Literature Synthesis

Script paths below are relative to this skill's base directory ($SKILL_DIR), which Claude Code reports when the skill loads.

You help sociologists move from a corpus of papers to a deep understanding of a field. This is the analytical bridge between finding papers (lit-search) and writing your own literature review.

Project Integration

This skill reads from project.yaml when available:

# From project.yaml
paths:
  lit_synthesis: literature/synthesis/

Project type: This skill works for all project types. Literature synthesis is essential for qualitative, quantitative, and mixed methods research.

Updates progress.yaml when complete:

status:
  lit_synthesis: done
artifacts:
  field_synthesis: literature/synthesis/field-synthesis.md

Where This Fits

This skill picks up where lit-search leaves off:

Skill	Role	Key Output
lit-search	Find papers via OpenAlex	database.json, references.bib, download checklist
lit-synthesis	Analyze & organize via local library	field-synthesis.md (with theoretical map, thematic clusters, debate map as sections)

Input: Papers as markdown files in library/ (converted from PDFs) and references.bib (from lit-search or user's existing library) Output: Organized understanding of the field to support your literature review

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users:

• Have a corpus of papers (from lit-search or their own collection)
• Need to understand the theoretical landscape before writing
• Want to identify debates, tensions, and competing positions
• Need to organize papers thematically or by theoretical tradition
• Want deep reading notes, not just metadata extraction

Core Principles

1. Read deeply, not widely: Better to understand 15 papers thoroughly than 50 superficially.

2. Theoretical traditions matter: Papers exist within intellectual lineages. Map who cites whom and why.

3. Debates are gold: Competing positions create space for contributions. Find the tensions.

4. Organization serves writing: The clusters and maps you create should give your literature review its structure.

5. Full text when possible: Abstracts tell you what; full text tells you how and why.

File Management

This skill uses git to track progress across phases. Before modifying any output file at a new phase:

1. Stage and commit current state: git add [files] && git commit -m "lit-synthesis: Phase N complete"
2. Then proceed with modifications.

Do NOT create version-suffixed copies (e.g., -v2, -final, -working). The git history serves as the version trail.

---

Local Library Integration

This skill reads papers from a local library of markdown-converted PDFs alongside references.bib for bibliographic metadata.

Expected Library Layout

project/
├── references.bib          # BibTeX from lit-search (or user's reference manager)
└── library/
    └── markdown/
        ├── smith2020-cultural-frames.md
        ├── jones2019-institutional.md
        └── ...             # One .md per paper, converted from PDF

Converting PDFs to Markdown

Use the ingest script to add papers to your library:

uv run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/ingest.py --file /path/to/paper.pdf

This converts the PDF to markdown in library/markdown/ and adds metadata to references.bib.

Semantic Search

For conceptual/semantic search across your library (e.g., finding passages about a concept even when exact terms differ), use the RAG index:

# Build/update the index (run after adding new papers)
uv run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/rag.py index

# Search by meaning
uv run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/rag.py search "cultural capital and educational attainment"

For exact keyword search, grep the markdown files directly:

grep -ril "cultural capital" library/markdown/

Using reading-agent Skill

For structured reading notes, use the bundled reading-agent skill:

/reading-agent

Paper: [Author Year - Title]
PDF: /path/to/paper.pdf
DOI: [doi]

The reading-agent skill handles PDF conversion and produces structured notes with:

• Bibliographic info and identifiers
• Core arguments and theoretical frameworks
• Methods and empirical strategy
• Key findings and contribution claims
• Key quotes with page numbers

Batch Processing

For batch processing many papers:

1. Convert PDFs: Run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/ingest.py --file on each paper
2. Use reading-agent in batch mode:

   /reading-agent
   
   Batch process these papers:
   - /papers/smith2020.pdf (DOI: 10.1086/123456)
   - /papers/jones2019.pdf (OpenAlex: W2123456789)
   

3. Collect outputs: Notes saved to reading-notes/ directory

---

Workflow Phases

Phase 0: Corpus Audit

Goal: Assess what's in the corpus and identify gaps.

Process:

• Review the database from lit-search (or user's reference library)
• Count papers by year, journal, author, theoretical tradition
• Identify potential gaps in coverage
• Prioritize which papers need deep reading vs. skimming

Output: Corpus audit results presented in conversation (statistics and reading priorities).

Pause: User confirms corpus coverage and reading priorities.

---

Phase 1: Deep Reading

Goal: Close read priority papers and extract analytical insights.

Process:

• For each priority paper, read full text from library/markdown/
• Extract: argument structure, theoretical framework, key concepts, methodological approach
• Note: how theory is deployed, what evidence supports claims, limitations acknowledged
• Create structured reading notes

Output: reading-notes/ directory with per-paper notes.

Pause: User reviews reading notes for key papers.

---

Phase 2: Theoretical Mapping

Goal: Identify intellectual traditions and lineages.

Process:

• Identify which theoretical frameworks appear across papers
• Use uv run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/rag.py search "theoretical concept" to find conceptually related passages across the library
• Map citation relationships (who cites whom)
• Note foundational texts and their descendants
• Identify "camps" or schools of thought
• Document key concepts and how they're used

Output: ## Theoretical Map section written into field-synthesis.md.

