. Routes to the right JPART sub-skill based on the lifecycle stage and forces the journal's defining test — a public-management theory contribution, not a bare empirical finding. It dispatches; it does not draft content. |
JPART Workflow Router (jpart-workflow)
The orchestrator for a JPART submission. Figure out the stage, then send the user to the matching
skill. JPART is the theory-and-research flagship of public administration — the owning society is
the Public Management Research Association (PMRA) and the publisher is Oxford University Press.
The router's first job is to make sure the paper builds or tests public-management theory, not just
report an estimate.
When to trigger
- Starting a new JPART paper and unsure where to begin
- Mid-project and unsure which skill applies next
- A reviewer or co-author said the paper is "atheoretical" or "reads like a policy report"
- Returning with a decision letter (route to
jpart-rebuttal)
First question: is there a theoretical contribution?
JPART rejects strong empirics with no theory. Before routing anywhere, force this gate:
| Symptom | What it means | Route to |
|---|
| Clean estimate, thin "so what" | finding without a theory move | jpart-theory-building |
| "We test X in setting Y" only | descriptive, no mechanism | jpart-topic-selection |
| Strong PA theory, weak identification | claim outruns design | jpart-research-design |
| Theory + design solid, prose buries it | contribution hidden | jpart-writing-style |
JPART's own author guidance asks the abstract to state the theoretical approach first, then method,
data, results, and implications for theory. If you cannot fill the theory slot, do not route forward.
Routing map (stage → skill)
Idea / fit for PA theory? → jpart-topic-selection
Where does it sit in the field? → jpart-literature-positioning
What's the theoretical argument? → jpart-theory-building
Is the design defensible? → jpart-research-design
Are the analyses sound? → jpart-data-analysis
Are the exhibits clear? → jpart-tables-figures
Does it read as theory + rigor? → jpart-writing-style
Data + code release ready? → jpart-transparency-and-data
How will it be judged? → jpart-review-process
Ready to submit? → jpart-submission
Got an R&R / decision? → jpart-rebuttal
Default order
topic-selection → literature-positioning → theory-building → research-design → data-analysis → tables-figures → writing-style → transparency-and-data → review-process → submission → rebuttal
Iterate: most JPART papers loop theory ↔ design ↔ analysis several times before writing-style.
Router stop conditions
Do not advance to the next skill when any of these are true:
| Stop | Why it matters | Route back |
|---|
| The theory slot is a topic label, not a mechanism | JPART screens for contribution to PA theory | jpart-theory-building |
| The paper would still work if every agency, employee, or citizen detail were removed | The public-management setting is incidental | jpart-topic-selection |
| The design identifies an effect but not the claimed mechanism | Reviewers will read the contribution as overclaimed | jpart-research-design |
| Exhibits show coefficient grids but no magnitude, uncertainty, or mechanism | The result is not reviewable from the paper itself | jpart-tables-figures |
| Data/code release is impossible or ethically underspecified | Publication requires a public reproducibility path | jpart-transparency-and-data |
The router should return a single next action, not a full rewrite plan. JPART work improves fastest when
each pass fixes the highest-risk gate before polishing lower-risk prose.
Sibling-journal routing check (do not misfile)
JPART is not PAR, not JPAM, not Governance. One-minute check before drafting:
| If the paper is really… | It belongs at… | Route if weak |
|---|
| A broad essay / practitioner-facing piece | Public Administration Review (PAR) | jpart-topic-selection |
| A policy-analysis / program-evaluation result | JPAM | jpart-topic-selection |
| Comparative-government / institutions, less management theory | Governance | jpart-literature-positioning |
| A public-management theory tested with rigorous (often experimental/causal) empirics | JPART | continue pipeline |
Anti-patterns
- Treating JPART like a policy-evaluation outlet — it wants a public-management theory contribution
- Submitting a strong identification result with no mechanism or theoretical payoff
- Confusing JPART with PAR (broad/practitioner) or JPAM (policy analysis) — different fit, different reviewers
- Skipping the data-and-code release plan until acceptance — JPART requires it as a condition of publication
Output format
【Stage】idea / positioning / theory / design / analysis / exhibits / writing / transparency / review / submit / rebut
【Theory gate】contribution to PA theory stated? [Y/N]
【Stop condition】none / theory / incidental PA setting / mechanism-design mismatch / exhibit opacity / transparency gap
【Route to】jpart-<skill>
【Why】one line
【Then】the next skill after that
Supplementary resources
