Draft empirical econ papers for top journals. Identification, estimates, tables, LaTeX conventions.
Expert-level guidance for writing publication-ready empirical economics papers. This skill adapts the writing-review-revise philosophy from ML paper writing (proactive drafts, iterative feedback, citation verification) to economics: identification strategy, causal inference, data, and journal conventions.
For polishing prose, wide tables, and journal-ready LaTeX formatting, use the tex-journal-draft skill. This skill focuses on structure, workflow, and first-draft generation.
Related skills: econ-orchestrator (multi-stage coordination), research-repo-scanner (scan repo before drafting), python-econ-data / stata-reduced-form / structural-estimation (understand outputs from code).
Paper writing is collaborative, but the agent should be proactive in delivering drafts.
Key Principle: Be proactive. If the repo and results are clear, deliver a full draft. Don't block waiting for feedback on every section. Produce something concrete to react to, then iterate.
NEVER generate BibTeX entries from memory. ALWAYS fetch programmatically.
| Action | ✅ Correct | ❌ Wrong |
|---|---|---|
| Adding a citation | Search API → verify → fetch BibTeX | Write BibTeX from memory |
| Uncertain about a paper | Mark as [CITATION NEEDED] | Guess the reference |
| Can't find exact paper | Note: "placeholder - verify" | Invent similar-sounding paper |
If you cannot verify a citation:
% EXPLICIT PLACEHOLDER - requires human verification
\cite{PLACEHOLDER_author2024_verify_this} % TODO: Verify this citation exists
Always tell the author: "I've marked [X] citations as placeholders that need verification."
For citation APIs: Semantic Scholar, CrossRef (DOI→BibTeX), arXiv. See references/citation-workflow.md or 20-ml-paper-writing/references/citation-workflow.md.
Project Understanding:
- [ ] Step 1: Explore the repository structure
- [ ] Step 2: Read README, docs, key results (tables, figures)
- [ ] Step 3: Identify the main contribution with the author
- [ ] Step 4: Find papers already cited in code or notes
- [ ] Step 5: Search for additional relevant literature
- [ ] Step 6: Outline the paper structure
- [ ] Step 7: Draft sections iteratively with feedback
Step 1: Explore the Repository
ls -la
find . -name "*.do" -o -name "*.m" -o -name "*.py" | head -30
find . -name "*.bib" -o -name "*.tex"
find . -path "*/results/*" -o -path "*/output/*" -o -path "*/tables/*"
Look for: README, data/, code/, results/, tables/, .bib, .tex drafts, Stata/MATLAB/Python scripts.
Step 2: Identify Existing Citations
grep -r "doi\|cite\|@article" --include="*.bib" --include="*.tex" --include="*.do" .
Step 3: Clarify the Contribution
"Based on my understanding of the repo, the main contribution appears to be [X]. The key results show [Y]. Is this the framing you want, or should we emphasize different aspects?"
Step 4–5: Search literature; verify citations; deliver first draft. Draft first, ask with the draft (not before).
| Confidence Level | Action |
|---|---|
| High (clear repo, obvious contribution) | Write full draft, deliver, iterate on feedback |
| Medium (some ambiguity) | Write draft with flagged uncertainties, continue |
| Low (major unknowns) | Ask 1-2 targeted questions, then draft |
Draft first, ask with the draft:
| Section | Draft Autonomously | Flag With Draft |
|---|---|---|
| Abstract | Yes | "Framed contribution as X—adjust if needed" |
| Introduction | Yes | "Emphasized identification Y—correct if wrong" |
| Data | Yes | "Included variables A, B, C—add missing" |
| Empirical strategy | Yes | "Specification follows Z—confirm" |
| Results | Yes | "Highlighted tables 1–3—reorder if needed" |
| Mechanisms / robustness | Yes | "Cited papers X, Y—add any I missed" |
Only block when: Target journal unclear; contradictory framings; results incomplete; explicit request to review before continuing.
Your paper is not a collection of regressions—it's a story with one clear contribution supported by evidence.
| Pillar | Economics Interpretation | Example |
|---|---|---|
| The What | 1–3 specific empirical claims | "We show that X increases Y by Z percent" |
| The Why | Identification strategy and evidence | Variation exploited, assumptions, robustness |
| The So What | Policy relevance, mechanism, welfare | Why readers and policymakers should care |
If you cannot state your contribution in one sentence, you don't yet have a paper.
Each step: draft → feedback → revision.
