literature-review

name

literature-review

description

Academic literature review workflow for research topic selection. Use when user asks to do literature survey, research topic exploration, or systematic review for a specific field. Triggers include: "literature review for [field]", "research topic selection", "help me design a search strategy", "systematic literature search", or when user describes a multi-step research workflow involving database searching, relevance assessment, journal filtering, and topic analysis.

Literature Review Workflow

A systematic workflow for academic literature survey and research topic selection.

Workflow Overview

1. Research Background -> Generate Search Query
2. Execute Search (PubMed/Scopus/Semantic Scholar)
3. Relevance Assessment (50% threshold)
4. Query Optimization (if needed)
5. Journal Stratification & Filtering
6. Deep Analysis & Topic Mining

Step 1: Generate Search Query

Prompt Template

I need to conduct a literature review for the "[RESEARCH_FIELD]" field to select a research direction. Please design an advanced search query for Scopus/PubMed.

Requirements:
- Include all naming variants
- Use TITLE-ABS-KEY (Scopus) or [Title/Abstract] (PubMed) for field-level search
- Exclude irrelevant literature using TITLE-level exclusion

Naming Variant Discovery

Before generating query, identify all relevant terms:

Source	Method
English full names	Standard terminology
Abbreviations	Common acronyms (caution: may cause false positives)
Variant spellings	Different spellings (e.g., "Crohn's" vs "Crohn")
Subtypes	Disease subtypes, related conditions

Query Templates

Scopus:

TITLE-ABS-KEY("term1" OR "term2" OR "term3") AND NOT TITLE("exclude1" OR "exclude2")

PubMed:

("term1"[Title/Abstract] OR "term2"[Title/Abstract]) NOT ("exclude1"[Title] OR "exclude2"[Title])

Common Exclusions

Exclusion	Reason
irritable bowel syndrome / IBS	Common confusion
case report	Low evidence level
case presentation	Low evidence level
Field-specific: gynecolog, oncolog	Exclude non-target specialties

Step 2: Execute Search

Database Selection

Database	Best For
PubMed	Biomedical/clinical research
Scopus	Comprehensive coverage
Semantic Scholar	AI-powered, but API rate limited

Search Execution via Browser

1. Navigate to database URL with encoded query
2. Apply filters if needed (publication date, article type)
3. Capture total results and first 10-20 papers

PubMed URL Template

https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/?term=ENCODED_QUERY&sort=date

Step 3: Relevance Assessment

Assessment Criteria

For top 10-20 papers (sorted by date, newest first):

Score	Criteria
Directly relevant	Core topic, primary focus
Relevant	Significant discussion of topic
Marginally relevant	Mentioned in passing
Not relevant	Different field, wrong context

Pass Threshold

• 50% match rate (e.g., 5/10 or 10/20 relevant or higher)
• If failed, proceed to query optimization

Assessment Prompt

Evaluate the following [N] papers for relevance to [RESEARCH_FIELD]:

[LIST OF TITLES]

Rate each as: Directly relevant / Relevant / Marginally relevant / Not relevant
Calculate match rate and recommend next steps.

Step 4: Query Optimization

If Match Rate < 50%

Analyze why irrelevant papers were retrieved:

Problem	Solution
Term too broad	Remove or qualify the term
Missing exclusions	Add exclusion terms to TITLE filter
False positives from abbreviations	Remove abbreviation, use full terms only
Non-target fields appearing	Add field-specific exclusions

Optimization Prompt

The search query returned these papers but many are irrelevant:

[LIST OF IRRELEVANT PAPERS WITH TITLES]

Analyze why each irrelevant paper was retrieved and propose specific query modifications.

Iterate

1. Modify query based on analysis
2. Re-run search
3. Re-assess match rate
4. Repeat until >= 50% match rate achieved

Step 5: Journal Stratification & Filtering

Journal Quality Tiers

Tier	IF Range	Characteristics
Top	>10	Field-leading, high impact
High	5-10	Strong reputation
Medium	3-5	Solid, specialized
Standard	<3	General, regional

Field-Specific Top Journals

For each research field, identify the top journals:

Example (Gastroenterology):

• Lancet Gastroenterology & Hepatology (IF ~45)
• Gastroenterology (IF ~29)
• Gut (IF ~24)
• Journal of Crohn's and Colitis (IF ~10)

Filtering Strategy

1. Identify top 5-10 journals in the field
2. Filter results to focus on high-quality sources
3. Use for subsequent deep analysis

Step 6: Deep Analysis & Topic Mining

Analysis Framework

1. Dynamic Topic Evolution

Category	Indicators
Evergreen (stable/growing)	5-year consistent publication, steady citations
Emerging (1-2 years)	Rapid growth, new methodology/technology
Declining (saturated)	Decreasing publications, well-established knowledge

2. Journal Preferences

Analyze top journals' editorial preferences:

Journal	Preference
Mechanism-focused	Basic research, pathways
Clinical-focused	RCTs, real-world evidence
Methods-focused	New techniques, AI applications

3. High-Frequency Keyword Combinations

Identify patterns:

• Method + Disease subtype
• Population + Intervention
• Biomarker + Outcome

4. Research Opportunity Mining

Overcrowded areas: Avoid (high competition, limited novelty)

Promising directions (by difficulty):

Level	Characteristics	Risk/Reward
Basic	Survey, simple analysis	Low risk, modest contribution
Medium	Cohort study, method application	Moderate risk, good contribution
Advanced	Novel mechanism, new intervention	High risk, high impact potential

Analysis Output Format

## Topic Evolution Analysis
- Evergreen topics: [list with rationale]
- Emerging topics: [list with growth indicators]
- Declining topics: [list with saturation evidence]

## Journal Preferences
[journal-by-journal analysis]

## Keyword Combinations
[high-frequency patterns]

## Research Opportunities
- Overcrowded: [areas to avoid]
- Promising: [5 directions with difficulty levels]

Quick Reference: Workflow Checklist

• Identify research field and background
• Discover naming variants and synonyms
• Generate initial search query
• Execute search on database
• Assess relevance (target: 50%+)
• Optimize query if needed
• Identify top journals in field
• Filter for high-quality sources
• Perform deep topic analysis
• Generate research direction recommendations

Common Pitfalls

Pitfall	Solution
Query too narrow	Include synonyms, check spelling variants
Query too broad	Add exclusions, use phrase searching
Missing key terms	Consult MeSH terms, field experts
Irrelevant results	Analyze false positives, add exclusions
Low-quality sources	Apply journal filters, check impact factors