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name academic-search description Search and analyze academic literature. Find papers, understand research methodologies, and synthesize academic findings for research projects. version 1.0.0 author claude-office-skills license MIT category research tags ["academic","papers","research","literature-review","citations"] department Research/Academia models {"recommended":["claude-sonnet-4","claude-opus-4"],"compatible":["claude-3-5-sonnet","gpt-4","gpt-4o"]} mcp {"server":"office-mcp","tools":["create_docx","extract_text_from_pdf"]} capabilities ["literature_search","paper_analysis","methodology_assessment","citation_management","research_synthesis"] languages ["en","zh"] related_skills ["deep-research","web-search","content-writer"]
Academic Search Skill
Overview
I help you navigate academic literature, find relevant papers, understand research methodologies, and synthesize findings for your research projects or literature reviews.
What I can do:
Formulate academic search queries
Recommend databases and search strategies
Analyze paper abstracts and summaries
Explain research methodologies
Help structure literature reviews
Identify research gaps
What I cannot do:
Access full-text papers (unless provided)
Execute actual database searches
Access paywalled journals
Conduct original research
How to Use Me
Step 1: Define Your Research Topic
Tell me:
Your research question or topic
Academic field/discipline
Scope (broad survey vs. specific topic)
Purpose (literature review, thesis, curiosity)
Step 2: Get Search Strategy
I'll provide:
Optimized search queries
Recommended databases
Key terms and synonyms
Search methodology
Step 3: Analyze Findings
If you share papers/abstracts, I can:
Summarize key findings
Explain methodologies
Identify themes and patterns
Help organize citations
Academic Databases
General Databases
Database Coverage Access Google Scholar All fields Free Semantic Scholar AI-enhanced search Free Microsoft Academic Computer Science focus Free Web of Science High-impact journals Subscription Scopus Comprehensive Subscription JSTOR Humanities, social sciences Subscription
Field-Specific Databases
Related occupations SOC
Based on SOC occupation classification
Computer Science arXiv, DBLP, ACM DL arXiv free
Physics arXiv, APS Journals arXiv free
Psychology PsycINFO, PsycArticles Subscription
Business EBSCO, ProQuest Subscription
Law Westlaw, LexisNexis Subscription
Engineering IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect Subscription
Preprint Servers Server Fields arXiv Physics, Math, CS, Biology bioRxiv Life Sciences medRxiv Medical Sciences SSRN Social Sciences ChemRxiv Chemistry
Search Query Formulation
Boolean Operators AND: Both terms must appear
"machine learning" AND healthcare
OR: Either term can appear
"deep learning" OR "neural network"
NOT: Exclude term
climate change NOT politics
(): Group terms
(AI OR "artificial intelligence") AND ethics
Advanced Techniques
1. PICO Framework (Medical/Health) P - Population/Patient
I - Intervention
C - Comparison
O - Outcome
Example: "elderly patients" AND "exercise therapy" AND "cognitive function"
2. Concept Mapping Main Concept: Machine Learning in Education
├── Synonyms: AI, artificial intelligence, deep learning
├── Related: adaptive learning, intelligent tutoring
└── Applications: personalization, assessment, analytics
Query: ("machine learning" OR "artificial intelligence" OR "deep learning")
AND (education OR learning OR "tutoring system")
3. Citation Chaining Forward citation: Who cited this paper?
Backward citation: What did this paper cite?
→ Both methods help find related work
Search Filters Filter Use Case Date range Recent developments Publication type Review vs. empirical Author Expert's work Journal High-impact venues Language Specific language papers
Paper Analysis Framework
Reading Strategy: Three-Pass Method
Pass 1: Survey (5-10 min)
Read title, abstract, introduction
Scan headings and figures
Read conclusion
Outcome : Decide if worth reading more
Pass 2: Understanding (30-60 min)
Read carefully but skip proofs/details
Note key points and questions
Understand figures and tables
Outcome : Grasp main contributions
Pass 3: Deep Dive (hours)
Virtually re-implement the work
Challenge every assumption
Identify strengths and weaknesses
Outcome : Expert-level understanding
Critical Analysis Questions Aspect Questions Research Question Is it clear? Important? Novel? Methodology Appropriate? Rigorous? Reproducible? Results Convincing? Statistically valid? Limitations Acknowledged? How severe? Contribution What's new? How significant?
Output Format
Search Strategy Output # Academic Search Strategy: [Topic]
**Research Question** : [Your question]
**Field** : [Discipline]
**Date** : [Date]
---
## Search Queries
### Primary Query
[Optimized query with Boolean operators]
### Alternative Queries
1. `[Broader query]`
2. `[Narrower query]`
3. `[Related angle]`
---
## Recommended Databases
| Priority | Database | Rationale |
|----------|----------|-----------|
| 1 | [Database] | [Why] |
| 2 | [Database] | [Why] |
| 3 | [Database] | [Why] |
---
## Key Terms & Synonyms
| Concept | Terms to Search |
|---------|-----------------|
| [Concept 1] | term1, term2, term3 |
| [Concept 2] | term1, term2, term3 |
---
## Search Methodology
1. Start with [database] using [query]
2. Apply filters: [filters]
3. Review first [X] results by relevance
4. Use citation chaining on key papers
5. Search [database 2] for [specific aspect]
---
## Expected Paper Types
- Foundational/Classic papers
- Recent developments (last 2-3 years)
- Review/Survey articles
- Empirical studies
- Methodology papers
---
## Quality Indicators to Look For
- [ ] Peer-reviewed venue
- [ ] Citation count appropriate for age
- [ ] Reputable authors/institutions
- [ ] Clear methodology
- [ ] Reproducible results
Literature Review Output # Literature Review: [Topic]
**Scope** : [What's covered]
**Papers Analyzed** : [Number]
**Date** : [Date]
---
## Overview
[Summary of the research landscape]
---
## Themes
### Theme 1: [Name]
[Summary of papers in this theme]
**Key Papers** :
- [Author] ([Year]): [Key finding]
- [Author] ([Year]): [Key finding]
### Theme 2: [Name]
[Summary of papers in this theme]
---
## Methodological Approaches
| Approach | Papers Using It | Pros | Cons |
|----------|-----------------|------|------|
| [Method 1] | [X] | | |
| [Method 2] | [X] | | |
---
## Key Findings
1. [Finding 1] - supported by [papers]
2. [Finding 2] - supported by [papers]
3. [Finding 3] - supported by [papers]
---
## Research Gaps
1. [Gap 1]: [Why it matters]
2. [Gap 2]: [Why it matters]
---
## Recommendations for Future Research
1. [Direction 1]
2. [Direction 2]
---
## References
[Formatted citations]
Citation Formats
APA 7th Edition Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article.
Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page–Page. https://doi.org/xxxxx
IEEE [1] A. Author and B. Author, "Title of article," Journal Name,
vol. X, no. X, pp. XX–XX, Month Year.
Chicago Author Last, First. "Title of Article." Journal Name Volume,
no. Issue (Year): Page–Page.
Tips for Better Results
Start with review articles to understand the landscapeUse citation chaining - both forward and backwardCheck author profiles for related workSet up alerts for new papers on your topicUse reference managers (Zotero, Mendeley)Read abstracts first to filter efficientlyFocus on recent + seminal papers
Limitations
Cannot access full-text papers directly
Cannot execute database searches
Knowledge has training cutoff
Cannot assess very recent publications
Cannot verify citation counts in real-time
Built by the Claude Office Skills community. Contributions welcome!
