Literature Review

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:

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

Step 2: Execute Search

Database Selection

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):

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:

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

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

2. Journal Preferences

Analyze top journals' editorial preferences:

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):

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