# Topic Literature Search

> Search IEEE Xplore, arXiv, and Google Scholar for papers on a user-specified research topic, rank the ten most relevant results, and produce a sourced literature summary. Use when the user asks for related papers, a literature scan, a paper shortlist, or a research summary for a topic.

- **Type:** Skill
- **Install:** `agentstack add skill-plusero-agentic-research-skills-topic-literature-search`
- **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior
- **Seller:** [Plusero](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/plusero)
- **Installs:** 0
- **Category:** [Search](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/search)
- **Latest version:** 0.1.0
- **License:** CC0-1.0
- **Upstream author:** [Plusero](https://github.com/Plusero)
- **Source:** https://github.com/Plusero/agentic-research-skills/tree/main/resources/skills/topic-literature-search

## Install

```sh
agentstack add skill-plusero-agentic-research-skills-topic-literature-search
```

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

## About

# Topic Literature Search

## Instructions

1. Identify the research topic, plus any constraints the user provides:
   - Subtopic or method
   - Application domain
   - Year range
   - Preference for surveys, seminal papers, or recent papers

2. Convert the request into 3 to 6 search queries:
   - One broad query for the full topic
   - One or more synonym or acronym variants
   - One query for recent work
   - One query for surveys or review papers when useful

3. Search these sources:
   - IEEE Xplore for peer-reviewed engineering and computer science papers
   - arXiv for recent preprints and emerging work
   - Google Scholar for broad coverage, citation signal, and older foundational papers

4. Build a candidate pool of at least 15 verified papers before ranking the final 10.

5. Verify every candidate before including it:
   - Confirm the title, authors, year, and venue from the source page or publisher page
   - Prefer DOI, publisher, or arXiv links over secondary reposts
   - If Google Scholar is used for discovery, verify bibliographic details from an authoritative page before finalizing
   - Do not invent missing metadata

6. Deduplicate results by title, DOI, or arXiv identifier.

7. Rank papers by relevance using these factors:
   - Direct match to the user's topic
   - Methodological match
   - Venue credibility
   - Citation signal or field influence
   - Recency when the topic is fast-moving
   - Survey value if the user needs broad orientation

8. Select the 10 most relevant verified papers.
   - Balance seminal and recent papers when both matter
   - If fewer than 10 verified papers are available, say so explicitly and return the verified set

9. Summarize each selected paper.
   - Use the abstract and full text when available
   - If only metadata or abstract is accessible, say that the summary is based on the abstract
   - Keep summaries grounded in the source and specific to the paper's actual contribution

10. Return the results in Markdown using the exact section order below.

## Output Format

Use this template. Repeat the `Top 10 Papers` item format for each selected paper.

```markdown
# Literature Search: 

## Search Scope
- Topic: 
- Constraints: 
- Databases searched: IEEE Xplore, arXiv, Google Scholar
- Search queries: 
- Notes: 

## Top 10 Papers

1. ****
   - Authors: 
   - Year: 
   - Venue: 
   - Source: 
   - Link: 
   - Why relevant: 
   - Summary: 
   - Evidence basis: 
```

## Guardrails

- Verify bibliographic details before presenting them.
- Prefer authoritative links and accessible abstracts over citation-only pages.
- Separate discovery from verification: Google Scholar can help find papers, but final metadata should come from an authoritative source when possible.
- Do not present fabricated citations, authors, years, venues, or claims.
- If multiple papers are near-duplicates, keep the strongest or most complete version.
- If the topic is broad, prefer a mix of surveys and primary papers.
- If the topic is narrow, prefer direct methodological matches over highly cited but tangential papers.
- If access to a source is blocked, state the limitation clearly.

## Source & license

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

- **Author:** [Plusero](https://github.com/Plusero)
- **Source:** [Plusero/agentic-research-skills](https://github.com/Plusero/agentic-research-skills)
- **License:** CC0-1.0

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-plusero-agentic-research-skills-topic-literature-search
- Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/plusero
- Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse

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