1. How to Search Past Papers

1. Use Global Fuzzy Search on the main page to enter natural-language keywords such as a country, policy, variable, method, or research object.
2. If you already know the exact filters you need, open Advanced Filter Search and search by Topic, Keywords, Country, Method, Dataset, Year, or Code.
3. Read each result card carefully: title, abstract, tags, dataset relations, and empirical methods usually tell you whether a paper is useful for your project.
4. Click into a paper for full details. If Related Papers are available, compare them to see how similar topics or methods were handled.

2. How to Develop a Good Topic

A good group-project question should be specific, answerable, data-feasible, and informative enough to teach your classmates something they did not already know.

• Start from a broad area such as inflation, housing, trade, FDI, or cryptocurrency.
• Narrow it down by country or region, time period, policy event, sector, or variable relationship.
• Use Knowledge Holes to find questions that previous cohorts have not fully explored.
• Study recommended papers to learn how a research question is framed, how data are selected, and how regression results support a conclusion.

3. How to Use Lecture Materials

The Lecture Materials page collects course decks, slide images, examples, and code snippets. Use it to review how a method was presented in class or to check whether your paper describes a concept accurately.

1. Open Lecture Materials from the main page.
2. Expand the lecture card you need.
3. Review the slide images and code snippets.

4. How to Use Ask ECON

Ask ECON, located in the bottom-right corner, is a research assistant. It can answer economics questions, retrieve related papers from the database, explain classroom materials, and help diagnose issues from screenshots.

1. Click Ask ECON in the bottom-right corner.
2. No API setup is required. Ask ECON uses the course-managed AI service automatically.
3. When asking a question, include the topic, country, time period, variables, and the type of help you need.
4. If the answer includes sources, click the source cards and verify the relevant paper or classroom material.

5. How to Use Method Lab

Method Lab, inside the Ask ECON panel, helps you learn and test empirical methods. It is useful when you are unsure whether OLS, DID, VAR, ARIMA, Panel Fixed Effects, or another method fits your project.

1. Open Ask ECON and switch to Method Lab.
2. Search for a method name or alias in the Method field.
3. Read Method information and Demo brief.
4. Click Show the Code to study the code structure, then click Run & Verify to inspect the demo-data output.

Dataset upload in Method Lab is mainly for local practice. Before using any method in your final paper, you still need to understand variable definitions, identification assumptions, and model limitations.

6. Writing and Presentation Tips

• Your abstract should state both the research question and your answer.
• Introduce the question first, then use data, figures, tables, and regression results to support your argument.
• Make figures and tables readable. Do not only present results; explain what question each result answers.
• Avoid turning the project into pure forecasting. Focus on explaining an economic mechanism or policy effect.
• A strong final paper should be focused, convincing, and concise.

7. Troubleshooting

No search results: Try broader terms such as a country, variable, policy, or method. You can also use Advanced Filter Search to filter one field at a time.

Ask ECON cannot answer: Check the service-status light in the Ask ECON header. If it reports an unavailable service, retry later or tell a TA. If the question is complex, split it into smaller questions about topic choice, data, method, and writing.

Results look weakly related: Global Fuzzy Search uses local fuzzy matching, not an LLM. Try a more specific economics keyword, paper code, or dataset name.

Not sure whether a method fits: Read the Method Lab explanation first, then ask Ask ECON to judge the method based on your research question, data structure, and variables.