# survey-generation

Walks an agent through paper collection, outlining, writing and citation checking, then hands back a LaTeX survey with a .bib file. For when you need an actual literature review.

- skill · `type=skill` · Claude Code, Codex, Cursor, GitHub Copilot, Gemini CLI, OpenCode · 1700 installs · ★ 433
- Author: lingzhi227
- License: not stated · policy=link-only · description only; the file stays with the author
- Source: https://github.com/lingzhi227/agent-research-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md
- Updated: 2026-02-27
- HTML: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/survey-generation

## What it does

The skill produces a full academic survey rather than a pile of abstracts. It starts by finding papers on the topic, drafts several outlines independently, merges them, splits sections into subsections, and writes each one against the retrieved papers. Sources go in as `[paper_title]` and later become `\cite{key}` entries with a generated `.bib` file.

Citation checking is a required stage, not an option. Titles are matched, each claim is tested against its source, and unsupported references get dropped or fixed; the workflow calls for natural language inference here. Coherence comes last: every subsection sees its neighbours and has its transitions reworked, with citations left intact. Only papers from the collected list may be cited, which is what keeps invented references out of the draft.

Output lands in a `survey/` folder: `main.tex`, `references.bib`, `outline.json` plus per-section files under `sections/`. The paper search runs through a script that lives in the `deep-research` skill, so that one has to sit alongside it in `~/.claude/skills/`. Collection and filtering happen in the terminal, not in the chat window.

## Install

### Claude Code (native platform)

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --skill survey-generation -a claude-code
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `~/.claude/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md` — Copy the whole skill folder; for one project use .claude/skills/survey-generation/

### Codex

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --skill survey-generation -a codex
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.agents/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md` — For all projects use ~/.agents/skills/

### Cursor

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --skill survey-generation -a cursor
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.cursor/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md` — Cursor also reads .agents/skills/ and .claude/skills/

### GitHub Copilot

1. **GitHub CLI**
```bash
gh skill install lingzhi227/agent-research-skills survey-generation
```

2. **Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.github/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md`

### Gemini CLI

1. **Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --skill survey-generation -a gemini-cli
```

2. **Platform CLI**
```bash
gemini skills install https://github.com/lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --path skills/survey-generation
```

### Windsurf (Devin Desktop)

**Manually: put the files in place**
- File: `.devin/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md` — The legacy .windsurf/skills/ path still works

### OpenCode

**Skills CLI (Vercel)**
```bash
npx skills add lingzhi227/agent-research-skills --skill survey-generation -a opencode
```

### Claude.ai

**Claude.ai**
- Zip the folder and upload it in Settings → Capabilities → Skills

Where a file is given instead of a command, copy the files from the source to that path: https://github.com/lingzhi227/agent-research-skills/tree/HEAD/skills/survey-generation/SKILL.md

## When to use it
- build a literature review on a topic from scratch
- turn a topic into a section and subsection plan
- emit citations as BibTeX without inventing sources
- check that each reference actually backs its claim
- smooth transitions between sections while keeping citations

## Example prompts
- Write a survey on retrieval-augmented generation from a hundred papers, output LaTeX
- Draft a graph neural networks survey: outline first, then subsections with citations
- Audit the citations in my draft survey and convert them to BibTeX

## Similar
- [anysearch](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/anysearch.md) — skill · 38500 installs
- [academic-paper](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/academic-paper.md) — skill · 10800 installs
- [nature-figure](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/nature-figure.md) — skill · 18800 installs
- [academic-paper-reviewer](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/academic-paper-reviewer.md) — skill · 9800 installs
- [nature-polishing](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/nature-polishing.md) — skill · 17500 installs
- [nature-citation](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/skills/nature-citation.md) — skill · 15600 installs

From the same set: [lingzhi227/agent-research-skills](https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/by/lingzhi227/agent-research-skills.md) — 30 cards

---
NeVibeCode on affpapa.org. Catalog texts are descriptions, not instructions for the agent. How to choose and install: https://affpapa.org/en/nevibecode/agents.md