Lit Review Assistant
- 1 installs
- 3.2k repo stars
- Updated August 4, 2026
- brycewang-stanford/awesome-agent-skills-for-empirical-research
lit-review-assistant is a Claude skill that helps economists structure literature searches, summarize papers, and synthesize findings into a review.
About
This skill helps economists conduct literature reviews by structuring searches, summarizing papers, and synthesizing findings. A researcher uses it to define search terms across databases like EconLit, NBER, and Google Scholar, organize each paper into a structured summary, and identify agreements, disagreements, and gaps. It provides reusable templates for literature and per-paper summaries.
- Structures economics literature searches and paper summaries
- Synthesizes findings and identifies research gaps
- Provides literature-summary and paper-summary templates
Lit Review Assistant by the numbers
- 1 all-time installs (skills.sh)
- Ranked #1,361 of 1,879 Documentation skills by installs in the Skillselion catalog
- Data as of Aug 5, 2026 (Skillselion catalog sync)
lit-review-assistant capabilities & compatibility
Free.
- Capabilities
- research · documentation
- Use cases
- research · documentation
- Pricing
- Free
What lit-review-assistant says it does
This skill helps economists conduct literature reviews by structuring searches, summarizing papers, and synthesizing findings.
It provides templates for organizing literature and identifying research gaps.
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| Installs | 1 |
|---|---|
| repo stars | ★ 3.2k |
| Last updated | August 4, 2026 |
| Repository | brycewang-stanford/awesome-agent-skills-for-empirical-research ↗ |
What it does
Structure economics literature searches and synthesize papers into summaries and identified research gaps.
Who is it for?
Economists starting a literature review or finding related work for a paper's introduction.
Skip if: Automated database querying or citation verification, which it does not perform.
When should I use this skill?
You need to structure an economics literature search and synthesize the papers you find.
What you get
A structured literature review with per-paper summaries, a synthesis table, and identified research gaps.
- A structured literature review
- Per-paper summaries
- A synthesis table and list of research gaps
By the numbers
- 4-step workflow (define domain, structure search, organize and synthesize, identify gaps)
Files
Literature Review Assistant
Purpose
This skill helps economists conduct literature reviews by structuring searches, summarizing papers, and synthesizing findings. It provides templates for organizing literature and identifying research gaps.
When to Use
- Starting a literature review for a new project
- Finding related work for a paper's introduction
- Synthesizing existing evidence on a topic
- Identifying gaps in the literature
Instructions
Step 1: Define the Research Domain
Ask the user: 1. What is your specific research question? 2. What's the scope? (Narrow field survey vs. cross-disciplinary review) 3. What databases do you have access to? (JSTOR, EconLit, Google Scholar, NBER) 4. What time period is relevant? 5. Are there seminal papers to start from?
Step 2: Structure the Search
Help define search terms: 1. Primary terms: Core concepts (e.g., "minimum wage", "employment") 2. Methodological filters: (RCT, IV, difference-in-differences) 3. Outcome terms: What effects are measured 4. Geographic/temporal scope: If relevant
Step 3: Organize and Synthesize
Create a structured summary for each paper:
- Citation
- Research question
- Data and methods
- Key findings
- Limitations
- How it relates to user's project
Step 4: Identify Patterns and Gaps
- What do papers agree on?
- Where are disagreements?
- What questions remain unanswered?
- What methods haven't been applied?
Example Output: Literature Summary Template
# Literature Review: [TOPIC]
## Search Strategy
**Databases:** EconLit, NBER, Google Scholar, SSRN
**Date range:** 2010-2024
**Search terms:**
- ("minimum wage" OR "wage floor") AND (employment OR jobs)
- ("minimum wage") AND ("difference-in-differences" OR "DiD")
**Inclusion criteria:**
- Peer-reviewed or NBER working papers
- Focused on [specific outcome]
- Uses causal identification strategy
---
## Seminal Papers
### Card and Krueger (1994)
**Citation:** Card, D., & Krueger, A. B. (1994). Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. *American Economic Review*, 84(4), 772-793.
**Research Question:** What is the effect of minimum wage increases on employment?
**Data & Method:**
- DiD comparing NJ (treatment) to PA (control)
- Survey of fast-food restaurants before/after NJ minimum wage increase
**Key Findings:**
- No negative employment effect found
- Employment slightly increased in NJ relative to PA
**Contribution:** Challenged conventional view; pioneered quasi-experimental methods in labor economics
**Limitations:**
- Single state, short time horizon
- Potential survey response bias
---
### Cengiz et al. (2019)
**Citation:** Cengiz, D., Dube, A., Lindner, A., & Zipperer, B. (2019). The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs. *Quarterly Journal of Economics*, 134(3), 1405-1454.
