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From opencite
Use this skill for "write a literature review", "synthesize papers", "review the literature", "summarize research findings", "identify research trends", "gap analysis", "thematic review", "systematic review", "scoping review", "narrative review", "compare studies", "research synthesis", or when the user wants to synthesize multiple papers into a cohesive literature review.
npx claudepluginhub neuromechanist/research-skills --plugin openciteHow this skill is triggered — by the user, by Claude, or both
Slash command
/opencite:literature-reviewThe summary Claude sees in its skill listing — used to decide when to auto-load this skill
Synthesize multiple academic papers into a cohesive literature review with thematic organization, trend identification, gap analysis, and proper citation weaving.
Generates structured literature reviews on research topics via Corbis searches, organizes into themes with synthesized prose, outputs as Markdown, LaTeX section, or standalone document with BibTeX citations.
Guides systematic, scoping, and narrative literature reviews with search planning, source screening, deduplication, and evidence logging for academic or technical topics.
Conducts systematic literature reviews: scopes research questions, searches arXiv/Semantic Scholar/Google Scholar, screens/extracts/synthesizes papers, identifies gaps. For research surveys and related work.
Share bugs, ideas, or general feedback.
Synthesize multiple academic papers into a cohesive literature review with thematic organization, trend identification, gap analysis, and proper citation weaving.
| Type | Purpose | Method | Output |
|---|---|---|---|
| Narrative | Summarize and interpret a body of literature | Selective, thematic | Flowing prose with arguments |
| Systematic | Exhaustive, reproducible search with defined criteria | PRISMA protocol, inclusion/exclusion | Structured report with methodology |
| Scoping | Map the extent of literature on a topic | Broad search, categorization | Overview of themes and gaps |
| Mini-review | Focused review for a specific question | Targeted search | Brief, focused synthesis |
Use the opencite skill to find relevant literature:
# Foundational papers
uvx opencite canonical "topic" --max 15
# Recent work
uvx opencite search "specific query" --max 30 --sort date
# Citation network
uvx opencite cite "key-paper-DOI" --direction both
# Download and convert for reading
uvx opencite batch-fetch --from-json results.json --convert -o ./papers --summary report.json
For each paper, extract:
Create a synthesis matrix:
| Paper | Finding | Method | Supports | Contradicts |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Smith 2024 | X increases Y | RCT, N=200 | Jones 2023 | Lee 2022 |
| Jones 2023 | X correlates with Y | Survey, N=1000 | Smith 2024 | -- |
| Lee 2022 | No effect of X on Y | Meta-analysis | -- | Smith 2024, Jones 2023 |
Group papers by theme, not chronologically. Common organizing structures:
Each paragraph in a literature review should:
Integral citation (author as subject): "Smith et al. (2024) demonstrated that X increases Y using a randomized controlled trial with 200 participants."
Non-integral citation (finding as subject): "Recent evidence suggests that X increases Y in controlled settings (Smith et al., 2024; Jones et al., 2023), although this effect may be population-dependent (Lee et al., 2022)."
Synthesis citation (multiple sources for one claim): "Several studies have converged on the finding that X modulates Y through mechanism Z (Smith et al., 2024; Jones et al., 2023; Chen et al., 2021), with effect sizes ranging from d = 0.3 to d = 0.8."
Contrast citation: "While Smith et al. (2024) found significant effects using direct measurement, Lee et al. (2022) reported null results in a meta-analysis of self-report studies, suggesting that measurement approach may moderate the effect."
After synthesizing existing literature, articulate what is missing:
Gap statement patterns:
# Export BibTeX for all cited papers
for doi in $(cat cited_dois.txt); do
uvx opencite lookup "$doi" -f bibtex --append-bib review_refs.bib
done
# Literature Review: {Topic}
## {Theme 1 Title}
{Synthesized paragraphs with citations}
## {Theme 2 Title}
{Synthesized paragraphs with citations}
## {Theme 3 Title}
{Synthesized paragraphs with citations}
## Current Gaps and Future Directions
{Gap analysis and research opportunities}
## References
{BibTeX file or formatted reference list}