Conduct comprehensive, systematic literature reviews using multiple academic databases (PubMed, arXiv, bioRxiv, Semantic Scholar, etc.). This skill should be used when conducting systematic literature reviews, meta-analyses, research synthesis, or comprehensive literature searches across biomedical, scientific, and technical domains. Creates professionally formatted markdown documents and PDFs with verified citations in multiple citation styles (APA, Nature, Vancouver, etc.).
SkillScore64Maintained
Automatic
◆Research pack
Last verified 8/21/2026
What it changes
Passed 13 of 21 test cases with the skill, and 8 of 21 without it.
Without skill36%
With skill64%
Checks it passed that the model alone missed
Passes -l 50 to restrict result count.
Uses gget search pubmed to query PubMed.
Runs scripts/generate_pdf.py --check-deps.
and 6 more in the full report
6 fixed8 passed either way8 still failing0 broke
Pass-rate lift
+27 pp
Tokens
+195%
Agent turns
0%
Response time
-33%
Model gemini-3.6-flashMeasured 8/21/2026v114 of 22 cases passed with skill · 21 comparable
Tokens, turns and time describe resource use, not a dollar price.
See it in action
One of 6 test cases the skill fixed. Same model, same prompt, with and without the skill.
1 of 6
Prompt
I am ready to build my literature review markdown document into a PDF and want in-text citations rendered using Nature style formatting. What command flag sets this option during PDF generation?
What was checked, without and with the skill
Checked
Without skill
With skill
Invokes scripts/generate_pdf.py with the --citation-style nature option.
Missed
Passed
case-15 · gemini-3.6-flash · 8/21/2026 · answers are capped and redacted
What's inside
The instructions your model reads when the skill loads.
SKILL.md541 lines7 filesincludes scripts
Literature Review
Overview
Conduct systematic, comprehensive literature reviews following rigorous academic methodology. Search multiple literature databases, synthesize findings thematically, verify all citations for accuracy, and generate professional output documents in markdown and PDF formats.
This skill integrates with multiple scientific skills for database access (gget, bioservices, datacommons-client) and provides specialized tools for citation verification, result aggregation, and document generation.
When to Use This Skill
Use this skill when:
Conducting a systematic literature review for research or publication
Synthesizing current knowledge on a specific topic across multiple sources
Performing meta-analysis or scoping reviews
Writing the literature review section of a research paper or thesis
Investigating the state of the art in a research domain
Identifying research gaps and future directions
Requiring verified citations and professional formatting
Core Workflow
Literature reviews follow a structured, multi-phase workflow:
Phase 1: Planning and Scoping
Define Research Question: Use PICO framework (Population, Intervention, Comparison, Outcome) for clinical/biomedical reviews
Example: "What is the efficacy of CRISPR-Cas9 (I) for treating sickle cell disease (P) compared to standard care (C)?"
Establish Scope and Objectives:
Define clear, specific research questions
Determine review type (narrative, systematic, scoping, meta-analysis)
Set boundaries (time period, geographic scope, study types)
Develop Search Strategy:
Identify 2-4 main concepts from research question
List synonyms, abbreviations, and related terms for each concept
Plan Boolean operators (AND, OR, NOT) to combine terms