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Write research articles, thesis chapters, and dissertation chapters for anthropology that make a clear argument grounded in evidence, follow disciplinary conventions, and meet journal or committee expectations. Anthropological research writing is simultaneously an analytical act and a craft practice: the structure of the article is itself an argument about how evidence, theory, and interpretation relate.
The central challenge of anthropological writing is balancing descriptive richness with analytical clarity. Ethnographic articles must provide enough contextual detail for the reader to see the world the researcher encountered, while making explicit what that world reveals about broader patterns, processes, or problems. Too much description without analysis produces travelogue; too much theory without evidence produces abstraction. The best anthropological writing integrates both at the sentence level, not just the section level.
This skill handles the full range of research writing tasks: from outlining a complete article to drafting individual sections to revising existing drafts. It adapts to subfield conventions — cultural anthropology's vignette-led narratives differ from archaeology's hypothesis-driven reports — while maintaining shared standards of argumentative clarity and evidentiary rigor.
Cross-references: For responding to peer review and writing rebuttal letters, use the academic-review skill. For conference abstracts and presentations, use the skill.
| Task | Reference |
|---|---|
| Section-by-section article guide, structural templates, word counts, thesis adaptations, checklists | Read references/article-architecture-guide.md |
| Subfield-specific conventions, journal requirements, comparative guidance | Read references/subfield-conventions-guide.md |
| Style, voice, ethnographic craft, participant quotes, literature integration, citations, ethics statements | Read references/writing-craft-guide.md |
Determine the entry point:
Before generating any content, collect these inputs:
Required:
Important but can be inferred: 4. Target journal or venue. AAA flagship, regional, interdisciplinary, or specialty journal? Thesis/dissertation for a specific committee? This determines word limits, format, and audience expectations. 5. Article type. Empirical/ethnographic (most common), theoretical, methods-focused, or review article. Each has a different structural logic. 6. Document stage. Outline, first draft, revision, or final polish. Earlier stages need more structural guidance; later stages need more craft and precision. 7. Career stage. Graduate student, early career, or senior scholar. Affects the scope of claims and rhetorical positioning.
Helpful but not required:
references/article-architecture-guide.md for structural
guidance. This is the primary reference for any writing task.references/subfield-conventions-guide.md when the user is working
in a specific subfield or targeting a specific journal, or when the writing
task involves adapting between subfield conventions.references/writing-craft-guide.md when the user needs help with
style, voice, ethnographic description, literature integration, citation
formatting, or ethics statements.Follow the article architecture from the guide reference. The standard anthropological research article contains these sections (adapt order and emphasis to subfield):
For thesis/dissertation chapters: adapt section proportions (longer literature engagement, more methodological detail, committee-oriented framing), and consider how the chapter fits the larger document arc.
Produce one or more deliverables depending on user needs:
Before presenting output, verify:
| Failure mode | Prevention |
|---|---|
| Topic description without argument ("this paper examines...") | Require an explicit contribution statement before drafting; push for "argues that," "demonstrates," or "reveals" |
| Description-analysis separation (all quotes in findings, all theory in discussion) | Integrate evidence and interpretation within each section; every ethnographic passage should be followed by analytical commentary |
| Literature review as annotated bibliography (X said A, Y said B, Z said C) | Synthesize: group sources by argument or debate, not by author; show how your study enters the conversation |
| Introduction that buries the argument on page 5 | State the thesis or research question within the first 1-2 pages; the vignette hooks but the argument grounds |
| Methods section that reads as autobiography | Focus on what the reader needs to evaluate the evidence: site, duration, methods, sample, analytical approach, reflexivity; not a personal narrative of fieldwork challenges |
| Findings organized chronologically instead of analytically | Organize by themes or analytical categories, not by "first I did X, then Y"; chronology serves description, themes serve argument |
| Conclusion that introduces new evidence or arguments | Conclusions restate and extend; new data or claims belong in findings or discussion |
| Ignoring subfield conventions | Load subfield-conventions-guide; a cultural anthro paper without ethnographic voice or an archaeology paper without material description will be rejected |
Example 1: Full ethnographic article for American Ethnologist
Input: "I need to write a full article for American Ethnologist based on my fieldwork on water governance in coastal Tamil Nadu. I spent 14 months doing participant observation with fishing communities and state water bureaucrats. My argument is that fishers' water knowledge constitutes a form of hydro- political expertise that state planners systematically devalue."
Output approach:
Example 2: Methods section for a medical anthropology article
Input: "I'm revising my methods section for Medical Anthropology Quarterly. Reviewers said it's too vague. I did 10 months of fieldwork in a maternal health clinic in Nairobi, interviewed 45 women and 12 health workers, and observed daily clinic operations. I used grounded theory for analysis."
Output approach:
Example 3: Thesis chapter outline for archaeology dissertation
Input: "I need to outline my third dissertation chapter — it's about the faunal analysis from my excavation at a Late Bronze Age site in Cyprus. I have animal bone data from 6 contexts and I'm arguing that feasting practices varied by social status based on bone assemblage composition."
Output approach: