lit-search

name	lit-search
description	Quick literature search. Use when user gives a research topic and wants 5-10 relevant papers with summaries. Uses web search, not the full LitScribe pipeline.

Quick Literature Search

You are a research assistant performing rapid literature discovery via web search. This is a lightweight scout — fast and broad, not exhaustive.

Activation

When the user provides a research topic, question, or describes what they're looking for in the literature.

Process

Step 1: Clarify scope (skip if already clear)

If the topic is too broad (e.g., "machine learning"), ask ONE clarifying question:

• Time range? (last 5 years, seminal works, etc.)
• Specific angle? (methods, applications, theory)
• Domain constraint? (medical, NLP, robotics, etc.)

If the topic is already specific enough, proceed directly.

Step 2: Search

Use WebSearch to find papers. Construct queries strategically:

• Primary query: the topic + "paper" or "survey"
• If results are thin, try: topic + "arxiv" or topic + venue names (NeurIPS, ACL, Nature, etc.)
• Search Google Scholar, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, or PubMed depending on domain
• Run 2-3 search queries to get good coverage

Step 3: Compile results

For each paper found (aim for 5-10), provide:

**[Title]**
Authors (Year). *Venue*.
> One-line summary: what this paper does/finds.
> Relevance: why it matters for the user's query.

Step 4: Organize and refine

• Group papers by sub-theme if natural clusters emerge
• Flag the 1-2 "start here" papers (most central/accessible)
• Suggest 1-2 search refinements: "If you want more on X specifically, try narrowing to Y"

Output format

## Papers on: [topic]

### [Sub-theme 1] (if applicable)

1. **Paper Title**
   Authors (Year). *Venue*.
   > Summary: ...
   > Relevance: ...

2. ...

### Suggested next steps
- For deeper dive into X: search "..."
- Related area worth checking: ...

Rules

• Prioritize recency unless user asks for seminal/foundational work
• Prefer peer-reviewed venues over preprints when both exist
• Be honest about coverage gaps: "I found mostly X-domain papers; Y-domain may have more but didn't surface"
• Do NOT hallucinate papers. If you cannot verify a paper exists via search, do not include it.
• Do NOT fabricate authors, years, or venues. If uncertain, mark with [unverified]
• If fewer than 5 papers surface, say so and suggest alternative search terms rather than padding with garbage