Literature Search

Overview

This skill searches academic literature with strict web verification of every result. The primary anti-pattern it prevents is hallucination of citations — plausible-sounding papers that do not exist. Every paper returned must be fetched from the web and confirmed to be real before it enters the output.

When to Use

• "What does the literature say about X?"
• "Find papers on Y"
• "Who wrote the seminal paper on Z?"
• Building a reference list for a new project
• Verifying that a specific paper exists
• Checking the correct citation details for a paper the user remembers partially

Modes

This skill operates in two modes. The caller specifies which.

Gap-check mode

Used during brainstorm to verify a research gap exists. Scope: 1-2 targeted queries, 5-8 results maximum, no bibliography file output. Web-verify every result (the anti-hallucination rule still applies). Output the standard markdown table but do not populate references.bib.

Full mode

Used during execute-plan's Literature phase. Run all Mandatory Steps below. Curate 15-30 references, bias toward target journals, populate references.bib via citation-management, produce literature notes. This is the default when no mode is specified.

Mandatory Steps

1. Identify the research field from context. Resolve CLAUDE.superpapers.md by reading it from the current working directory, or walking up parent directories until found. If the file contains a field entry, use it. Otherwise infer from the project abstract or ask the user directly. The field determines which databases to prioritize.

2. Choose databases based on the field:

   • Core (any field): Google Scholar, Web of Science, JSTOR, Semantic Scholar