| name | narrative-review |
| description | Theory-driven literature review for building arguments and frameworks. Flexible, subjective, and narrative-focused — selects evidence strategically to support a thesis. High web-research budget for blogs, opinion pieces, and industry perspectives. Use when the user is writing a position paper, survey introduction, or constructing a coherent narrative around a research theme. |
| used-by | literature-survey |
Narrative Review
Purpose: Flexible, subjective, theory-driven — build a theoretical argument supported by literature. Not objective coverage, but persuasive framing.
When to use: User is writing a position paper, survey introduction, or needs to construct a coherent narrative around a research theme.
Budget
| Base SOP | Target | ±10% Range |
|---|
| web-search | 80 results | 72–88 |
| web-research | 15 pages | 13–17 |
| paper-overview | 50 papers | 45–55 |
| paper-search | 40 papers | 36–44 |
| paper-research | 20 papers | 18–22 |
State Ledger
Print this table before each major iteration decision:
| SOP | Target | Current | % Complete |
|----------------|--------|---------|------------|
| web-search | 80 | ??? | ???% |
| web-research | 15 | ??? | ???% |
| paper-overview | 50 | ??? | ???% |
| paper-search | 40 | ??? | ???% |
| paper-research | 20 | ??? | ???% |
Do not exit the strategy until all rows reach ≥90%.
Available Tactics
narrative-framing — define themes → build argument → select supporting evidence
Available SOPs
Import (strict protocol execution):
web-search → web-browsing/skills/web-search/SKILL.mdweb-research → web-browsing/skills/web-research/SKILL.mdpaper-overview → literature-engine/skills/literature-overview/SKILL.mdpaper-search → literature-engine/skills/literature-search/SKILL.mdpaper-research → literature-engine/skills/literature-research/SKILL.md
Subagent (CC decides when to invoke):
categorize-papers — cluster papers by theme/method/timelinethematic-coding — identify recurring themes across papersgap-identification — find what the literature hasn't addressedsurvey-synthesis — produce final structured output
Execution Guidance
- narrative-framing tactic is central — defines the argument structure first, then searches for evidence
- High web-research (15 pages) because narrative reviews draw on blogs, opinion pieces, industry perspectives
- thematic-coding to identify recurring themes across papers
- Reading is selective and theory-driven — not exhaustive, but strategically chosen to support the narrative
- gap-identification frames the "so what" of the narrative
Output Format
Structured Narrative containing:
- Thesis / central argument statement
- Supporting evidence organized by theme
- Counterarguments acknowledged and addressed
- Gap / opportunity identified (the "so what")
- Suggested narrative arc for writing
