Literature Research

Literature Research Skill

Protocols for navigating and curating academic and technical literature.

The Literature Search Process

1. Establish Entry Points

Before deep diving:

1. Find a recent review paper (saves months)
2. Identify the foundational papers (the ones everyone cites)
3. Note the key authors (who's doing the best work)
4. Map the subfields (different communities, different terminology)

2. Trace Citations

Two directions:

• Backward (who did they cite?) - Find foundations
• Forward (who cited them?) - Find developments

3. Build a Reading Map

Don't just collect papers. Map them:

## Literature Map: {topic}

### Foundational (must read)
1. {Author, Year} - {title} - {why it matters}
2. {Author, Year} - {title} - {why it matters}

### Review Papers
1. {Author, Year} - {coverage scope}

### Active Research Fronts
- {Front 1}: {key papers}
- {Front 2}: {key papers}

### Different Names for Same Concept
- In {field 1}: "{term 1}"
- In {field 2}: "{term 2}"

### Key Authors
- {Name}: Known for {contribution}
- {Name}: Known for {contribution}

### Reading Order
1. Start with: {paper} (accessible introduction)
2. Then: {paper} (core theory)
3. Then: {paper} (modern treatment)

Finding Papers

Search Strategies

Search Tips

1. Use author names - Once you find good work, find more by same author
2. Check "cited by" - Forward citation is gold
3. Check references - Backward citation for foundations
4. Look for surveys - "{topic} survey" or "{topic} review"
5. Try different terms - Same idea, different names in different fields

Evaluating Papers

Quality Signals

Warning Signs

Quick Evaluation Checklist

• Read abstract: Is the claim clear?
• Scan figures/tables: What's actually shown?
• Check related work: Do they know the field?
• Look at methodology: Could you reproduce this?
• Find the limitations: Are they honest?

Reading Strategies

Triage Reading (5 minutes)

1. Title and abstract
2. Figures and tables
3. Conclusion
4. Decision: Read fully? Skim? Skip?

Skimming (20 minutes)

1. Introduction (motivation, claims)
2. Method (high level)
3. Results (key findings)
4. Discussion (interpretation)

Deep Reading (2+ hours)

1. Full text, taking notes
2. Check key equations/proofs
3. Think about assumptions
4. Connect to other work
5. Identify questions

Reference Management

What to Track

For each paper:

## {Author, Year} - {Short title}

**Full citation:** {full bibliographic info}
**URL/DOI:** {link}
**Read status:** {unread / skimmed / read / studied}

### Summary
{One paragraph: what they did, what they found}

### Key contributions
- {contribution 1}
- {contribution 2}

### Methodology
{Brief description of approach}

### Relevance to current work
{Why this matters for the task at hand}

### Key quotes
> "{quote}" (p. {X})

### Connections
- Related to: {other papers}
- Builds on: {prior work}
- Extended by: {subsequent work}

### Notes
{Personal thoughts, questions, critiques}

Building Reading Lists

For Entering a New Field

## Reading List: Entering {Field}

### Background (if needed)
- {prerequisite 1}
- {prerequisite 2}

### Orientation (week 1)
1. {Survey paper} - Get the lay of the land
2. {Textbook chapter} - Core concepts

### Foundations (weeks 2-3)
1. {Seminal paper 1} - {why it's foundational}
2. {Seminal paper 2} - {why it's foundational}
3. {Seminal paper 3} - {why it's foundational}

### Modern Developments (week 4+)
1. {Recent influential paper}
2. {Recent influential paper}

### Optional Deep Dives
- If interested in {subtopic}: {papers}
- If interested in {subtopic}: {papers}

For Specific Questions

## Reading List: {Question}

### The question
{What I'm trying to understand}

### Papers that address this
1. {Paper} - {how it helps}
2. {Paper} - {how it helps}

### Background needed
- {Concept}: See {paper}

### After reading these, I should understand:
- {outcome 1}
- {outcome 2}

Citation Archaeology

Tracing an Idea's History

1. Find the earliest clear statement
2. Trace back through their references
3. Note when the terminology changed
4. Map the genealogy

Template

## Genealogy: {Concept}

### Modern Name
{What we call it now}

### Origin
{Author, Year} - First clear statement

### Key Developments
- {Year}: {Author} - {contribution}
- {Year}: {Author} - {contribution}
- {Year}: {Author} - {contribution}

### Terminology Evolution
- Originally: "{term}" ({Author, Year})
- Then: "{term}" ({Author, Year})
- Now: "{term}"

### In Other Fields
- {Field}: called "{term}"
- {Field}: called "{term}"

Anti-Patterns

What to Avoid

1. Reading only recent papers - Miss foundations
2. Citing without reading - Academic dishonesty
3. Ignoring other fields - Miss connections
4. Reading everything - Diminishing returns
5. Never finishing papers - Need some deep reads
6. No note-taking - Will forget