---
name: brycewang-stanford/agsy-topic-selection
source: https://app.decimal.ai/s/brycewang-stanford-agsy-topic-selection@1/SKILL.md
source_sha256: ac0a71943e56
---

# Topic Selection & Fit (agsy-topic-selection)

Agricultural Systems publishes the **systems analysis of agricultural systems**. The bar is not "a new
result for crop X" — it is **"a systems question about interactions and trade-offs."** Use this skill to
pressure-test fit before you invest, and to keep a field trial from being mistaken for a systems paper.

## When to trigger

- Choosing among possible projects or framings for an AgSy submission
- A reviewer/colleague said the paper "is just a field trial" or "lacks a systems angle"
- Deciding between a **research paper** and a **short communication**
- Considering a **perspective** (forward-looking opinion) or a **comment** on a published paper

## The AgSy fit test

A strong AgSy paper usually clears all four:

1. **A real systems question.** The object is **interactions** — among components (crop–soil–livestock–
   economics), across hierarchical levels, between agriculture and other land uses, or with the
   natural/social/economic environment. If nothing interacts, it is not a systems paper.
2. **Whole-farm to food-system scope (preferred).** AgSy gives preference to **whole-farm and
   landscape-level** issues. A plot-level result needs to be scaled or embedded in a larger system.
3. **Integrated modelling and trade-offs.** Conceptual + empirical + **dynamic / bio-economic
   modelling**; the analysis surfaces **trade-offs and synergies**, not a single optimal number.
4. **Decision relevance.** The result informs a design, management, or policy choice (see
   `agsy-impact-and-implications`).

## Scale & system-boundary framing (state your system explicitly)

| If your work is at… | reach AgSy fit by… |
|---------------------|---------------------|
| Field / plot | scaling to the farm or showing the field-level interaction that matters to the system |
| Whole-farm | the journal's sweet spot — show component interactions and whole-farm trade-offs |
| Landscape / region | spatial interactions, land-use competition, aggregation/emergence across farms |
| Food system | linking production to value chains, food security, environment, and policy |

## Article-type choice

- **Research paper** — full systems study, **~8,000 words** (no hard cap; stay near it).
- **Short communication** — one crisp systems result, **~4,000 words**. Do not pad it into a paper.
- **Perspective** — a forward-looking argument about agricultural-systems science, **~2,000 words**,
  **rapid review** (see `agsy-review-process`).
- **Comment** — a focused response to a published AgSy paper, **~1,000 words**.
- **Review** — usually method-application focused rather than descriptive synthesis; consult editors
  first where the Guide requires it.

## Anti-patterns

- A single-factor field trial with no interactions, model, or trade-off (off-fit — send to an agronomy journal)
- "First time simulated in country X" as the whole contribution (descriptive, not a systems advance)
- A model demo with no agricultural-systems question or decision payoff
- Choosing research-paper length out of habit when a short communication would land harder

## Fit verdict table (how the four-part test maps to a decision)

Score the project against the four fit criteria, then read off the verdict.

| Systems Q | Scope | Trade-offs | Decision | Verdict |
|-----------|-------|------------|----------|---------|
| Yes | Yes | Yes | Yes | Strong AgSy fit — proceed |
| Yes | Field | Yes | Yes | Needs scaling: embed in a farm/landscape system |
| Yes | Yes | One optimum | Yes | Reframe: surface the trade-off across objectives |
| No | — | — | — | Off-fit — re-route to an agronomy/field-crops journal |
| Yes | Yes | Yes | No | Add the decision hook (`agsy-impact-and-implications`) |

## Sibling-venue routing (where a near-miss belongs)

When a project lands near the boundary, route it deliberately:

- **Plot-/agronomy-level result, one crop, no system** → a field-crops/agronomy journal, not AgSy.
- **Economics-first decision with light biophysics** → an agricultural-economics outlet; AgSy expects
  biophysical *and* socioeconomic integration.
- **Policy synthesis with no model** → a food-security/policy journal; AgSy wants the systems analysis.

## Worked micro-example (illustrative)

A team has trial data showing a legume intercrop raises maize yield:

- *Systems question?* As "intercrop raises yield" — no. Reframed as "how the legume–maize–soil-N
  interaction shifts the whole-farm yield–nitrogen-leaching trade-off under variable rainfall" — yes.
- *Scope?* The plot-level trial is embedded in a whole-farm bioeconomic model.
- *Trade-offs?* Scenarios span intercrop share 0–50%; the gross-margin vs. N-leaching Pareto front is
  the headline, not a single "best" share.
- *Decision relevance?* A farmer choosing rotation intensity acts differently. Verdict: strong AgSy fit.

## Calibration anchors

- AgSy's remit centers on interactions, hierarchical levels, trade-offs, and integrated modelling at
  farm/landscape/food-system scale; live-check the current aims-and-scope statement before final
  submission advice.
- The article-type lengths are guidelines, not hard caps; live-check the Guide before final upload.

## Output format

```
【Question】one sentence (state the interaction / trade-off)
【System & boundary】components + hierarchical level(s) + scale
【Modelling approach】conceptual / empirical / dynamic / bio-economic
【Decision relevance】who acts differently if this is true
【Article type】Research paper / Short communication / Perspective / Comment / Review
【Fit verdict】strong / needs reframing / off-fit (why)
【Next】agsy-literature-positioning
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/external_tools.md`](../../resources/external_tools.md) — systems models and data sources by scale
- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — AgSy aims, scope, and article types