Research Paper Checker for Economics
Evaluate economics research papers for causal identification, data quality, and empirical rigour
5 free credits · No card required · Results in under 60 seconds
What Makes a Strong Economics Research Paper?
Modern empirical economics centres on credible causal identification. Whether a paper uses a randomised controlled trial, natural experiment, instrumental variables, difference-in-differences, or a regression discontinuity design, the core question is whether the identification strategy convincingly isolates a causal effect from confounding factors.
As a student reviewing economics papers, scrutinise the data source and sample construction, the plausibility of the identification assumptions (e.g., parallel trends in DiD, instrument relevance and exclusion restriction in IV), and whether reported estimates are economically as well as statistically significant. PaperCompass evaluates these dimensions against empirical economics methodology standards.
4 Things to Evaluate in Economics Papers
Causal Identification Strategy
The most important dimension in empirical economics. Assess whether the paper uses a credible design — RCT, IV, DiD, RDD, or matching — and whether the key identifying assumptions are explicitly justified and tested where possible.
Data Quality and Sample Construction
Check where the data comes from, how the analysis sample was constructed, and whether attrition, selection, or missing data could introduce systematic bias in the estimates.
Robustness Checks and Placebo Tests
High-quality economics papers include specification robustness checks, alternative control sets, and placebo tests demonstrating that results are not driven by arbitrary modelling choices.
Economic vs. Statistical Significance
A statistically significant coefficient with a trivially small economic magnitude may not be policy-relevant. Check that the paper discusses the practical importance of its effect sizes in real-world terms.
Evaluate any Economics paper in under 60 seconds
Upload a PDF or paste the text. PaperCompass auto-detects the methodology and scores every quality dimension against peer-review standards.
Try PaperCompass FreeCommon Issues in Economics Research Papers
Weak Identification
Papers relying on OLS without addressing endogeneity — omitted variable bias, reverse causality, or measurement error — overstate causal credibility. Look for explicit identification strategies.
External Validity Not Addressed
Results from a specific market, country, or time period may not generalise. Strong papers discuss the conditions under which findings transfer to other contexts.
Selective Robustness Reporting
Reporting only robustness checks that support the main finding is a common issue. High-quality papers pre-specify their robustness strategy or explain why certain checks were not included.
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