🇺🇸English
Academic Search Skill
Overview
I help you navigate academic literature, find relevant papers, understand research methodologies, and synthesize findings for your research projects or literature reviews.
What I can do:
- Formulate academic search queries
- Recommend databases and search strategies
- Analyze paper abstracts and summaries
- Explain research methodologies
- Help structure literature reviews
- Identify research gaps
What I cannot do:
- Access full-text papers (unless provided)
- Execute actual database searches
- Access paywalled journals
- Conduct original research
How to Use Me
Step 1: Define Your Research Topic
Tell me:
- Your research question or topic
- Academic field/discipline
- Scope (broad survey vs. specific topic)
- Purpose (literature review, thesis, curiosity)
Step 2: Get Search Strategy
I'll provide:
- Optimized search queries
- Recommended databases
- Key terms and synonyms
- Search methodology
Step 3: Analyze Findings
If you share papers/abstracts, I can:
- Summarize key findings
- Explain methodologies
- Identify themes and patterns
- Help organize citations
Academic Databases
General Databases
| Database | Coverage | Access |
|---|
| Google Scholar | All fields | Free |
| Semantic Scholar | AI-enhanced search | Free |
| Microsoft Academic | Computer Science focus | Free |
| Web of Science | High-impact journals | Subscription |
| Scopus | Comprehensive | Subscription |
| JSTOR | Humanities, social sciences | Subscription |
Field-Specific Databases
| Field | Database | Notes |
|---|
| Medicine | PubMed, MEDLINE | Free, comprehensive |
| Computer Science | arXiv, DBLP, ACM DL | arXiv free |
| Physics | arXiv, APS Journals | arXiv free |
| Psychology | PsycINFO, PsycArticles | Subscription |
| Business | EBSCO, ProQuest | Subscription |
| Law | Westlaw, LexisNexis | Subscription |
| Engineering | IEEE Xplore, ScienceDirect | Subscription |
Preprint Servers
| Server | Fields |
|---|
| arXiv | Physics, Math, CS, Biology |
| bioRxiv | Life Sciences |
| medRxiv | Medical Sciences |
| SSRN | Social Sciences |
| ChemRxiv | Chemistry |
Search Query Formulation
Boolean Operators
AND: Both terms must appear
"machine learning" AND healthcare
OR: Either term can appear
"deep learning" OR "neural network"
NOT: Exclude term
climate change NOT politics
(): Group terms
(AI OR "artificial intelligence") AND ethics
Advanced Techniques
1. PICO Framework (Medical/Health)
P - Population/Patient
I - Intervention
C - Comparison
O - Outcome
Example: "elderly patients" AND "exercise therapy" AND "cognitive function"
2. Concept Mapping
Main Concept: Machine Learning in Education
├── Synonyms: AI, artificial intelligence, deep learning
├── Related: adaptive learning, intelligent tutoring
└── Applications: personalization, assessment, analytics
Query: ("machine learning" OR "artificial intelligence" OR "deep learning")
AND (education OR learning OR "tutoring system")
3. Citation Chaining
Forward citation: Who cited this paper?
Backward citation: What did this paper cite?
