# Literature Review

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

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-fabioc-aloha-alex-skill-mall-literature-review`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [fabioc-aloha](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/fabioc-aloha)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Cloud & Infrastructure](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/cloud-infrastructure)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** MIT
- **Upstream author:** [fabioc-aloha](https://github.com/fabioc-aloha)
- **Source:** https://github.com/fabioc-aloha/Alex_Skill_Mall/tree/main/plugins/academic-research/literature-review

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-fabioc-aloha-alex-skill-mall-literature-review
```

Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent.

## About

# 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 |

---

## 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

---

## Module 1: Systematic Search Strategy

### The PICO(S) Framework

For empirical research questions:

| Element | Description | Example (AIRS) |
|---------|-------------|----------------|
| **P**opulation | Who is studied | Knowledge workers, AI users |
| **I**ntervention | What is applied | AI-powered tools, copilots |
| **C**omparison | Alternative | Traditional tools, no AI |
| **O**utcome | What is measured | Adoption intention, behavioral intention |
| **S**tudy 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

```markdown
## 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 |
|----------|--------------|-------------|--------------------|-----------------------|-------|
```

---

## 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

---

## 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..." |

---

## 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 |

---

## 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 |

---

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

---

## 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](https://github.com/fabioc-aloha)
- **Source:** [fabioc-aloha/Alex_Skill_Mall](https://github.com/fabioc-aloha/Alex_Skill_Mall)
- **License:** MIT

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

## Pricing

- **Free** — Free

## Security capabilities

Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access:

- **Network access:** no
- **Filesystem access:** no
- **Shell / process execution:** no
- **Environment & secrets:** no
- **Dynamic code execution:** no

*"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.*


## Versions

- **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source.

## Links

- Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-fabioc-aloha-alex-skill-mall-literature-review
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/fabioc-aloha
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

---
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