Write a Living Literature Review with Support from the Abundance and Growth Fund
The number of academic papers doubles every 12 years. This wealth of new knowledge is exciting, but the pace of growth makes keeping up with the latest developments increasingly difficult.
One response to this challenge is “living literature reviews.” At the Abundance and Growth Fund, we define a living literature review as a continuously updated online collection of accessible articles that synthesize academic research on a specific topic. These reviews are primarily written by a single expert who is responsible for its quality and accuracy.
Living literature reviews aim to be accessible to readers unfamiliar with a field while maintaining rigor. Unlike news articles that often focus on single, sensational studies, these reviews provide a broader perspective, synthesizing findings from multiple sources. They differ from traditional academic literature reviews by avoiding paywalls, dense jargon, and lengthy formats that pose barriers to non-specialists. Moreover, because they don’t assume familiarity with the assumptions of a field, living literature reviews aim to describe how conclusions were reached, not just what the conclusions are. This transparency allows readers to better understand the research methodology and form their own judgment on the strength of the findings.
Living literature reviews also help readers assess a field by relying on a single individual to provide a consistent voice, perspective, and expert curatorial taste. While these individuals collaborate with other experts in their fields, having one consistent author allows readers to gauge how much they trust the author’s judgment over time.
Finally, living literature reviews leverage digital platforms for hosting and distribution. Websites allow for post-publication corrections and updates, enabling a level of current relevance that traditional print reviews can’t match. Complementing these, email newsletters and podcasts extend the reach and convenience of learning about academic research.
By making research accessible to a broader audience, living literature reviews can facilitate interdisciplinary connections and inform policy work. They offer insights into work happening in adjacent fields, potentially inspiring collaborations and novel research directions.
Reviews We Support
The Abundance and Growth Fund supports several living literature reviews. Some examples include:
- Building Abundance by Michael Wiebe. On housing and infrastructure.
- Lauren Policy: Migration Literature Review by Lauren Gilbert. On migration, progress, innovation, growth, and development.
- The Patentist by Gaétan de Rassenfosse. Providing a clear and non-technical introduction to patent rights, focusing on insights from the economic literature.
- Existential Crunch by Florian Jehn. Thoughts about existential risk, history, climate, food security, and societal collapse.
- The Care Gap by Nalini Gulati and Vikas Dimble. At the intersection of gender and health in low- and middle-income countries.
- AI Accountability Review by Nick Diakopoulos. Translates research to help bridge the gap between knowledge and practice for AI policymakers, practitioners, and researchers.
- The Price of Power by Nikhil Kalyanpur. How money and influence flow through systems—across democracies and autocracies, in peace and war, from oligarchs to civil society.
- Monitoring Gene Drives by Felix Moronta Barrios. On Gene Drive Research.
- Bridging Boundaries by Rachel George. On Interdisciplinarity.
- Scaling in Human Societies by Michael Goffe. How and why size matters.
- New Things Under the Sun by Matt Clancy. Social science research on science and innovation.
Apply for Funding
We are now seeking pre-proposals from individuals to write living literature reviews. We are particularly interested in reviews on neglected topics relevant to policymaking. Ideal candidates will have a Ph.D. or equivalent expertise in their proposed area. Our support typically allows authors to dedicate a quarter to a third of their time to the project.
If you’re interested in launching your own living literature review, we encourage you to reach out. We review applications twice a year, in the summer and winter. To submit a pre-proposal, please email AbundanceAndGrowth@coefficientgiving.org with a brief description of the topic you want to write about and your background. Please feel free to contact AbundanceAndGrowth@coefficientgiving.org for other questions related to this program.