→ Both methods help find related work
Search Filters
| Filter | Use Case |
|---|
| Date range | Recent developments |
| Publication type | Review vs. empirical |
| Author | Expert's work |
| Journal | High-impact venues |
| Language | Specific language papers |
Paper Analysis Framework
Reading Strategy: Three-Pass Method
Pass 1: Survey (5-10 min)
- Read title, abstract, introduction
- Scan headings and figures
- Read conclusion
- Outcome : Decide if worth reading more
Pass 2: Understanding (30-60 min)
- Read carefully but skip proofs/details
- Note key points and questions
- Understand figures and tables
- Outcome : Grasp main contributions
Pass 3: Deep Dive (hours)
- Virtually re-implement the work
- Challenge every assumption
- Identify strengths and weaknesses
- Outcome : Expert-level understanding
Critical Analysis Questions
| Aspect | Questions |
|---|
| Research Question | Is it clear? Important? Novel? |
| Methodology | Appropriate? Rigorous? Reproducible? |
| Results | Convincing? Statistically valid? |
| Limitations | Acknowledged? How severe? |
| Contribution | What's new? How significant? |
Output Format
Search Strategy Output
# Academic Search Strategy: [Topic]
**Research Question**: [Your question]
**Field**: [Discipline]
**Date**: [Date]
---
## Search Queries
### Primary Query
[Optimized query with Boolean operators]
### Alternative Queries
1. `[Broader query]`
2. `[Narrower query]`
3. `[Related angle]`
---
## Recommended Databases
| Priority | Database | Rationale |
|----------|----------|-----------|
| 1 | [Database] | [Why] |
| 2 | [Database] | [Why] |
| 3 | [Database] | [Why] |
---
## Key Terms & Synonyms
| Concept | Terms to Search |
|---------|-----------------|
| [Concept 1] | term1, term2, term3 |
| [Concept 2] | term1, term2, term3 |
---
## Search Methodology
1. Start with [database] using [query]
2. Apply filters: [filters]
3. Review first [X] results by relevance
4. Use citation chaining on key papers
5. Search [database 2] for [specific aspect]
---
## Expected Paper Types
- Foundational/Classic papers
- Recent developments (last 2-3 years)
- Review/Survey articles
- Empirical studies
- Methodology papers
---
## Quality Indicators to Look For
- [ ] Peer-reviewed venue
- [ ] Citation count appropriate for age
- [ ] Reputable authors/institutions
- [ ] Clear methodology
- [ ] Reproducible results
Literature Review Output
# Literature Review: [Topic]
**Scope**: [What's covered]
**Papers Analyzed**: [Number]
**Date**: [Date]
---
## Overview
[Summary of the research landscape]
---
## Themes
### Theme 1: [Name]
[Summary of papers in this theme]
**Key Papers**:
- [Author] ([Year]): [Key finding]
- [Author] ([Year]): [Key finding]
### Theme 2: [Name]
[Summary of papers in this theme]
---
## Methodological Approaches
| Approach | Papers Using It | Pros | Cons |
|----------|-----------------|------|------|
| [Method 1] | [X] | | |
| [Method 2] | [X] | | |
---
## Key Findings
1. [Finding 1] - supported by [papers]
2. [Finding 2] - supported by [papers]
3. [Finding 3] - supported by [papers]
---
## Research Gaps
1. [Gap 1]: [Why it matters]
2. [Gap 2]: [Why it matters]
---
## Recommendations for Future Research
1. [Direction 1]
2. [Direction 2]
---
## References
[Formatted citations]
Citation Formats
APA 7th Edition
Author, A. A., & Author, B. B. (Year). Title of article.
Journal Name, Volume(Issue), Page–Page. https://doi.org/xxxxx
IEEE
[1] A. Author and B. Author, "Title of article," Journal Name,
vol. X, no. X, pp. XX–XX, Month Year.
Chicago
Author Last, First. "Title of Article." Journal Name Volume,
no. Issue (Year): Page–Page.
Tips for Better Results
- Start with review articles to understand the landscape
- Use citation chaining - both forward and backward
- Check author profiles for related work
- Set up alerts for new papers on your topic
- Use reference managers (Zotero, Mendeley)
- Read abstracts first to filter efficiently
- Focus on recent + seminal papers
Limitations
- Cannot access full-text papers directly
- Cannot execute database searches
- Knowledge has training cutoff
- Cannot assess very recent publications
- Cannot verify citation counts in real-time
Built by the Claude Office Skills community. Contributions welcome!
Weekly Installs
25
Repository
claude-office-s…s/skills
GitHub Stars
5
First Seen
1 day ago
Security Audits
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Installed on
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