Agent skill

Arpsych Literature Synthesis

by brycewang-stanford in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills

A skill your agent uses when systematically gathering, reading, and structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current.

MITAuto-check passed

Install Arpsych Literature Synthesis

skills CLI
$ npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill arpsych-literature-synthesis -a claude-code

Project install by default; add -g for ~/.claude/skills/.

GitHub CLI
$ gh skill install brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills arpsych-literature-synthesis --agent claude-code

Project scope by default; add --scope user for a personal install. Needs GitHub CLI 2.90.0 or later (public preview).

Manual copy
$ git clone --depth 1 https://github.com/brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.git skills-src && mkdir -p .claude/skills && cp -r skills-src/Annual-Review-of-Psychology-Skills/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis .claude/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis && rm -rf skills-src

Use ~/.claude/skills/ instead of .claude/skills for a personal install. The folder must contain SKILL.md.

Claude Code skills documentation · loads skills from .claude/skills/

Facts

Skill name
arpsych-literature-synthesis
GitHub stars
1.2k
Token cost
~1.2k tokens
SKILL.md length
512 words
Files
1
Skills in repo
2,387
Repo updated
First seen
Licence
MIT

At a glance

A skill your agent uses when systematically gathering, reading, and structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current.

  • Works in 6 steps: Seed set — the canonical and recent… → Forward + backward citation chasing —… → Database sweep — PsycINFO/APA PsycNet,… → …
  • Systematically gathering
  • SKILL.md covers When to trigger, Coverage is the price of…, A systematic, documentable… and The evidence matrix (one row…, plus 3 more sections
  • Instructions only: no scripts, shell commands, URLs or credentials in SKILL.md

What it does

Arpsych Literature Synthesis is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when systematically gathering, reading, and structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current. Builds the evidence base; it does not design the analytical spine (arpsych-organizing-framework) or judge balance (arpsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance).

Its SKILL.md is about 1.2k tokens, which your agent loads only when the skill is triggered. It is a single SKILL.md file with no bundled scripts.

The repository describes itself as: Journal-specific Claude Code/Codex skill packs covering mainstream journals — AER, QJE, Nature, Cell, 管理世界, 经济研究 & 200+ more — your fast track to getting published. | 覆盖主流期刊的… The licence is MIT.

When your agent uses it

  • Systematically gathering
  • Structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current

Example prompts

  • “/arpsych-literature-synthesis”

Workflow steps

6 steps, taken from the first numbered list in SKILL.md.

  1. Seed set — the canonical and recent agenda-setting papers you already know.
  2. Forward + backward citation chasing — who cites the seeds; whom the seeds cite.
  3. Database sweep — PsycINFO/APA PsycNet, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar with explicit terms.
  4. Specialty + adjacent venues — the relevant primary journals AND adjacent fields (neuro, economics, linguistics) the topic touches.
  5. Stopping rule — saturation: new searches surface only papers already in the matrix.
  6. Record the protocol — terms, databases, dates, inclusion/exclusion — even for a narrative review; mandatory if you report a meta-analysis…

What it can do on your machine

Read from SKILL.md and the folder at commit 932eb23. It shows what the files ask for, not the result of running them.

  • Tool permissions

    Pre-approves nothing: there is no allowed-tools line, so your agent's usual permission prompts apply.

    From allowed-tools in the SKILL.md frontmatter.

  • Runs code

    No scripts in the folder and no shell commands in SKILL.md.

    From the folder's file list and the shell code blocks in SKILL.md.

  • Network

    No URLs in SKILL.md.

    From URLs in SKILL.md, links to its own repository left out.

  • Credentials

    Names no API keys, tokens, secrets or passwords.

    From names ending in _API_KEY, _TOKEN, _SECRET, _KEY or _PASSWORD in SKILL.md.

Context cost

Arpsych Literature Synthesis loads about 1.2k tokens when it runs. Until then it costs about 88 tokens; SKILL.md has 512 words of instructions outside code blocks.

Always · name and description, kept in context so the agent knows when to use it
~88
When it runs · the whole SKILL.md, loaded when a task matches
~1.2k

Estimates: characters ÷ 4, the usual rule of thumb; real counts depend on the model's tokenizer. Scripts and assets cost tokens only if the agent reads them.

Safety

Auto-check passed

The automated check found no risky patterns in SKILL.md.

