A library of Claude Code skills for experimental social science, computational text analysis, manuscript QA, and transparent reporting. Install as a plugin and you get help across the workflow — research design, analysis, citation and figure/table audits, replication-package scaffolding, and pre-submission review. All 28 skills auto-trigger from prompt context and are also available as explicit /oss:skill-name slash commands. The oss: prefix can be omitted when no other installed plugin claims the same name.
This is the toolkit I use in my own research. It is built from a curated corpus of methodology texts and grows as I add new sources, ideas, and skills. Authoring and editing are mine, with help from Opus 4.8, Gemini 3.0, and ChatGPT 5.4.
The design follows Anthropic's skill authoring best practices. Procedural guidance over textbook definitions, trigger-rich YAML descriptions for auto-invocation, and progressive disclosure (instructions live in skills, the bibliography in SOURCES.md). Skills are periodically audited against the Claude Code skills reference and the skill authoring guide so descriptions, frontmatter, and substantive content stay current.
These skills support the research and writing process. They do not replace it. They follow APSA, JARS, DA-RT, TOP, and FAIR open-science expectations, and all guidance is grounded in 151 published sources and documented workflow patterns. See SOURCES.md for the full bibliography.
Skill Map · How Skills Work · Installation · Skills · Contributing · License
Skills: Ideation · Research Design · Analysis · Corpus Processing · Writing & Reporting · Figures & Tables · Manuscript QA · Review & Submission
flowchart LR
A[Research Design] --> B[Analysis]
A --> C[Writing and PAP]
B --> D[Methods Reporting]
C --> D
D --> E[Manuscript QA and FAIR]
E --> F[Review and Submission]
G[Ideation] --> A
G --> C
A -.-> A1[conjoint / survey / list / cross-national]
B -.-> B1[topic modeling / text classification / OCR]
C -.-> C1[hypotheses / literature review / narrative / preregistration]
D -.-> D1[figures / tables / methods reporting]
E -.-> E1[FAIR / citations / figure-table-audit / replication-package / archive checks]
F -.-> F1[paper-tex / paper-review-lite / paper-review-lite-codex / presubmit / journal-review]
G -.-> G1[diverge / diverge-codex]
Use the domain skills when designing or analyzing a study. Use the manuscript-QA skills when a draft exists and you need to check whether FAIR availability, citations, figures, tables, reporting, and replication materials can survive review.
Each skill is available in two ways:
| Mode | How | When to use |
|---|---|---|
| Auto-trigger | Claude reads your prompt and loads the relevant skill silently | Working naturally — Claude detects context |
| Slash command | Type /oss:skill-name (or just /skill-name when there is no ambiguity) |
When you want to invoke a skill explicitly |
Both modes are available when installed as a plugin. Individual skills can also be installed manually (auto-trigger only).
Permanent install (user-wide, persists across all projects):
# Step 1: Register the marketplace (one-time)
claude plugin marketplace add scdenney/open-science-skills
# Step 2: Install the plugin
claude plugin install oss@open-science-skills
# Project-only install
claude plugin install oss@open-science-skills --scope projectThe plugin's slash-command prefix is oss: (short for open science skills). The marketplace and GitHub repo are still named open-science-skills.
Session-only (no install required, active for the current session):
git clone https://github.com/scdenney/open-science-skills.git
cd open-science-skills && claude --plugin-dir ./pluginAll 28 skills auto-trigger based on your prompts. All 28 slash commands (/oss:conjoint-design, /oss:fair-check, /oss:figures, /oss:tables, /oss:paper-tex, /oss:figure-table-audit, /oss:replication-package, and so on) are immediately available. The prefix can be omitted when no other installed plugin claims the same name.
Option 2 — Selective install (choose specific skills, auto-trigger only)
Use the interactive install script to pick only the skills you want:
git clone https://github.com/scdenney/open-science-skills.git
cd open-science-skills
bash plugin/scripts/install.shThe script lists available skills and lets you choose interactively. Skills are installed to ./.claude/skills/ by default (current project only). Options:
# Install to user-wide skills directory (all projects)
bash plugin/scripts/install.sh --target ~/.claude/skills
# Install specific skills non-interactively
bash plugin/scripts/install.sh --skill conjoint-design survey-design list-experiment
# Install all skills
bash plugin/scripts/install.sh --all --target ~/.claude/skillsRestart Claude Code after installing to load the new skills.
