Individual skill
ci-topic-selection
Use when deciding whether a project fits Critical Inquiry (CI) and which format to target. CI is the leading interdisciplinary journal of criticism and theory in the arts and humanities, associated with no single school and tied to no single discipline; the test is a theoretical intervention with stakes beyond one field, not subfield novelty or a competent close reading alone. Helps frame the project; it does not gather sources.
Critical-Inquiry-Skills/skills/ci-topic-selection/SKILL.md
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- Last checked
- Nov 9, 2026
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# Topic Selection & Fit (ci-topic-selection)
*Critical Inquiry* is the discipline-crossing flagship of **criticism and theory** in the arts and
humanities. The bar is not "a smart reading no one has done" — it is **"a theoretical intervention
that reorients a conversation across fields."** Use this skill to pressure-test fit before you invest.
## When to trigger
- Choosing among possible projects or framings for a CI essay
- A reader said the piece feels "like a seminar paper" or "department-internal"
- Deciding between a full **Article** and a **Critical Response**
- Wondering whether the project is really theory, or just an able reading
## The CI fit test