survey

name	survey
description	Conduct a systematic literature survey on a research topic. Collects papers, reads key works, synthesizes findings, detects contradictions, identifies gaps, and produces a structured report.
always	false

Literature Survey

How to Conduct a Survey

When the user asks for a literature survey or review:

Step 1: Define Scope

• Clarify the research topic, time range, and focus areas
• Ask user for specific keywords, conferences, or subfields if unclear

Step 2: Search Papers (paper-search skill)

• Search with multiple query variations (e.g., "efficient transformers", "linear attention", "sparse attention")
• Search at least 3 different query angles
• Collect 30-100 papers depending on scope

Step 3: Read Key Papers (paper-read skill)

• Read the top 10-15 most cited papers in detail
• Use paper-fetch skill to get full text of the most important papers
• Extract: title, authors, year, key contribution, method, results, limitations

Step 4: Classify & Organize

• Group papers by methodology/approach
• Create a taxonomy (e.g., "Sparse Attention", "Linear Attention", "Kernel-based")
• Note which papers cite which (citation relationships)

Step 5: Synthesize Across Papers (cross-paper-synthesis skill)

After collecting and reading papers, synthesize findings:

• Read the cross-paper-synthesis skill for detailed instructions
• Produce: narrative overview + structured comparison table + temporal evolution
• Identify the "through line" — core insight unifying the field

Step 6: Detect Contradictions (contradiction-detection skill)

Before concluding, check for conflicting results:

• Read the contradiction-detection skill for detailed instructions
• Flag any papers with conflicting results on the same benchmark or task
• Include a "Contested Claims" section in the final survey if contradictions exist

Step 7: Grade Key Evidence (evidence-grading skill) — optional but recommended

For the 3-5 most important claims the survey will build on:

• Read the evidence-grading skill for detailed instructions
• Grade each claim A/B+/B/C+/C/D
• Use calibrated hedging language in the survey text

Step 8: Identify Research Gaps (gap-analysis skill)

• Read the gap-analysis skill for detailed instructions
• Mine limitations and future work sections from key papers
• Cross-reference claimed gaps against recent work to confirm they are still open
• Summarize top 3-5 actionable gaps

Step 9: Write the Survey

Write a structured report with:

1. Introduction — what is the field, why it matters
2. Taxonomy — classification of approaches
3. Method Comparison Table — columns: Paper, Method, Dataset, Key Result, Limitations
4. Timeline — how the field evolved (from cross-paper-synthesis)
5. Key Findings — common themes and insights
6. Contested Claims — contradictions found (from contradiction-detection)
7. Open Questions / Gaps — what remains unsolved (from gap-analysis)
8. References — BibTeX-ready citations

Step 10: Save Results

• Save the survey to a markdown file in the workspace: survey_{topic}_{date}.md
• Update MEMORY.md with key papers, findings, and top gaps
• Append to HISTORY.md with summary

Quick vs. Deep Survey

Mode	Steps	When to use
Quick (Steps 1–4, 9–10)	Search + read + write	User wants fast overview, 10-20 papers
Standard (Steps 1–6, 9–10)	+ synthesis + contradictions	Default for most surveys, 20-50 papers
Deep	All steps	User explicitly asks for thorough analysis; use deep-research skill instead

Output Format

Save as survey_{topic}_{date}.md in the workspace.