**Research Question:** Do minimum wage increases destroy jobs or compress the wage distribution?
**Data & Method:**
- Bunching estimator using 138 minimum wage events
- Examine employment distribution around minimum wage
**Key Findings:**
- Jobs below the new minimum wage disappear
- But replaced by jobs just above the minimum
- No significant overall employment loss
**Contribution:** Novel bunching methodology; large-scale evidence
---
## Synthesis: What We Know
| Finding | Evidence Quality | Consensus Level |
|---------|-----------------|-----------------|
| Small minimum wage increases have minimal employment effects | Strong (multiple RCTs/quasi-experiments) | High |
| Effects may be heterogeneous by region | Medium | Growing |
| Large increases (e.g., $15) less studied | Limited | Low |
## Research Gaps
1. **Mechanism:** How do firms absorb higher labor costs? (Prices, profits, productivity?)
2. **Long-run effects:** Most studies focus on 1-2 years
3. **Geographic heterogeneity:** Do effects differ in low vs. high cost-of-living areas?
4. **Spillovers:** Effects on workers earning above minimum wage
## Connection to Your Project
Your study of [SPECIFIC QUESTION] can contribute by:
- [How your work fills a gap]
- [What new data/method you bring]Paper Summary Template
## [Author(s)] ([Year])
**Title:** [Full title]
**Published in:** [Journal/Working Paper Series]
**Research Question:** [One sentence]
**Data:**
- Source: [Dataset name]
- Period: [Years]
- Sample: [N observations, unit of analysis]
**Identification Strategy:** [Method in one sentence]
**Main Findings:**
1. [Key result 1 with magnitude]
2. [Key result 2]
3. [Robustness/heterogeneity]
**Limitations:**
- [Main concern 1]
- [Main concern 2]
**Relevance to your project:** [One sentence on how it connects]
**Key quote:** "[Most important direct quote]" (p. XX)Search Strategy Tips
Google Scholar Operators
"exact phrase"- Exact matchingauthor:surname- Papers by specific authorsource:journal- Papers in specific journal-exclude- Exclude terms[year]..[year]- Date range
Finding Seminal Papers
1. Check citations in recent survey papers 2. Look for papers with 1000+ citations 3. Check JEL codes in EconLit 4. Review "related articles" in Google Scholar
Building Citation Networks
1. Start with 2-3 seminal papers 2. Check what recent papers cite them (forward citations) 3. Check their references (backward citations) 4. Identify clusters of related work
Best Practices
1. Use reference managers (Zotero, Mendeley, BibDesk) 2. Create annotated bibliographies as you read 3. Track search queries for reproducibility 4. Update regularly before submission 5. Balance breadth and depth - cover field but focus on closest work
Common Pitfalls
- ❌ Only citing papers that support your argument
- ❌ Not engaging with contradictory findings
- ❌ Confusing correlation with causation when summarizing
- ❌ Citing papers you haven't actually read
- ❌ Missing important recent papers
References
- EconLit - Authoritative economics database
- NBER Working Papers - Latest research
- IDEAS/RePEc - Free economics papers
- Connected Papers - Visual citation networks
Changelog
v1.0.0
- Initial release with templates and search strategies
Literature Review Assistant
Purpose
This skill helps economists conduct literature reviews by structuring searches, summarizing papers, and synthesizing findings. It provides templates for organizing literature and identifying research gaps.
When to Use
- Starting a literature review for a new project
- Finding related work for a paper's introduction
- Synthesizing existing evidence on a topic
- Identifying gaps in the literature
Instructions
Step 1: Define the Research Domain
Ask the user: 1. What is your specific research question? 2. What's the scope? (Narrow field survey vs. cross-disciplinary review) 3. What databases do you have access to? (JSTOR, EconLit, Google Scholar, NBER) 4. What time period is relevant? 5. Are there seminal papers to start from?
Step 2: Structure the Search
Help define search terms: 1. Primary terms: Core concepts (e.g., "minimum wage", "employment") 2. Methodological filters: (RCT, IV, difference-in-differences) 3. Outcome terms: What effects are measured 4. Geographic/temporal scope: If relevant
Step 3: Organize and Synthesize
Create a structured summary for each paper:
- Citation
- Research question
- Data and methods
- Key findings
- Limitations
- How it relates to user's project
Step 4: Identify Patterns and Gaps
- What do papers agree on?
- Where are disagreements?
- What questions remain unanswered?
- What methods haven't been applied?
