Systematic Literature Review — PRISMA 2020

Systematic Literature Review — PRISMA 2020

Author: Chuah Kee Man | Based on: PRISMA 2020 (Page et al., 2021)

This skill walks a user through writing a systematic literature review (SLR) that follows the PRISMA 2020 reporting guideline. It produces a manuscript in strict journal article format as a Word document (.docx), generates an annotated PRISMA flow diagram, and enforces APA 7th Edition referencing throughout.

Before you begin

Read these reference files as needed:

• references/prisma-2020-checklist.md — The full 27-item PRISMA 2020 checklist. Consult this when drafting each section to make sure nothing is missed.
• references/flow-diagram.md — PRISMA flow diagram templates and guidance. Consult this when building the flow diagram.

Also read these skills before generating outputs:

• docx skill (/mnt/skills/public/docx/SKILL.md) — Critical rules for docx-js when generating the Word document.
• apa-referencing skill (/mnt/skills/user/apa-referencing/SKILL.md) — APA 7th Edition formatting rules. All citations and references in the manuscript must comply with APA 7th Edition. Consult references/apa7-formatting-rules.md within that skill for type-specific formatting.

If the user has a writing-style skill, apply it to all drafted prose (but note that academic writing conventions in the writing-style skill take precedence over informal style rules, e.g. no informal analogies in scholarly manuscripts).

Phase 1: Interview

Before any drafting, gather the information needed to write the review. Offer the user two paths up front.

Path A: Upload existing documents

The user may already have a proposal, protocol, draft manuscript, PROSPERO registration, data extraction sheet, or search log. At the start of the interview, ask whether they have any documents to share. Common uploads include:

• Research proposal or protocol (often contains RQs, eligibility criteria, databases, and methods)
• PROSPERO registration form
• Draft or partial manuscript
• Search strategy export or search log
• Data extraction spreadsheet (e.g. from Excel, Google Sheets, or Rayyan/Covidence export)
• List of included/excluded studies
• Completed PRISMA checklist from a previous attempt
• Reference list or bibliography file

If the user uploads a document, read it using the appropriate skill (docx skill for .docx, file-reading skill for other formats, pdf-reading skill for PDFs, or xlsx skill for spreadsheets). Extract as much of the essential information (listed below) as possible from the document. Then present a summary of what was extracted and ask the user to confirm, correct, or fill in the gaps.

If the user uploads multiple documents, read them all and cross-reference the information. Flag any contradictions (e.g. different inclusion criteria in the proposal vs. the draft).