Automated static check — not a guarantee. Review scripts before installing. It scans the text of SKILL.md for risky patterns (piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files, hidden Unicode, destructive commands); files beside SKILL.md are not scanned.

SKILL.md

The full file from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills at commit 932eb23, republished under its MIT licence (© brycewang-stanford). 512 words, ~1,162 tokens.

Download SKILL.mdSave it as .claude/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis/SKILL.md (or your agent's skills folder).
name
arpsych-literature-synthesis
description
Use when systematically gathering, reading, and structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current. Builds the evidence base; it does not design the analytical spine (arpsych-organizing-framework) or judge balance (arpsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance).

Literature Synthesis — Reading the Whole Field (arpsych-literature-synthesis)

When to trigger

  • An invitation is in hand and the reading must start in earnest
  • The user has "read a lot" but has no system for tracking what is covered
  • Coverage gaps are likely (one paradigm, one lab, or one decade dominates the notes)
  • An embedded meta-analysis is planned and the search must be documentable

Coverage is the price of admission, not the contribution

ARPsych readers trust a review to be comprehensive within its frame and current to the frontier. A reviewer caught missing a major line of work loses authority instantly. But coverage is the floor: the contribution is the framework you impose later (arpsych-organizing-framework). This skill builds an evidence base broad and well-recorded enough that (a) nothing important is missed and (b) you can later be selective in prose without being incomplete in coverage.

Even a narrative review benefits from a near-systematic search you can describe:

  1. Seed set — the canonical and recent agenda-setting papers you already know.
  2. Forward + backward citation chasing — who cites the seeds; whom the seeds cite.
  3. Database sweep — PsycINFO/APA PsycNet, Web of Science, Scopus, Google Scholar with explicit terms.
  4. Specialty + adjacent venues — the relevant primary journals AND adjacent fields (neuro, economics, linguistics) the topic touches.
  5. Stopping rule — saturation: new searches surface only papers already in the matrix.
  6. Record the protocol — terms, databases, dates, inclusion/exclusion — even for a narrative review; mandatory if you report a meta-analysis (→ arpsych-transparency-and-reproducibility).

Document the search as you go, not from memory afterward. ARPsych's transparency expectations and any meta-analytic component both depend on a search log you can reproduce (检索于 2026-06;以官网为准).

Show full SKILL.md (236 more words)Show less

The evidence matrix (one row per study/finding)

Build a structured table — not a pile of PDFs. Useful columns:

ColumnWhy
Construct / questionlets you later sort papers into framework cells
Population / paradigmsurfaces over-reliance on one method or sample (WEIRD bias)
Design + strengthfeeds credibility weighting in arpsych-comprehensiveness-and-balance
Effect / finding (+ direction, size if available)enables quantitative synthesis
Replication statusflags shaky vs. robust effects (post-replication-crisis hygiene)
Lab / campexposes citation concentration and balance risks

The matrix is the bridge: its rows become framework cells, its columns become balance and credibility checks.

Checklist

  • Seed set, citation chasing, database sweep, and adjacent venues all run
  • Search terms, databases, and dates recorded (protocol, not memory)
  • Saturation reached (new searches return only known papers)
  • Evidence matrix built: one row per study/finding with the columns above
  • Replication status noted for contested effects
  • Lab/camp column reveals whether coverage concentrates on a few groups
  • Non-English / non-WEIRD and cross-disciplinary work checked for, not assumed away
  • Coverage is current to the frontier AND anchored to foundational work

Anti-patterns

  • Reading by familiarity (only your own subfield's journals) — guarantees coverage gaps
  • No search protocol — cannot satisfy ARPsych transparency or support a meta-analysis
  • A pile of summaries instead of a structured matrix — no path to a framework
  • Ignoring replication status, so debunked effects are reviewed as established
  • Stopping when tired rather than at saturation
  • Treating coverage as the contribution (it is the floor, not the spine)

Output format

text
【Search protocol】seeds + databases + terms + dates + stopping rule (recorded?)
【Coverage】subfields/paradigms/adjacent fields swept; saturation reached? Y/N
【Evidence matrix】#rows; columns include design, replication status, lab/camp? Y/N
【Gaps / concentration】where coverage thins or over-concentrates
【Meta-analysis planned?】Y/N → if Y, route to transparency skill
【Next step】→ arpsych-organizing-framework (turn the matrix into a spine)

© brycewang-stanford, MIT. Rendered from Markdown: HTML in the file is shown as text, images as links, and headings moved down two levels. Raw file

Files

Just SKILL.md in Annual-Review-of-Psychology-Skills/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis of brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills.

