TyrealQ/q-litreview

Q-Litreview

Draft standalone literature review sections that follow the introduction. Produces a progressive argument across two subsections, arriving at research questions as the earned conclusion.

References

• references/literature_review_template.md — structural guidance (draft dynamically, not verbatim)
• references/interview_questions.md — interview protocol and refinement diagnostic
• ../references/apa_style_guide.md — APA formatting, numbers, notation, formulas

Core Principles

• Purely conceptual and theoretical; measurement methodology belongs in methods
• Progressive argument: theory exposition, prior research, limitations, new approach, earned RQs
• Narrative prose; no bullet points, em-dashes, or italicized sublabels within paragraphs
• Prefer 3-12 sentence paragraphs; no standalone introductory paragraphs
• Dense citation support with specific findings woven into prose, not cataloged
• Two subsections with descriptive headers naming the dimension or activity
• Each paragraph has one clear through-line advancing the argument
• Research questions emerge as the logical conclusion, not restatements of the introduction

Argumentative Architecture

The templates describe what goes where; this section describes why each element appears where it does.

Subsection 1 (Theoretical Framework and Domain Application)

• P1: Establish the framework (core constructs, key evidence, mechanisms)
• P2: Show it applies beyond its original context (digital, mediated, computational extensions)
• P3: Show the study's domain needs it (what existing frameworks capture and miss)
• P4: Show where it has not yet been applied (the specific understudied context)

Each paragraph opens by extending or complicating the prior paragraph's conclusion.

Subsection 2 (Prior Research Tradition to New Approach)

• P5: What the field knows and how (foundational studies, methodological pattern)
• P6: How the environment has changed (platform dynamics, new metrics)
• P7: Why existing tools cannot capture the new reality (limitations)
• P8: The approach that can (content-side framing, earned RQs)

Subsection Headers

Use descriptive headers: "[Theory] in [Domain]: [Construct 1] and [Construct 2] in [Context]" and "[Field]-Mediated [Activity]: From [Existing] to [New Approach]."

Research Question Framing

RQs should feel earned by the argument, connected to the preceding analysis rather than restating the introduction's wording.

Workflow

| Step | Action | Reference | |------|--------|-----------| | 1 | Interview: if an introduction exists, read it first to identify literature it previews | references/interview_questions.md | | 2 | Outline: map progressive argument across 8 paragraphs (4 per subsection) | Architecture above | | 3 | Draft: write flowing paragraphs of 6-10 sentences | references/literature_review_template.md | | 4 | Coordination (if intro exists): verify intro compresses, lit review elaborates; theory defined here; concrete examples here; coined phrases in one section only; RQ framing differs | — | | 5 | Refinement (existing drafts): run diagnostic, then revise per Architecture | references/interview_questions.md |

Scope

Include: Theoretical framework (origins, dimensions, mechanisms, extensions), synthesis of prior research with specific contributions, gaps as narrative consequences, conceptual motivation for the analytical approach, earned research questions.

Checklist

• [ ] Purely conceptual (no measurement methodology or analytical procedures)
• [ ] RQs feel earned by the argument (not restated from intro)
• [ ] Dense citations woven into narrative (not cataloged)
• [ ] No standalone intro paragraphs or single-sentence paragraphs
• [ ] Cross-section coordination verified (if intro exists)
• [ ] Appropriate length for venue