Paper Writing Progress:
- [ ] Step 1: Define the one-sentence contribution (with author)
- [ ] Step 2: Draft main figure (event-study or key result) → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 3: Draft abstract → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 4: Draft introduction (no "Introduction" heading in AER) → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 5: Draft institutional background → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 6: Draft data section → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 7: Draft empirical strategy → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 8: Draft results → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 9: Draft mechanisms / heterogeneity → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 10: Draft robustness → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 11: Draft conclusion → feedback → revise
- [ ] Step 12: Simulate reviewer; final review cycle
Step 1: Define the One-Sentence Contribution (requires author confirmation)
"I propose framing the contribution as: '[one sentence]'. Does this capture the main takeaway?"
Step 3: Abstract (Economics: ~100–150 words)
Remove from abstracts: methodological details, secondary findings, robustness. Delete weak openings like "This paper studies..."
Step 4: Introduction
Economics paper structure: See references/structure-map.md.
Template location: templates/aer/ (copied from Journal_Template_for_The_American_Economic_Review__AER_/)
- [ ] Step 1: Copy entire AER template directory to new project
- [ ] Step 2: Verify template compiles as-is (pdflatex + bibtex × 2)
- [ ] Step 3: Replace title, authors, abstract, sections
- [ ] Step 4: Add your .bib file; update \bibliography{}
- [ ] Step 5: Add figures/tables; use figurenotes/tablenotes
AER-specific:
\section{}\begin{figurenotes} and \begin{tablenotes} for notes\appendixaea bibliography style with aea.bstCompilation:
pdflatex AER-Article.tex
bibtex AER-Article
pdflatex AER-Article.tex
pdflatex AER-Article.tex
Goal: Turn a working paper or published paper into a 45-min seminar talk (15–20 frames) or a course lecture.
| Section | Seminar (45 min) | Full lecture (90 min) |
|---|---|---|
| Title + motivation | 2 | 2 |
| Setting / institutional background | 2–3 | 3–4 |
| Data | 2 | 3 |
| Identification strategy | 3–4 | 4–5 |
| Main results | 3–4 | 4–5 |
| Mechanisms / heterogeneity | 2 | 3–4 |
| Conclusion + takeaways | 1–2 | 2 |
| Backup slides | unlimited | unlimited |
| Total (non-backup) | 15–20 | 21–28 |
no-pause-beamer rule. Every frame shows complete content.\appendix.\documentclass[aspectratio=169]{beamer}
\usetheme{default}
\usecolortheme{beaver} % or Pittsburgh, Madrid, etc.
\setbeamertemplate{navigation symbols}{} % remove nav bar
\title{Your Title}
\subtitle{Optional subtitle}
\author{Author Name}
\institute{University / Conference}
\date{\today}
\begin{document}
\frame{\titlepage}
\begin{frame}{Motivation}
\begin{itemize}
\item Key fact / puzzle that motivates the paper
\item Why it matters for policy or theory
\item What we do (one sentence)
\end{itemize}
\end{frame}
\begin{frame}{Related Literature}
\begin{itemize}
\item \textbf{Strand 1:} Author (year) — what they do; \textbf{we add} X
\item \textbf{Strand 2:} Author (year) — what they do; \textbf{we add} Y
\item \textbf{Strand 3:} Author (year) — what they do; \textbf{we add} Z
\end{itemize}
\end{frame}
% ... identification, results, mechanisms frames ...
\begin{frame}{Conclusion}
\begin{itemize}
\item \textbf{Main finding:} [one sentence]
\item \textbf{Mechanism:} [one sentence]
\item \textbf{Policy implication:} [one sentence]
\end{itemize}
\end{frame}
\appendix
\begin{frame}{Backup: Robustness Checks}
% Tables / figures showing robustness
\end{frame}
\end{document}
- [ ] Reduce paper abstract to 3 bullets on motivation frame
- [ ] Pick ONE main result figure or table (not all tables)
- [ ] Create TikZ diagram for identification intuition
- [ ] Add "Contribution to Literature" frame (3-5 papers)
- [ ] Add "Data" frame with summary statistics or map
- [ ] Backup: data construction details
- [ ] Backup: robustness checks and alternative specs
- [ ] Test compilation: latexmk -pdf slides.tex
- [ ] Run /slide-excellence for quality audit before presenting
latexmk -pdf slides.tex
# → slides.pdf ready for email / conference upload
Handout mode (2 slides per A4 page for printing):
% In preamble:
\usepackage{pgfpages}
\pgfpagesuselayout{2 on 1}[a4paper,border shrink=5mm]
Or compile with: pdflatex -jobname=slides_handout "\PassOptionsToClass{handout}{beamer}\input{slides.tex}"
mkdir -p docs/slides
cp slides.pdf docs/slides/index.pdf
git add docs/slides && git commit -m "deploy slides"
git push
In GitHub: Settings → Pages → Source: main / docs/
GitHub Actions auto-build (.github/workflows/deploy-slides.yml):