Literature Review

Skill: Literature Review

> Systematic literature search, synthesis, gap identification, and narrative construction for academic research.

Metadata

| Field | Value | |-------|-------| | Skill ID | literature-review | | Version | 1.0.0 | | Category | Research | | Difficulty | Advanced | | Prerequisites | None | | Related Skills | academic-research, citation-management, dissertation-defense |

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Overview

Literature review is foundational to academic research. This skill provides structured workflows for systematic searching, critical synthesis, and gap identification—transforming scattered sources into coherent scholarly narratives.

Core Competencies

1. Systematic Search - Reproducible, comprehensive search strategies
2. Critical Appraisal - Quality assessment of sources
3. Synthesis - Thematic integration across sources
4. Gap Identification - Locating research opportunities
5. Narrative Construction - Weaving sources into argument

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Module 1: Systematic Search Strategy

The PICO(S) Framework

For empirical research questions:

| Element | Description | Example (AIRS) | |---------|-------------|----------------| | Population | Who is studied | Knowledge workers, AI users | | Intervention | What is applied | AI-powered tools, copilots | | Comparison | Alternative | Traditional tools, no AI | | Outcome | What is measured | Adoption intention, behavioral intention | | Study type | Research design | Quantitative survey, SEM |

Database Selection

| Database | Best For | Coverage | |----------|----------|----------| | Google Scholar | Broad discovery, citation tracking | All disciplines | | Web of Science | High-impact journals, citation analysis | STEM, social sciences | | Scopus | Comprehensive coverage, author metrics | Multidisciplinary | | ACM Digital Library | Computer science, HCI | CS, CHI proceedings | | PsycINFO | Psychology, behavioral research | Psychology, social sciences | | SSRN | Working papers, preprints | Business, economics, law |

Search String Construction

Boolean operators:

("artificial intelligence" OR "AI" OR "machine learning")
AND
("adoption" OR "acceptance" OR "intention")
AND
("UTAUT" OR "TAM" OR "technology acceptance")

Truncation and wildcards:

• adopt* → adoption, adopting, adopter
• behavio?r → behavior, behaviour

Search Protocol Template

## Search Protocol

**Research Question**: [Your RQ]
**Date Conducted**: [Date]
**Databases Searched**: [List]

### Search Terms
- Primary: [terms]
- Secondary: [terms]
- Exclusions: [terms with NOT]

### Inclusion Criteria
- Published: [date range]
- Language: [languages]
- Study type: [empirical, theoretical, etc.]
- Peer-reviewed: [yes/no]

### Exclusion Criteria
- [List exclusions]

### Results
| Database | Initial Hits | After Dedup | After Title Screen | After Abstract Screen | Final |
|----------|--------------|-------------|--------------------|-----------------------|-------|

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Module 2: Source Management

The Funnel Process

Initial Search Results (hundreds)
        ↓ Title screening
Potentially Relevant (~50-100)
        ↓ Abstract screening
Candidates for Full-Text (~30-50)
        ↓ Full-text review
Included Sources (~15-30)
        ↓ Backward/forward citation
Final Corpus (~20-40)

Screening Criteria

Quick reject (title/abstract):

• Wrong population
• Wrong intervention
• Wrong outcome
• Non-empirical (if seeking empirical)
• Wrong language
• Duplicate

Full-text assessment:

• Methodological rigor
• Relevance to research question
• Contribution to synthesis

Citation Tracking

Backward citation (reference mining):

• Review reference lists of key papers
• Find foundational works
• Identify theoretical ancestry

Forward citation (cited by):

• Use Google Scholar "Cited by"
• Find recent developments
• Identify methodological improvements

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Module 3: Critical Appraisal

Quality Assessment Dimensions

| Dimension | Questions | |-----------|-----------| | Validity | Are findings believable? Methods appropriate? | | Reliability | Would study replicate? Measures consistent? | | Generalizability | To what populations/contexts? | | Rigor | Adequate sample? Controls? Analysis? | | Transparency | Can methods be reproduced? |

Study Type Checklists

Quantitative survey studies:

• [ ] Sample size adequate (power analysis?)
• [ ] Response rate reported
• [ ] Validated instruments used
• [ ] Reliability reported (Cronbach's α)
• [ ] Common method bias addressed
• [ ] Appropriate statistical analysis

Qualitative studies:

• [ ] Sampling strategy justified
• [ ] Data saturation discussed
• [ ] Researcher positionality stated
• [ ] Coding process transparent
• [ ] Member checking or triangulation

SEM/CFA studies:

• [ ] Model fit indices reported (CFI, RMSEA, SRMR)
• [ ] Convergent validity (AVE ≥ .50)
• [ ] Discriminant validity (HTMT "Smith (2020) found X. Jones (2021) found Y. Brown (2022) found Z."

✅ Synthesis (strong): > "While early studies emphasized X (Smith, 2020), subsequent research revealed the moderating role of Y (Jones, 2021), leading to more nuanced frameworks that integrate both factors (Brown, 2022)."

Transition Phrases for Synthesis

| Purpose | Phrases | |---------|---------| | Agreement | "Consistent with...", "Similarly...", "Extending this..." | | Contrast | "However...", "In contrast...", "Alternatively..." | | Extension | "Building on...", "Taking this further...", "Integrating..." | | Gap signal | "Yet...", "Nevertheless...", "What remains unclear..." |

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Quick Reference

Literature Review Checklist

• [ ] Search strategy documented and reproducible
• [ ] Multiple databases searched
• [ ] Inclusion/exclusion criteria explicit
• [ ] Backward and forward citation completed
• [ ] Sources critically appraised
• [ ] Themes identified across sources
• [ ] Gaps clearly articulated
• [ ] Synthesis (not just summary)
• [ ] Clear link to research questions

Common Pitfalls

| Pitfall | Solution | |---------|----------| | Too narrow search | Use multiple databases, synonyms | | Uncritical acceptance | Apply quality assessment | | Descriptive only | Focus on synthesis and analysis | | No clear gap | Explicitly state what's missing | | Outdated sources | Include recent (last 5 years) work | | Missing seminal works | Track backward citations |

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Activation Patterns

| Trigger | Response | |---------|----------| | "literature review", "lit review", "sources" | Full skill activation | | "search strategy", "database search" | Module 1: Systematic Search | | "synthesize", "themes", "patterns" | Module 4: Synthesis | | "research gap", "what's missing" | Module 5: Gap Identification | | "how to write lit review" | Module 6: Writing |

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Skill created: 2026-02-10 | Category: Research | Status: Active

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Source & license

This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code.

• Author: fabioc-aloha
• Source: fabioc-aloha/AlexSkill_Mall
• License: MIT

Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above.