case-justification_skill

Overview

This skill drafts case justification sections for interview-based sociology articles, grounded in analysis of 32 Social Problems/Social Forces pieces. It guides cluster selection (Minimal, Standard, Deep Historical, Comparative, Policy-Driven), component coverage, positioning relative to theory, and target word counts.

How this skill works

I assess your study details to pick the appropriate cluster using a decision tree (policy-first? multi-site? historical focus?). Then I draft a full case justification that follows cluster-specific templates: opening move, required contextual components, and the recommended ending/transition. Finally I help calibrate length, components, and transitions to match genre benchmarks.

When to use it

• Draft a new case justification for an interview-based article
• Restructure an existing case section that is too long, too brief, or mismatched to study type
• Decide whether to place the case section before or after the theory section
• Ensure the section follows journal conventions and target word counts
• Prepare a comparative or historical case treatment with appropriate tables or chronology

Best practices

• Default to the Standard cluster for typical single-site interview studies unless clear triggers indicate otherwise
• Open with a Phenomenon–Site link when possible to connect theory and context quickly
• Match your word count to cluster benchmarks (e.g., Standard 700–1,000; Comparative 1,000–1,500)
• Use a single subsection heading for most sections; reserve multiple subsections for comparative or deep historical treatments
• Avoid metadiscourse (e.g., “In this section I will…”) and over-signposting

Example use cases

• Single-site ethnographic interviews on organizational behavior — use Standard Context and emphasize institutional description and sampling rationale
• Two-city comparative interviews on housing policy — use Comparative cluster, parallel site descriptions, and a table to show variation
• Oral-history interviews tracing a social movement — use Deep Historical cluster and a chronological narrative
• Study of a new law where the policy itself is the phenomenon — use Policy-Driven cluster and position the case before theory