Example Output: Literature Summary Template
# Literature Review: [TOPIC]
## Search Strategy
**Databases:** EconLit, NBER, Google Scholar, SSRN
**Date range:** 2010-2024
**Search terms:**
- ("minimum wage" OR "wage floor") AND (employment OR jobs)
- ("minimum wage") AND ("difference-in-differences" OR "DiD")
**Inclusion criteria:**
- Peer-reviewed or NBER working papers
- Focused on [specific outcome]
- Uses causal identification strategy
---
## Seminal Papers
### Card and Krueger (1994)
**Citation:** Card, D., & Krueger, A. B. (1994). Minimum Wages and Employment: A Case Study of the Fast-Food Industry in New Jersey and Pennsylvania. *American Economic Review*, 84(4), 772-793.
**Research Question:** What is the effect of minimum wage increases on employment?
**Data & Method:**
- DiD comparing NJ (treatment) to PA (control)
- Survey of fast-food restaurants before/after NJ minimum wage increase
**Key Findings:**
- No negative employment effect found
- Employment slightly increased in NJ relative to PA
**Contribution:** Challenged conventional view; pioneered quasi-experimental methods in labor economics
**Limitations:**
- Single state, short time horizon
- Potential survey response bias
---
### Cengiz et al. (2019)
**Citation:** Cengiz, D., Dube, A., Lindner, A., & Zipperer, B. (2019). The Effect of Minimum Wages on Low-Wage Jobs. *Quarterly Journal of Economics*, 134(3), 1405-1454.
**Research Question:** Do minimum wage increases destroy jobs or compress the wage distribution?
**Data & Method:**
- Bunching estimator using 138 minimum wage events
- Examine employment distribution around minimum wage
**Key Findings:**
- Jobs below the new minimum wage disappear
- But replaced by jobs just above the minimum
- No significant overall employment loss
**Contribution:** Novel bunching methodology; large-scale evidence
---
## Synthesis: What We Know
| Finding | Evidence Quality | Consensus Level |
|---------|-----------------|-----------------|
| Small minimum wage increases have minimal employment effects | Strong (multiple RCTs/quasi-experiments) | High |
| Effects may be heterogeneous by region | Medium | Growing |
| Large increases (e.g., $15) less studied | Limited | Low |
## Research Gaps
1. **Mechanism:** How do firms absorb higher labor costs? (Prices, profits, productivity?)
2. **Long-run effects:** Most studies focus on 1-2 years
3. **Geographic heterogeneity:** Do effects differ in low vs. high cost-of-living areas?
4. **Spillovers:** Effects on workers earning above minimum wage
## Connection to Your Project
Your study of [SPECIFIC QUESTION] can contribute by:
- [How your work fills a gap]
- [What new data/method you bring]Paper Summary Template
## [Author(s)] ([Year])
**Title:** [Full title]
**Published in:** [Journal/Working Paper Series]
**Research Question:** [One sentence]
**Data:**
- Source: [Dataset name]
- Period: [Years]
- Sample: [N observations, unit of analysis]
**Identification Strategy:** [Method in one sentence]
**Main Findings:**
1. [Key result 1 with magnitude]
2. [Key result 2]
3. [Robustness/heterogeneity]
**Limitations:**
- [Main concern 1]
- [Main concern 2]
**Relevance to your project:** [One sentence on how it connects]
**Key quote:** "[Most important direct quote]" (p. XX)Search Strategy Tips
Google Scholar Operators
"exact phrase"- Exact matchingauthor:surname- Papers by specific authorsource:journal- Papers in specific journal-exclude- Exclude terms[year]..[year]- Date range
Finding Seminal Papers
1. Check citations in recent survey papers 2. Look for papers with 1000+ citations 3. Check JEL codes in EconLit 4. Review "related articles" in Google Scholar
Building Citation Networks
1. Start with 2-3 seminal papers 2. Check what recent papers cite them (forward citations) 3. Check their references (backward citations) 4. Identify clusters of related work
Best Practices
1. Use reference managers (Zotero, Mendeley, BibDesk) 2. Create annotated bibliographies as you read 3. Track search queries for reproducibility 4. Update regularly before submission 5. Balance breadth and depth - cover field but focus on closest work
Common Pitfalls
- ❌ Only citing papers that support your argument
- ❌ Not engaging with contradictory findings
- ❌ Confusing correlation with causation when summarizing
- ❌ Citing papers you haven't actually read
- ❌ Missing important recent papers
References
- EconLit - Authoritative economics database
- NBER Working Papers - Latest research
- IDEAS/RePEc - Free economics papers
- Connected Papers - Visual citation networks
Changelog
v1.0.0
- Initial release with templates and search strategies
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Which databases does it target?
It structures searches for JSTOR, EconLit, Google Scholar, NBER, and SSRN.
What does each paper summary capture?
Citation, research question, data and methods, key findings, limitations, and relevance to your project.