io-topic-selection — independently scanned and version-tracked by SaferSkills.
SaferSkills independently audited io-topic-selection (Agent Skill) and scored it 100/100 (green). The audit ran 55 deterministic rules across Security, Supply Chain, Maintenance, Transparency, and Community; it found 0 high-severity and 0 lower-severity findings. The full rule-by-rule trace and per-finding evidence are below. Free, methodology-open.
Findings & checks · 0 flagged
Every scanned point with the score it earned and what moved between them.
First recorded scan — no prior version to compare against.
The primary manifest — the file an agent reads to learn what this artifact does.
IO is the leading journal of international relations. The bar is not "interesting" or "new to my country case" — it is a generalizable theory of international politics, tested or developed rigorously, where the international (or cross-border) phenomenon is a major cause or effect. Use this skill to pressure-test IR fit before you invest.
A strong IO paper usually clears all four:
war, trade, alliances, treaties, IGOs, transnational actors — is a major cause or effect, not a setting. Strip the international element and the paper should collapse.
travel beyond the single case, dyad, or institution studied. A descriptive account of one IGO is not enough.
institutionalist, IPE, security — not just a subfield-internal gap (see io-literature-positioning).
each is welcome, but each must be rigorous and (for empirics/formal proofs) verifiable later by IO staff (see io-research-design, io-transparency-and-data-policy).
| Research area | Reach IO by… |
|---|---|
| International institutions / law | a general logic of design, delegation, compliance, or legitimacy — not one IGO's history |
| Security / conflict | a portable mechanism of escalation, deterrence, bargaining, or war termination |
| International political economy | a general claim about trade, finance, aid, or globalization politics |
| Foreign policy / diplomacy | tie individual/state behavior to international structure and strategic interaction |
| IR theory | show what the framework lets the field explain or see that it could not before |
or theoretical advance), ≤ 8,000 words. Do not pad it into an Article.
Essay remit on the live page — 待核实).
| If the honest answer is… | Verdict | Action |
|---|---|---|
| strip the international element and the paper still stands | off-fit | re-center or send elsewhere |
| the claim holds only for one IGO/case | needs reframing | generalize the logic (io-theory-building) |
| it documents but does not explain a cross-border pattern | descriptive | attach a portable mechanism |
| it explains a general phenomenon of world politics, testable | strong fit | go to io-literature-positioning |
A scholar has rich panel data on one regional trade bloc and wants to write its institutional history. The bloc is international, so the level is load-bearing — but "the history of bloc X" travels nowhere, so the generalizable-theory test fails. The reframe: ask a portable question the case can answer, e.g., when does delegating dispute settlement to a supranational body raise compliance versus provoke backlash? Now the bloc is a case of a general design problem in international institutions; the claim travels to other bodies and enters a live IPE/institutions debate. When unsure a framing clears the bar, write the one-sentence portable claim first; if you cannot, it is not yet an IO project.
【Question】one sentence (international phenomenon named)
【International level】why it is a major cause/effect (not backdrop)
【Generalizable theory】the portable claim about international politics
【IR debate】which live IR conversation it speaks to
【Article type】Research Article / Research Note / Essay
【Fit verdict】strong / needs reframing / off-fit (why)
【Next】io-literature-positioning../../resources/external_tools.md — IR data sources by research area../../resources/official-source-map.md — IO scope and article types~30 seconds. Free. No account. Every finding cites a rule and a line of evidence.