Jape Contribution Framing

---
name: jape-contribution-framing
description: Use when framing the headline contribution of a Journal of Applied Econometrics (JAE) manuscript — as an empirical application on real data whose results are replicable, rather than a pure-theory advance. Calibrates claims to what the data and design support and compresses into the 100-word summary.
---

# Contribution Framing for JAE (jape-contribution-framing)

## When to trigger

- Writing or sharpening the contribution paragraph and the 100-word summary
- Deciding how strongly to claim, given the design and the real data
- Aligning the framing with JAE's applied, replicable identity

## Frame the contribution the JAE way

JAE rewards a contribution that is an **application on real data** with **replicable** results: here is a substantive question, here is a credible empirical strategy applied to real data, here is what we find, and every number can be regenerated from the data and code we deposit. Acceptable types:

- A **new empirical finding** on an economic question via a credible design;
- A **methodological application** — adapting or stress-testing a technique on real data, with the application (not the theorem) as the contribution;
- A **replication** that confirms, qualifies, or overturns published results (Replication Article track).

Pure theoretical novelty ("we prove a new asymptotic result") is **not** the JAE contribution; if you have method development, frame the *real-data demonstration* as the payoff.

## Calibrate the claim

Applied-econometrics referees punish over-claiming. The contribution must not exceed what the design and data support — distinguish association from causal effect, note external-validity limits, and let **replicability** carry weight: a modest reproducible finding beats an overclaimed fragile one.

## Fit the 100-word summary

The contribution must compress into a **summary of ≤ 100 words containing no citations**, understandable on its own (see `jape-writing-style`). Draft the one-sentence contribution first, expand into the summary, then back-check against the results.

## Output format

```
【Type】new finding / method application / replication
【Claim】associational / causal — matches design? [Y/N]
【Replicable hook】stated? [Y/N]
【Summary fit】≤100 words, no citations, self-contained? [Y/N]
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — summary cap and scope sources