Literature Synthesis

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 about them (lit-writeup).

The Lit Trilogy

This skill is the middle step in a three-skill workflow:

Skill Role Key Output

lit-search Find papers via OpenAlex database.json , download checklist

lit-synthesis Analyze & organize via Zotero field-synthesis.md , theoretical-map.md , debate-map.md

lit-writeup Draft prose Publication-ready Theory section

Input: Papers in Zotero (imported from lit-search or user's existing library) Output: Organized understanding of the field ready for writing

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

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

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

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

Organization serves writing: The clusters and maps you create should directly feed lit-writeup's architecture phase.

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

Zotero MCP Integration

This skill uses Zotero MCP for accessing your library:

Setup

Install the Zotero MCP server:

uv tool install "git+https://github.com/54yyyu/zotero-mcp.git" zotero-mcp setup

See mcp/zotero-setup.md for detailed configuration.

Key Capabilities

Tool Purpose

zotero_search_items

Find papers by keyword, author, tag

zotero_semantic_search

Conceptual similarity search

zotero_get_item_metadata

Retrieve full metadata + BibTeX

zotero_get_annotations

Extract PDF highlights and notes

zotero_search_notes

Search your reading notes

Workflow Integration

• From lit-search: Import the BibTeX export into Zotero

• Acquire PDFs: Use Zotero's "Find Available PDF" or manual download

• Read and annotate: Highlight key passages, add notes

• lit-synthesis reads: Access annotations via MCP for analysis

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 Zotero collection)

• Count papers by year, journal, author, theoretical tradition

• Identify potential gaps in coverage

• Prioritize which papers need deep reading vs. skimming

Output: corpus-audit.md with 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 via Zotero MCP

• 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

• 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.md with traditions, key theorists, and concept definitions.

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.md with organized paper groupings.

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.md with positions, evidence, and unresolved questions.

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

• Recommend which lit-writeup cluster (Gap-Filler, Theory-Extender, etc.) fits

• Create the handoff document for lit-writeup

Output: field-synthesis.md with integrated understanding and writing recommendations.

Output Files

lit-synthesis/ ├── corpus-audit.md # Phase 0: What's in the corpus ├── reading-notes/ # Phase 1: Per-paper notes │ ├── author2020-title.md │ ├── author2019-title.md │ └── ... ├── theoretical-map.md # Phase 2: Traditions and lineages ├── thematic-clusters.md # Phase 3: Paper groupings ├── debate-map.md # Phase 4: Tensions and positions └── field-synthesis.md # Phase 5: Integrated understanding

Reading Note Template

For each paper in Phase 1:

[Author Year] - [Short Title]

Bibliographic Info

• Full citation: [from Zotero]
• DOI: [link]

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 Opus Analytical reading, synthesis

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:

Check Zotero setup:

"Do you have Zotero MCP configured? If not, let's set that up first (see mcp/zotero-setup.md )."

Identify the corpus:

"Where are your papers? A Zotero collection from lit-search? An existing library folder? How many papers total?"

Set priorities:

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

Clarify goals:

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

Proceed with Phase 0 to audit the corpus.

Key Reminders

• Zotero is the source of truth: All papers should be in Zotero for consistent access

• Annotations accelerate: If you've already highlighted papers, those annotations are accessible via MCP

• Quality over quantity: Deep reading 15 papers beats skimming 50

• Debates are opportunities: Every tension you find is a potential contribution space

• This feeds lit-writeup: The outputs here become inputs there—keep that handoff in mind