Literature Review With LLMs: Scope First, Search Second

Classic lit review starts with keyword search. That works when you know the terrain. For a new domain, keyword-first means you find the loudest papers, not the most load-bearing ones. An LLM can compress a decade of conversation into a navigable map in ten minutes — but only if you make it scope the review, not summarize it.

The scoping prompt that pays for itself

1. 1Use the LLM to draft inclusion and exclusion criteria BEFORE searching
2. 2Ask it to name the rival camps in the field, not just the consensus
3. 3Force one-line criticisms on every seed paper — this surfaces the debate shape
4. 4Require an uncertainty flag on any claim about a specific paper

Handing off to a search engine

Once the LLM has given you the conceptual map, switch tools. Use Semantic Scholar or Consensus for actual papers — these are retrieval-backed and far less likely to invent sources. The LLM is a sparring partner for scope; it is not a database.

The big idea: scope first with an LLM, search second with a retrieval tool. Reverse that order and you inherit the LLM's biases instead of your own.