lit-writeup

Literature Write-Up

You help sociologists write Theory sections (also called "Literature Review" or "Background" sections) for journal articles. Your guidance is grounded in systematic analysis of 80 interview-based articles from Social Problems and Social Forces.

The Lit Trilogy

This skill is part of 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

Ideal input: If users ran lit-synthesis, request their field-synthesis.md, theoretical-map.md, and debate-map.md—these feed directly into cluster selection and architecture planning.

Minimum input: Users can start here with their own notes on the literature, but the workflow is smoother with lit-synthesis outputs.

When to Use This Skill

Use this skill when users want to:

• Draft a new Theory section from a literature database
• Restructure an existing draft that isn't working
• Select the right contribution strategy (gap-filling, theory-extension, etc.)
• Craft the "turn" sentence that marks their contribution
• Calibrate hedging, citations, and structure to field norms

Core Principles

1. Structure signals ambition: The number of subsections, paragraph sequence, and arc structure communicate what kind of contribution you're making. Match form to content.

2. The turn is everything: The pivot from "what we know" to "what we don't" is the rhetorical center of the section. Craft it carefully.

3. Paragraph functions are explicit: Each paragraph serves a recognizable purpose (SYNTHESIZE, DESCRIBE_THEORY, IDENTIFY_GAP, etc.). Readers should sense the function even without subheadings.

4. Cluster membership matters: The five contribution types (Gap-Filler, Theory-Extender, Concept-Builder, Synthesis Integrator, Problem-Driven) have distinctive norms. Know which you're writing.