---
name: cps-writing-style
description: Use when drafting or polishing the prose of a Comparative Political Studies (CPS) manuscript so it reaches comparativists, fits the 11,000-word limit, and follows CPS house formatting. Improves writing and formatting; it does not change the analysis.
---

# Writing Style (cps-writing-style)

A CPS paper must read for the **comparative-politics community**: a comparativist of another region
should follow the argument, see the leverage, and grasp the portable claim. Write argument-first, keep
the prose tight against the word cap, and follow CPS/SAGE house formatting (APA-style author-date
references, unstructured 150-word abstract).

## When to trigger

- Drafting the introduction, abstract, or conclusion; tightening prose for the word limit
- A reviewer found the paper hard to follow, parochial, jargon-heavy, or over the limit
- Formatting references, headings, and the abstract to CPS/SAGE house style
- Checking that the contribution is stated early and travels

## The CPS introduction arc

Lead with the **comparative puzzle**, then the **stake**, then **why it is hard to identify**, then the
**setting & design**, then the **headline finding with mechanism**, then the **portable contribution**,
then a brief roadmap. By the end of the introduction the reader knows the question, the argument, the
evidence, and why it matters *to comparative politics* — not just to one country's specialists.

- **Argument-first.** State the claim and the contribution on page one; do not bury them behind a
  literature tour or lead with the estimator.
- **Travel up front.** Frame the contribution so a comparativist of another region sees what to import.
- **Define, don't drown.** Define region- or method-specific terms; minimize jargon so the paper reads
  past your subfield within comparative politics.

## House formatting (verify current SAGE guidelines)

| Item | CPS norm (检索于 2026-06；以官网为准) |
|------|------|
| Length | Articles **max 11,000 words**; references, tables, figures **excluded** from the count |
| Abstract | **Unstructured, ~150 words**, between title and body |
| References | **APA-style author-date** (SAGE house) — every in-text cite has a list entry and vice versa |
| Manuscript | Double-spaced, 1" margins, 12-pt (Times New Roman preferred) |
| Anonymity | Remove identifying info from the main file; put it on a separate title page |

> Length and house style change — confirm on the SAGE author-instructions page; treat figures above as
> the working norm.

## Tightening for the word cap

- Cut the over-signposted multi-section roadmap; let the argument do the work.
- Move full robustness grids and secondary material to the supplementary/online appendix (does not count
  toward the limit) — but keep the *story* in the main text.
- Replace "it is important to note that" throat-clearing with the claim itself.

## Checklist

- [ ] Question, argument, and finding are clear by the end of the introduction
- [ ] Contribution stated early and framed to travel to other regions
- [ ] Reads for a comparativist outside the paper's region; jargon defined or removed
- [ ] Within the 11,000-word limit (references/tables/figures excluded)
- [ ] Unstructured ~150-word abstract present
- [ ] APA-style author-date references; in-text and list agree exactly
- [ ] Identifying info removed from the main file (anonymized for review)

## Anti-patterns

- Leading with the estimator instead of the question and argument
- Parochial framing that only a specialist on your country would value
- Burying the contribution mid-paper after a long literature tour
- Over the word limit, or padding with an over-signposted seven-section roadmap
- Mixed citation styles, or in-text cites with no matching reference-list entry

## Output format

```
【Intro arc】puzzle → stake → identification problem → design → finding+mechanism → portable contribution → roadmap
【Travels?】contribution framed for a comparativist of another region [Y/N]
【Length】words / 11,000 (refs/tables/figures excluded)
【Abstract】unstructured, ~150 words [Y/N]
【References】APA author-date, in-text=list [Y/N]
【Anonymized】identifying info off the main file [Y/N]
【Next】cps-transparency-and-data
```

## Supplementary resources

- [`../../resources/worked-examples/01-introduction.md`](../../resources/worked-examples/01-introduction.md) — before→after CPS-style introduction
- [`../../resources/official-source-map.md`](../../resources/official-source-map.md) — CPS length, abstract, and style facts with sourcing