Option 3 — Manual copy (single skill, auto-trigger only)
git clone https://github.com/scdenney/open-science-skills.git
# Project-level (current project only)
mkdir -p your-project/.claude/skills/conjoint-design
cp open-science-skills/plugin/skills/conjoint-design/SKILL.md \
your-project/.claude/skills/conjoint-design/SKILL.md
# User-wide (all projects)
mkdir -p ~/.claude/skills/list-experiment
cp open-science-skills/plugin/skills/list-experiment/SKILL.md \
~/.claude/skills/list-experiment/SKILL.mdNote: Manual install gives you auto-trigger only. Slash commands (
/skill-name) require the plugin.
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| diverge | /diverge |
Brainstorm-then-select: before implementing, generate 3–5 conceptually distinct approaches labeled by creativity dimension ([Novel], [Surprising], [Diverse], [Conventional]) and hold for selection. Resists defaulting to the most obvious solution. After Creative Preference Optimization (Ismayilzada et al., 2025). |
| diverge-codex | /diverge-codex |
Cross-model variant of diverge. Delegates the brainstorm to Codex (GPT-5.4) via codex exec, presents its approaches for selection, then has Codex implement the chosen one. A second model family widens the space of approaches. |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| conjoint-design | /conjoint-design |
Attribute architecture, AMCE/AMIE estimation, power analysis (cjpowR), BART heterogeneity detection, design variants |
| conjoint-diagnostics | /conjoint-diagnostics |
Diagnostic checklist: design, estimation, measurement error (IRR), external validity, interpretation |
| conjoint-cleaning | /conjoint-cleaning |
Qualtrics export to analysis-ready format: column conventions, reshaping, choice mapping, translation, pilot detection, validation |
| survey-design | /survey-design |
Question construction, scale design, survey flow, pretesting, respondent burden, social desirability mitigation |
| cross-national-design | /cross-national-design |
Cross-national survey experiments: per-country power, sensitivity bias auditing, instrument localization |
| list-experiment | /list-experiment |
Item count technique: pre-design sensitivity assessment, control list design, NLSreg/MLreg estimation, assumption testing, placebo diagnostics |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| topic-modeling | /topic-modeling |
STM with metadata covariates, topic count selection via coherence-exclusivity diagnostics, reporting |
| text-classification | /text-classification |
LLM-based classification: codebook design, learning regime selection, human-LLM hybrid workflows, validation |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| vlm-ocr-pipeline | /vlm-ocr-pipeline |
VLM-based OCR: model selection, image handling, prompt engineering, batch strategy, accuracy evaluation, reproducibility |
| post-ocr-cleanup | /post-ocr-cleanup |
Post-OCR cleanup: LLM and rule-based correction, quality diagnostics, multilingual considerations, corpus-level QA, provenance |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| hypothesis-building | /hypothesis-building |
Falsifiability, counterfactuals, DAGs, FPCI, three-level hypothesis specification, equivalence testing, SESOI |
| literature-review | /literature-review |
Evidence maps, closest-prior-work assessment, gap verdicts, literature clusters, synthesis plans |
| narrative-building | /narrative-building |
Introduction logic, literature reviews, the "Why-to-If-Then" funnel, cumulative framing, multi-experiment coherence |
| pre-registration-writing | /pre-registration-writing |
PAP structure, registry selection, analytical strategy specification, code pre-registration, deviation documentation |
| methods-reporting | /methods-reporting |
40-item reporting checklist: CONSORT standards, JARS preregistration elements, DA-RT transparency |
| paper-tex | /paper-tex |
Typeset a working paper or journal submission in house-style LaTeX from any draft (Markdown, Word, TeX, ODT, HTML): pandoc conversion, EB Garamond template, \figcap title+note captions, [H] floats, single-spaced title block with the introduction on its own page, and journal-specific prep (spacing, page limit, anonymization, disclosures). Bundles a tested convert-and-build driver. |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| figures | /figures |
Design publication-quality figures: chart choice from comparison, scales, color, legend ordering matched to visual order, self-contained captions, reproducibility |
