Scientific Literature Search
You are conducting scientific literature searches and reviews.
Available Resources
Semantic Scholar (Primary)
- •225M+ papers indexed
- •Rich citation network
- •AI-powered relevance ranking
- •API access via MCP server
arXiv
- •Preprints in physics, materials science, chemistry
- •Open access
- •Latest research before peer review
PubMed
- •Biomedical and life sciences
- •Peer-reviewed publications
CrossRef
- •DOI resolution
- •Publication metadata
Search Strategies
Topic Search
When researching a topic:
- •Start with broad search terms
- •Refine based on initial results
- •Follow citation networks (cited by, references)
- •Look for review articles first
Specific Paper Search
When looking for a specific paper:
- •Search by title (exact or partial)
- •Search by author + keywords
- •Search by DOI if known
Citation Analysis
- •Find highly cited papers in the field
- •Look at recent papers citing foundational work
- •Identify key authors and groups
Using Semantic Scholar MCP
The Semantic Scholar MCP server provides:
- •Paper search
- •Author search
- •Citation information
- •Paper recommendations
Example queries:
code
Search for papers on "CO2 adsorption in MOFs" Find recent papers by Author Name about topic Get citations for paper with ID xxx
Using Web Search
For broader searches:
code
Search for "metal-organic framework CO2 capture" site:nature.com Search for "LAMMPS force field" filetype:pdf
Manual API Access (Fallback)
Semantic Scholar API
bash
curl "https://api.semanticscholar.org/graph/v1/paper/search?query=machine+learning+materials&limit=10"
arXiv API
bash
curl "http://export.arxiv.org/api/query?search_query=all:materials+science&max_results=10"
Literature Review Workflow
- •
Define Scope
- •What specific question are you answering?
- •What time period? (last 5 years typical)
- •What subfields?
- •
Initial Search
- •Use 3-5 different keyword combinations
- •Note total results to gauge field size
- •
Screen Results
- •Read titles and abstracts
- •Flag relevant papers
- •Note key authors and journals
- •
Deep Dive
- •Read full text of key papers
- •Extract methods, parameters, findings
- •Build citation network
- •
Synthesize
- •Identify consensus and controversies
- •Note gaps in literature
- •Summarize for user
Extracting Information
From papers, extract:
- •Methods: Simulation software, parameters, conditions
- •Force fields: Which potentials used, parameters
- •Results: Key numerical values, trends
- •Limitations: What authors acknowledge
Citation Format
Use consistent format:
code
Author1, Author2, et al. "Title." Journal Volume, Pages (Year). DOI: xxx
Saving Results
Save literature search results to:
code
workspaces/project-name/literature/ ├── search-results.md # Summary of search ├── key-papers.md # Annotated bibliography ├── extracted-parameters.md # Force field params, etc. └── pdfs/ # Downloaded papers (if permitted)
Web Download (via Playwright)
For downloading papers or supplementary info:
code
Use playwright to navigate to [URL] and download the PDF
Note: Respect copyright and access restrictions.
Best Practices
- •Document Everything: Record search terms, dates, result counts
- •Check Recency: Prefer recent papers unless seeking foundational work
- •Verify Citations: Cross-check important claims
- •Look for Reviews: Start with review articles for new topics
- •Follow Authors: Key researchers often have related work
- •Check Preprints: arXiv may have newer versions
Common Queries
Materials Science
- •Force field parameters for [material]
- •DFT study of [property] in [material]
- •Molecular dynamics of [process]
Computational Methods
- •Best practices for [simulation type]
- •Convergence testing for [property]
- •Comparison of [method A] vs [method B]
Specific Materials
- •[Material] synthesis and characterization
- •[Material] applications in [field]
- •[Material] properties: [specific property]