Jep Writing Style

---
name: jep-writing-style
description: Use when revising sentence-level voice and the abstract/opening for a Journal of Economic Perspectives (JEP) article — engaging, clear, authoritative-but-readable, minimal notation. Polishes prose and front matter; defer structure to jep-narrative-arc and evidence framing to jep-evidence-without-equations.
---

# JEP Writing Style (jep-writing-style)

## When to trigger

- The argument and balance are settled and the prose needs to land
- The abstract reads like a research-paper abstract (machinery, results, no hook)
- Sentences are passive, hedged, and dense; the voice is dull
- Notation or asterisks have crept back into otherwise accessible prose

## The JEP voice

JEP prose is **engaging, clear, and authoritative-but-readable** — the famous "no abstract math in the body" feel. It sounds like a knowledgeable economist explaining something fascinating to a smart colleague from another field: confident, plain, and never showing off. Run this *after* the narrative arc and balance are set; voice polish before structure is wasted.

## Sentence-level rules

- **Active voice and plain verbs.** "We find" / "The data show" / "Firms respond" — not "It is found that responses were observed."
- **Short, varied sentences.** Break long compound sentences. A short sentence after a long one lands a point.
- **Concrete nouns; few abstractions.** "Grocery prices" beats "the price level in the relevant sector."
- **No notation in the body.** Symbols, equations, and asterisks belong in a note/appendix at most (mirrors `jep-accessibility-and-translation`).
- **Earn the jargon.** Define on first use or cut; never use a term to sound rigorous.
- **Confidence without hype.** State what is known plainly; avoid both timid over-hedging and breathless over-claiming.
- **Lead paragraphs with the point.** Topic sentence first, then support — readers should get the gist by skimming openers.

## The abstract and opening

- **Abstract:** plain-language, hook-forward — what question, what we now understand, why it matters. No estimating equations, no asterisks, no method-flexing. JEP applies AEA house style at copyediting, so write for *clarity*, not pre-formatting (re-confirm current abstract guidance on the official page; 检索于 2026-06).
- **Opening lines:** the hook from `jep-narrative-arc` (a puzzle, a fact, a vivid example, a live debate), never "The literature on X has grown rapidly."
- **First page test:** a non-specialist economist should know the question, why it matters, and roughly the answer by the bottom of page one.

## House-style notes (verify on the official AEA pages)

- AEA house style is applied by the copyeditor at acceptance; the submitted manuscript need not pre-conform — write for readability.
- JEL codes and an abstract are part of AEA front matter (re-confirm exact JEP requirements; 检索于 2026-06；以官网为准).
- References are part of the synthesis, not a flex — cite what carries the argument and the further-reading value, consistent with JEP's broad-audience role.

## Checklist

- [ ] Active voice; plain verbs; varied, mostly short sentences
- [ ] No equations, symbols, or significance asterisks in the body
- [ ] Every term earns its place (defined on first use or cut)
- [ ] Confident but not hyped; not over-hedged
- [ ] Paragraphs lead with the point
- [ ] Abstract is plain-language and hook-forward (no machinery)
- [ ] First page conveys question + stakes + rough answer
- [ ] Front matter (abstract / JEL / keywords) checked against current AEA guidance

## Anti-patterns

- A research-paper abstract ("We estimate… using… and find a coefficient of…")
- Opening with the literature or with definitions
- Passive, hedged, abstraction-heavy sentences that bury the idea
- Notation or asterisks surviving into the body "for precision"
- Showing off command of the field instead of explaining it
- Over-claiming certainty the evidence doesn't support (also a balance failure)

## Output format

```
【Voice pass】active / plain / varied sentences? [Y/N]
【Body math/asterisks】removed? [Y/N]
【Abstract】plain-language, hook-forward, no machinery? [Y/N]
【Opening hook】[puzzle / fact / example / debate]
【First-page test】question + stakes + rough answer by p.1? [Y/N]
【Front matter】abstract / JEL / keywords per AEA guidance? [Y/N]
【Next step】jep-balance-and-objectivity
```