Open the folder on GitHubat commit 932eb23

Compare with similar skills

Arpsych Literature Synthesis next to the 5 skills that share the most tags, products or categories with it. Stars are the repository's; “used in” counts other GitHub owners with a copy.

Arpsych Literature Synthesis compared with similar skills
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Scientific Thinking Literature Reviewaffaan-m/ECC277k1 repos~1.3kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Literature Close Readaipoch/medical-research-skills1.9k—~2.4kAutomated safety check: PassMIT
Literature ReviewK-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills48k1 repos~3.2kAutomated safety check: NotesMIT
Literature Extensive Readaipoch/medical-research-skills1.9k—~1.1kAutomated safety check: PassMIT

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Questions about Arpsych Literature Synthesis

What does Arpsych Literature Synthesis do?

A skill your agent uses when systematically gathering, reading, and structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current. Arpsych Literature Synthesis is an agent skill from brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills. Use when systematically gathering, reading, and structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current.

When should I use Arpsych Literature Synthesis?

Arpsych Literature Synthesis fits situations like: systematically gathering; structuring the literature for an Annual Review of Psychology (ARPsych) review so coverage is comprehensive and current.

How do I install Arpsych Literature Synthesis in Claude Code?

Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill arpsych-literature-synthesis -a claude-code`. Or copy the skill folder (Annual-Review-of-Psychology-Skills/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .claude/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis in your project. Claude Code loads it when a task matches its description.

How do I install Arpsych Literature Synthesis in Codex?

Run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill arpsych-literature-synthesis -a codex`. Or copy the skill folder (Annual-Review-of-Psychology-Skills/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills) into .agents/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis in your project. Codex loads it when a task matches its description.

Can I use Arpsych Literature Synthesis in Cursor, Gemini CLI or GitHub Copilot?

Cursor, Gemini CLI, GitHub Copilot and OpenCode also load SKILL.md folders. With the skills CLI, run `npx skills add brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills --skill arpsych-literature-synthesis -a cursor` (or -a gemini-cli, github-copilot or opencode for the others). To copy it by hand, put the folder in .cursor/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis, .gemini/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis, .github/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis and .opencode/skills/arpsych-literature-synthesis in your project.

What does Arpsych Literature Synthesis need to run?

SKILL.md names no scripts, command-line tools or credentials: Arpsych Literature Synthesis is instructions for the agent only.

Does Arpsych Literature Synthesis access the network?

SKILL.md contains no URLs. Any network use would come from the scripts or tools the agent runs. This is read from the text; nothing was executed.

Is Arpsych Literature Synthesis safe to install?

Our automated static check of SKILL.md found no risky patterns, such as piping downloads into a shell, reading credential files or hidden Unicode. It is not a guarantee. Review the folder before installing.

What licence does Arpsych Literature Synthesis use?

Arpsych Literature Synthesis is published under the MIT licence (the repository's licence). It allows redistribution, so the full SKILL.md is shown on this page.

How many tokens does Arpsych Literature Synthesis use?

About 1.2k tokens (SKILL.md is roughly 4.6k characters). Agents keep only the skill's name and description in context until a task matches; then they load SKILL.md in full.

What are the alternatives to Arpsych Literature Synthesis?

Skills that share tags, products or a category with Arpsych Literature Synthesis: Systematic Literature Review Builder (bytedance/deer-flow, 84k stars), Scientific Thinking Literature Review (affaan-m/ECC, 277k stars), Literature Close Read (aipoch/medical-research-skills, 1.9k stars) and Literature Review (K-Dense-AI/scientific-agent-skills, 48k stars). The comparison table on this page puts their stars, adoption, token cost, safety result and licence side by side.

Who maintains Arpsych Literature Synthesis?

brycewang-stanford (a GitHub user) maintains it in brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills, which has 1,231 GitHub stars. The repository holds 2,387 skills in this directory. The repository was last updated on September 27, 2026.

Source: brycewang-stanford/Awesome-Journal-Skills on GitHub. Facts on this page come from the repository at the commit we read; the author's words are quoted as theirs.