Capture the paper. Build the matrix. Export the chapter scaffold.
Lit Review Synthesizer scaffolds the structural synthesis work of a literature review: a per-paper card forces you to name the research question, finding, methodology, and stance; the matrix surfaces where the field agrees, where it's contested, and where the gaps are; and the chapter scaffold export is a Markdown outline with the structural work done, leaving the synthesis paragraphs to you.
Your synthesis cards stay in your browser. No AI reads them; nothing is uploaded.
"This reads like an annotated bibliography, not a literature review."
The pathological literature review chapter is well-known: paragraphs that each summarize one paper, no synthesis across papers, no identification of agreement or contestation, no explicit gaps. Supervisors mark it down; students don't know how to fix it because the structural problem was never named.
- You weren't taught the synthesis, so you write the summaries instead — the symptom most supervisors will flag.
- The cards are never written down: months later you can't reconstruct which paper found what, with which method, with what rigor.
- The chapter outline is the missing piece. Without it, every "synthesis paragraph" has to be invented from scratch at the keyboard.
A thinking tool, not a logging tool
How it works
Capture the paper
One-click metadata from PubMed, bioRxiv, arXiv, Google Scholar — or manual entry for everything else. Fill a synthesis card in ~90 seconds while the paper is fresh.
Work the matrix
Filter by stance, methodology, rigor, year. Group by methodology or stance. Click any row to expand the full card. A Synthesis Insights panel flags imbalance, narrowness, and gaps deterministically.
Export the chapter scaffold
A structured Markdown outline — introduction with methodology mix, Methodological Approaches, Where the Field Agrees / Is Contested, Identified Gaps, full BibTeX. Bracketed [Synthesize: …] prompts where your paragraphs go.
What's inside
The synthesis card
Four required fields per paper: research question, core finding, methodology, your stance (Supports / Contradicts / Nuances / Tangential / Undetermined). Three optional dimensions: rigor, scope, relevance.
The matrix view
Filter, sort, and group your library. Stance as a colored pill, rigor as a 3-dot indicator, inline row expand for the full card. Edit any field in a modal that opens from the row.
Synthesis Insights
Deterministic flags — no AI. Catches confirmation bias ("8 of 10 support — sought disconfirming?"), methodology dominance, rigor weakness, narrow time windows, missing nuances.
Chapter scaffold export
A complete Markdown outline grouped by methodology and stance, with gaps flagged. Bracketed prompts mark where your synthesis paragraphs go. Drop into Obsidian, VS Code, or any dissertation draft.
Custom methodology list
Default lists per discipline (life sciences, social sciences, humanities, engineering, CS). Add your own ("Delphi panel", "Archival research") in Settings; reset to discipline default anytime.
Four-format export + OpenAlex
BibTeX (Zotero / LaTeX), CSV (spreadsheets), JSON (backup), Markdown matrix. Optional one-click OpenAlex enrichment (DOI in, abstract / citation count / concepts out — never your synthesis content).
Privacy & Trust
- Your synthesis cards never leave your machine. Everything you write — research question, paper-level cards, notes — lives in
chrome.storage.localon your device. - No AI runtime, no telemetry, no analytics, no account. The chapter scaffold is generated by string templates and deterministic rules. The insights panel is plain conditional logic.
- Two scoped outbound destinations, both opt-in. OpenAlex enrichment (only when you trigger it: only the DOI is sent). Product-updates sign-up (only if you tick the box and click Subscribe: only your email address is sent).
- Scoped host permissions only. The extension runs on PubMed, bioRxiv, arXiv, and Google Scholar to extract paper metadata when you click the toolbar icon. No
<all_urls>; no content scripts on publisher pages or anywhere else.
It is a workspace for structured literature-review synthesis — not an AI synthesizer, and not a citation manager. Read the full privacy policy.
Built by Dr. Rafiq Muhammad, PhD — author of the Mastering Research book series.
Pricing
Every feature, for everyone — no subscription, no tiers, no account.
Capture, matrix, filters, sorts, group-by, edit-in-place, Synthesis Insights, OpenAlex enrichment, and every export (BibTeX, CSV, JSON, Markdown matrix, and the chapter scaffold) are unlocked.
Email is entirely optional and opt-in — leave it blank forever, or add it to hear about occasional updates.
Frequently asked questions
Does an AI write my synthesis paragraphs?
No — and deliberately so. There is no AI runtime anywhere in this tool. The chapter scaffold is generated by string templates and deterministic rules. The Synthesis Insights panel is plain conditional logic over your card data. Bracketed [Synthesize: …] prompts mark where your paragraphs go — the structure is done, the synthesis is yours. That separation is the whole point: the synthesis is the skill your supervisor is grading.
Which sites does it work on?
PubMed (article pages), bioRxiv (abstract pages), arXiv (/abs/ pages, not PDFs), and Google Scholar (with a "📋 Capture in LRS" button injected next to each result). For anything else — humanities journals, books, theses, news articles — use the manual-entry form, which is a first-class peer to platform capture, not a fallback. The extension does not run on any other website.
Is my synthesis content uploaded anywhere?
No. Every card, paper, note, and research-question entry stays in chrome.storage.local on your device. The two scoped outbound calls are both opt-in: OpenAlex enrichment sends only the DOI of a single paper when you trigger it, and the product-updates sign-up sends only your email address if you tick the opt-in checkbox and click Subscribe. See the full privacy policy.
How much does it cost?
It's free, with no subscription and no paid tiers. Every feature — including the chapter scaffold export and OpenAlex enrichment — is available to everyone. There's nothing to buy and no account to create.
What is the Chapter Scaffold export?
A Markdown .md file with a complete outline of your literature review chapter: an Introduction with an auto-generated methodology-mix sentence; a Methodological Approaches section, papers grouped by approach with capture-time research questions; Findings — Where the Field Agrees, listing supporting papers by citation key; Findings — Where the Field Is Contested, with direct contradictions and nuances separated; Identified Gaps populated from the active Synthesis Insights flags; and a full BibTeX bibliography at the bottom. Bracketed [Synthesize: …] prompts mark every place where your paragraphs go.
What are the Synthesis Insights?
Deterministic, rule-based flags computed from your library. Examples: "Mostly supporting evidence" (70%+ Supports), "Methodology dominates" (70%+ one methodology), "Rigor concentration" (half or more weak/unclear), "Narrow time window" (papers cluster within fewer than five years), "No nuancing papers" (zero Nuances at 12+ papers), "Most recent paper is dated" (newest is >3 years old). Dismiss for the session, or use them as gap candidates in the chapter scaffold.
Can I get my data out?
Yes. You can export BibTeX, CSV, JSON, Markdown matrix, and the Chapter Scaffold from the matrix toolbar. JSON is the full schema and is import-compatible — and Settings has a "full backup" export that snapshots everything in chrome.storage.local. One click in Settings clears everything from your device.
What if I find a bug?
Email support@gradsummit.com — replies go to a real human (the developer).