jet-tables-figures

Design

Use when designing the exhibits in a Journal of Economic Theory (JET) paper — mostly schematic theory figures (best-response/phase diagrams, lattices, timing trees, mechanism flow) and small illustrative tables, kept consistent with the body's notation and rendered as vector graphics. Light for a theorem-proof journal; numerical tables only when grounded in theory.

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Source SKILL.md: https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills/blob/HEAD/Journal-of-Economic-Theory-Skills/skills/jet-tables-figures/SKILL.md

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Exhibits: Tables & Figures (jet-tables-figures)

When to trigger

You need a diagram to convey an equilibrium, a mechanism, or a comparative-static
You have a small numerical table illustrating a theorem
You are formatting exhibits for elsarticle submission

What exhibits look like at JET

JET is a theorem-proof journal, so most exhibits are schematic, not data-driven. The typical JET figure clarifies an argument:

Best-response / phase diagrams, indifference maps, region partitions of a parameter space
Lattices / Hasse diagrams for order-theoretic results; timing / extensive-form trees for games
Mechanism / information flow diagrams; revelation or allocation schematics
Bound / tightness plots showing where a characterized object sits

Numerical tables are light and subordinate — admitted only to illustrate or test a theoretical result (see jet-data-analysis), never as the paper's payload.

Construction rules

Notation must match the body exactly — same symbols, same names for regions/agents/types. A figure that renames objects costs the referee more than it saves.
Vector output (PDF/EPS) for print; build diagrams in TikZ/PGF (native to elsarticle LaTeX) or pgfplots; export matplotlib/Julia plots to PDF.
Self-contained captions/notes: define every symbol, axis, and shaded region in the note so the exhibit reads without the surrounding text.
Label the economics, not just the math: name what a region/curve means (e.g., "pooling region"), not only the inequality that defines it.
Number figures/tables and call them out in order in the text.

Exhibit necessity test

Keep an exhibit only if it does one of four jobs:

Makes a theorem's domain or partition visible.
Shows a counterexample or tightness construction.
Clarifies a mechanism, timing, information flow, or allocation rule.
Reproduces a small numerical illustration that is subordinate to a formal result.

If the exhibit is decorative or repeats a proof step without reducing cognitive load, delete it. JET referees value proof clarity more than visual volume.

Default schematic by result type

Result type	Default JET schematic	Drawing notes
Parameter-region characterization	partition of the parameter square (e.g., pooling vs separating)	label regions with the economics; each boundary curve gets its defining equation in the note
Order-theoretic / lattice result	Hasse diagram of the relevant poset	orient the diagram by the order actually used in the proof
Dynamic game / contract	timeline or extensive-form tree	nodes say who moves and what is observed at that point
Mechanism / information flow	report → allocation/transfer schematic	one arrow per message; types listed on the input side
Tightness of a bound	the bound and the attaining example on one axis pair	mark the attainment point explicitly so tightness is visible

TikZ skeleton for a region partition

\begin{tikzpicture}[scale=3]
  \draw[->] (0,0) -- (1.05,0) node[below] {$\alpha$ (ambiguity)};
  \draw[->] (0,0) -- (0,1.05) node[left]  {$\Delta$ (type gap)};
  \draw[thick] (0,0) .. controls (0.5,0.45) .. (1,0.6); % boundary from Prop. 3, eq. (11)
  \node at (0.30,0.72) {separating};
  \node at (0.70,0.22) {pooling};
\end{tikzpicture}
% Note text: symbols identical to the body; the boundary is the locus where (IC-H) binds, eq. (11).

Adapt the axes and boundary to your model, but keep the pattern: every drawn object traces back to a numbered equation or constraint in the text.

Caption discipline

Sentence 1: what the exhibit shows in economic terms ("Figure 2 partitions the ambiguity–type-gap plane into pooling and separating regions").
Middle sentences: define every symbol, axis, and shaded region; name the equation generating each curve.
Last sentence: parameter values if numerical, with a pointer to the script that regenerates the exhibit (see jet-data-analysis).

Anti-patterns

A figure introducing notation that conflicts with the proof
Raster screenshots or low-resolution diagrams
A large numerical table presented as a result in a theory paper
A diagram with no self-contained note, unreadable away from its paragraph

Output format

【Exhibit】<schematic type> | small illustrative table
【Notation match】identical to body? [Y/N]
【Format】vector (TikZ/PDF), self-contained note? [Y/N]
【Role】clarifies argument | illustrates theorem (subordinate)
【Next】jet-writing-style / jet-submission