Pause: User reviews theoretical landscape.

---

Phase 3: Thematic Clustering

Goal: Organize papers by what they study and how.

Process:

• Group papers by empirical focus (population, setting, phenomenon)
• Group papers by theoretical approach
• Group papers by methodological strategy
• Identify papers that bridge multiple clusters
• Note within-cluster consensus and variation

Output: ## Thematic Clusters section appended to field-synthesis.md.

Pause: User reviews clustering logic.

---

Phase 4: Debate Mapping

Goal: Identify tensions, disagreements, and competing positions.

Process:

• Find explicit disagreements (papers that critique each other)
• Find implicit tensions (contradictory findings or incompatible assumptions)
• Identify unresolved questions the field is grappling with
• Note where evidence is mixed or contested
• Document the "state of the debate" for each tension

Output: ## Debate Map section appended to field-synthesis.md.

Pause: User reviews debates and selects focus areas.

---

Phase 5: Field Synthesis

Goal: Create comprehensive understanding ready for writing.

Process:

• Synthesize across phases into coherent field understanding
• Identify the most productive gaps for contribution
• Outline candidate contributions and how each fits the user's project

Output: field-synthesis.md completed with integrated understanding and contribution opportunities (builds on sections added in Phases 2–4).

---

Output Files

lit-synthesis/
├── reading-notes/            # Phase 1: Per-paper notes (kept for batch production)
│   ├── smith2020-cultural-frames.md    # Filename: author-year-short-title
│   ├── jones2019-institutional.md
│   └── ...                             # Each file has identifier frontmatter
└── field-synthesis.md        # Comprehensive synthesis with sections for theoretical map, thematic clusters, debate map

Note: Filenames use author-year-short-title.md for human readability, but the frontmatter identifiers (citation_key, OpenAlex ID, DOI) are the authoritative way to match notes back to source papers. The citation_key is preferred because it enables [@citationKey] Pandoc citation syntax in downstream writing skills.

Reading Note Template

For each paper in Phase 1, notes must include identifier frontmatter to enable reliable retrieval across the workflow:

---
# Required: At least one unique identifier
citation_key: smithCulturalFrames2020  # Preferred: from lit-search database or references.bib
openalex_id: W2123456789    # From lit-search database
doi: 10.1086/123456         # Digital Object Identifier

# Recommended: Additional metadata for filtering
first_author: Smith
year: 2020
short_title: cultural-frames
---

# Smith 2020 - Cultural Frames

## Bibliographic Info
- Full citation: [from references.bib or database]
- DOI: [link]
- OpenAlex: https://openalex.org/W2123456789

## Core Argument
[1-2 sentences: What is the paper arguing?]

## Theoretical Framework
- Tradition: [e.g., Bourdieusian, institutionalist, interactionist]
- Key concepts used: [list]
- How theory is deployed: [description vs. extension vs. critique]

## Empirical Strategy
- Data: [what kind]
- Methods: [how analyzed]
- Sample: [who/what]

## Key Findings
1. [Finding 1]
2. [Finding 2]
3. [Finding 3]

## Contribution Claim
[What does the paper claim to contribute?]

## Limitations (as noted by authors)
- [Limitation 1]
- [Limitation 2]

## My Notes
[Your analytical observations, connections to other papers, questions raised]

## Key Quotes
> "[Quote 1]" (p. X)

> "[Quote 2]" (p. Y)

## Tags
[theoretical-tradition] [empirical-focus] [method] [relevant-to-my-project]

Model Recommendations

Phase	Model	Rationale
Phase 0: Corpus Audit	Sonnet	Data processing, statistics
Phase 1: Deep Reading	Sonnet	Analytical reading of converted markdown
Phase 2: Theoretical Mapping	Opus	Pattern recognition, intellectual history
Phase 3: Thematic Clustering	Sonnet	Organization, categorization
Phase 4: Debate Mapping	Opus	Tension identification, nuance
Phase 5: Field Synthesis	Opus	Integration, strategic judgment

Starting the Synthesis

When the user is ready to begin:

1. Identify the corpus:

   "Where are your papers? A folder of PDFs? A references.bib from lit-search? How many papers total?"

2. Verify local library setup:

   "Do you have PDFs converted to markdown in library/markdown/? If not, we'll run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/ingest.py --file on each PDF before Phase 1."

3. Set priorities:

   "Which papers are most central to your project? We'll deep-read those first and skim the rest."

4. Clarify goals:

   "What are you trying to understand about this field? Are you looking for gaps, debates, or a specific theoretical tradition?"

5. Proceed with Phase 0 to audit the corpus.

Key Reminders

• Identifiers are essential: Every reading note must have at least one unique identifier (citation_key, OpenAlex ID, or DOI) in its frontmatter. Prefer citation_key when available.
• Convert before reading: Run uv run "$SKILL_DIR"/scripts/ingest.py --file <pdf> for each PDF before Phase 1 begins
• Quality over quantity: Deep reading 15 papers beats skimming 50
• Debates are opportunities: Every tension you find is a potential contribution space