Narrative Review

---
name: narrative-review
description: Theory-driven literature review for building arguments and frameworks. Flexible, subjective, and narrative-focused — selects evidence strategically to support a thesis. High web-research budget for blogs, opinion pieces, and industry perspectives. Use when the user is writing a position paper, survey introduction, or constructing a coherent narrative around a research theme.
used-by: literature-survey
---

# Narrative Review

**Purpose**: Flexible, subjective, theory-driven — build a theoretical argument supported by literature. Not objective coverage, but persuasive framing.

**When to use**: User is writing a position paper, survey introduction, or needs to construct a coherent narrative around a research theme.

## Budget

| Base SOP | Target | ±10% Range |
|----------|--------|------------|
| web-search | 80 results | 72–88 |
| web-research | 15 pages | 13–17 |
| paper-overview | 50 papers | 45–55 |
| paper-search | 40 papers | 36–44 |
| paper-research | 20 papers | 18–22 |

## State Ledger

Print this table before each major iteration decision:

```
| SOP            | Target | Current | % Complete |
|----------------|--------|---------|------------|
| web-search     | 80     | ???     | ???%       |
| web-research   | 15     | ???     | ???%       |
| paper-overview | 50     | ???     | ???%       |
| paper-search   | 40     | ???     | ???%       |
| paper-research | 20     | ???     | ???%       |
```

Do not exit the strategy until all rows reach ≥90%.

## Available Tactics

- `narrative-framing` — define themes → build argument → select supporting evidence

## Available SOPs

**Import** (strict protocol execution):
- `web-search` → web-browsing/skills/web-search/SKILL.md
- `web-research` → web-browsing/skills/web-research/SKILL.md
- `paper-overview` → literature-engine/skills/literature-overview/SKILL.md
- `paper-search` → literature-engine/skills/literature-search/SKILL.md
- `paper-research` → literature-engine/skills/literature-research/SKILL.md

**Subagent** (CC decides when to invoke):
- `categorize-papers` — cluster papers by theme/method/timeline
- `thematic-coding` — identify recurring themes across papers
- `gap-identification` — find what the literature hasn't addressed
- `survey-synthesis` — produce final structured output

## Execution Guidance

- narrative-framing tactic is central — defines the argument structure first, then searches for evidence
- High web-research (15 pages) because narrative reviews draw on blogs, opinion pieces, industry perspectives
- thematic-coding to identify recurring themes across papers
- Reading is selective and theory-driven — not exhaustive, but strategically chosen to support the narrative
- gap-identification frames the "so what" of the narrative

## Output Format

**Structured Narrative** containing:
- Thesis / central argument statement
- Supporting evidence organized by theme
- Counterarguments acknowledged and addressed
- Gap / opportunity identified (the "so what")
- Suggested narrative arc for writing