| tables | /tables |
Design publication-quality tables: column order matching the argument, row grouping, precision and uncertainty conventions, self-contained titles and notes, code-generated workflows |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| fair-check | /fair-check |
FAIR audit for completed manuscripts: data/code/material availability, repository metadata, persistent identifiers, licenses, access restrictions, reuse conditions |
| citation-check | /citation-check |
In-text/reference parity, DOI and source-status checks, stale working papers, citation-style and support audits |
| figure-table-audit | /figure-table-audit |
End-stage QA of the finished figure/table set: inventory, cross-references, text-to-table consistency, accessibility, SI and replication linkage. Pairs with figures and tables (production-stage). |
| replication-package | /replication-package |
Scaffold or audit a replication package at a target directory. Generates folder structure, README, master.R, figure/table crosswalk, codebook template, LICENSE placeholder, .gitignore, and a pre-release checklist. Platform-neutral (Harvard Dataverse, OSF, Zenodo, GitHub releases). Adapted from Yusaku Horiuchi's replication-package-guide with FAIR-principle integration. Pair with fair-check. |
| Skill | Slash command | What it does |
|---|---|---|
| paper-review-lite | /paper-review-lite |
Critical-Reviewer-style pre-submission audit. Parallel quote-grounded sub-agents, verification cross-check, CONSORT and pre-reg audit for experimental papers. Single-model, in-session counterpart to the standalone presubmit CLI. |
| paper-review-lite-codex | /paper-review-lite-codex |
Cross-model adversarial variant of paper-review-lite. Claude and Codex (GPT-5.4) independently apply the same review specification, then each cross-checks the other's findings; surviving issues are annotated by confidence (mutual, asymmetric-confirmed, single-model-adjudicated). Roughly 22 model calls. Use before submission for maximum pressure and a second model family's blind spots. |
| presubmit | /presubmit |
Activator and setup wizard for the standalone presubmit Python CLI. Walks first-time users through install (venv + pip install -e .), Anthropic API key setup, and output location, then runs the heavier 30+ stage adversarial pipeline (resumable, cost-tracked, optional --math and --code-dir add-ons). Heavier API-driven counterpart to paper-review-lite. |
| journal-review | /journal-review |
Drafts a senior-peer referee report on someone else's manuscript for a social-science journal. Five parallel finder sub-agents (Breaker, Butcher, Shredder, Void, Situator), a Blue Team filter, Chief Reviewer synthesis, and Tone Guard sanitization produce a 1,200–2,000-word report (Recommendation, Summary, Major Concerns, Additional Concerns, Suggestions for Revision). Different role from paper-review-lite and presubmit, which are calibrated for self-audit. This one acts as a third-party referee and is meant to support, not replace, your own assessment of a manuscript. |
PRs welcome. To add a new skill:
- Create
plugin/skills/<name>/SKILL.mdfollowing the skill authoring best practices - Add
plugin/commands/<name>.md(see existing examples — one paragraph activation prompt +$ARGUMENTS) - Add sources to
SOURCES.mdunder a new or existing section - Update badges and table in this README
- Run
bash plugin/scripts/check.shbefore opening a PR
This project is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial 4.0 International. The skills are intended for noncommercial scholarly and educational use.
The citation-check, literature-review, figures, tables, and figure-table-audit skills remix workflow ideas from Cheng-I Wu's Academic Research Skills for Claude Code, also licensed CC BY-NC 4.0. The instructions here are rewritten for this repository's open-science and experimental-social-science scope.
The replication-package skill adapts the structural conventions in Yusaku Horiuchi's replication-package-guide (the source for single-entry-point, compact vs. build/analyze layouts, figure/table crosswalk, paper-consistency check, correction workflow, and pre-release checklist). FAIR-principle integration and the Claude Code skill packaging are added on top; Harvard Dataverse and other platform-specific upload mechanics are not included. Cite Horiuchi's guide if you publish a package built with this skill.