Systematic Literature Review

This skill guides you through conducting a PhD-level literature review.

Phase 1: Scope Definition

Before searching, clearly define:

Research Question

• What specific question are you investigating?
• Is it focused enough to be answerable?
• Is it broad enough to find relevant literature?

Inclusion Criteria

• Time range: How far back to search?
• Source types: Peer-reviewed only? Include preprints?
• Language: English only or multilingual?
• Geographic scope: Any regional focus?
• Discipline: Single field or interdisciplinary?

Exclusion Criteria

• What types of sources to exclude?
• Quality thresholds (e.g., minimum citations)?

CHECKPOINT: Confirm scope with user before proceeding.

Phase 2: Search Strategy

Search Term Development

1. Identify key concepts from research question
2. List synonyms and related terms for each concept
3. Include both technical and common terms
4. Consider field-specific vocabulary

Boolean Query Construction

(concept1 OR synonym1a OR synonym1b)
AND
(concept2 OR synonym2a OR synonym2b)
AND
(concept3 OR synonym3a)

Database Selection

Execute searches using WebSearch with site filters:

• site:arxiv.org - Preprints (CS, physics, math)
• site:scholar.google.com - Broad academic
• site:semanticscholar.org - AI-powered discovery
• site:pubmed.gov - Biomedical
• site:ssrn.com - Social sciences, economics
• site:acm.org - Computer science

Phase 3: Source Retrieval and Screening

Initial Screening

For each result:

1. Check title relevance
2. Read abstract
3. Assess publication quality
4. Decide include/exclude

Full-Text Retrieval

Use WebFetch to get:

• Full paper content (if available)
• Key sections (methods, results, discussion)
• Reference lists for citation chaining

Citation Chaining

• Backward: Check references of key papers
• Forward: Find papers citing key works

Phase 4: Quality Assessment

Rate each source:

Criterion	Score (1-5)
Authority (author credentials, institution)
Publication venue (impact, peer review)
Methodology (rigor, validity)
Currency (recency, field relevance)
Relevance (alignment with question)

Minimum threshold: Average score ≥ 3

Phase 5: Data Extraction

For each included source, extract:

• Full citation information
• Key findings
• Methodology
• Theoretical framework
• Limitations noted
• Relevance to research question

Phase 6: Synthesis

Thematic Organization

Group sources by:

• Theoretical approach
• Methodology
• Findings/conclusions
• Time period

Pattern Identification

• Where do sources agree?
• Where do they conflict?
• How has thinking evolved?
• What methods dominate?

Gap Analysis

• What questions remain unanswered?
• What populations/contexts are understudied?
• What methods haven't been applied?
• What theoretical gaps exist?

CHECKPOINT: Present synthesis summary for user review.

Phase 7: Documentation

Output Structure

# Literature Review: [Topic]

## Research Question
[Stated question]

## Search Strategy
- Databases: [List]
- Search terms: [Query]
- Date range: [Range]
- Inclusion criteria: [List]

## Sources Identified
- Total found: [N]
- After screening: [N]
- Included: [N]

## Thematic Analysis

### Theme 1: [Name]
[Summary with citations]

### Theme 2: [Name]
[Summary with citations]

## Research Gaps
1. [Gap with evidence]
2. [Gap with evidence]

## Key Sources
[Annotated bibliography]

## References
[Formatted citations]