Sharpen the scope
frontier LLMI'm planning a review article and want to sharpen its scope before I start searching. Working topic: molecular dynamics (MD) simulations of CRISPR-Cas effector complexes, focused on what they reveal about conformational mechanisms — target recognition, R-loop formation, conformational gating, and cleavage activation. Help me by: 1. Proposing 3 candidate research questions at different scope levels (broad / focused / narrow), each phrased as a single answerable question. 2. For the focused option, drafting explicit inclusion and exclusion criteria: date range, simulation types to include (classical all-atom, enhanced sampling, QM/MM, coarse-grained), which Cas families are in vs out of scope, and what counts as in-scope vs merely adjacent. 3. Listing 4–6 sub-themes a thorough review of this question must cover. Ask me clarifying questions first if anything about the scope is ambiguous.
Orientation
Perplexity · Academic Focus + Deep ResearchTurn on Academic Focus and run it in Deep Research mode. Treat the output as a map, not a draft — click and verify the sources it cites.
Act as a research analyst. Give me a structured, cited overview of the use of molecular dynamics simulations to study CRISPR-Cas effector complexes from 2018 to 2026. Cover: - Which Cas systems MD has been applied to (Cas9, Cas12 family, Cas13, etc.) and what mechanistic questions each line of work addressed - The dominant simulation approaches — classical all-atom MD, enhanced sampling (metadynamics, umbrella sampling, replica exchange), QM/MM, coarse-grained — and the force fields used for protein–nucleic acid complexes - Landmark papers and their most-cited findings - Open questions and known methodological limitations For every claim, cite a peer-reviewed source with a working link. Explicitly flag where the evidence is thin, preliminary, or contested.
Search & screen
ElicitWhat do molecular dynamics simulations reveal about the conformational mechanisms of CRISPR-Cas effector complexes during target recognition, R-loop formation, and cleavage?
INCLUDE: peer-reviewed primary studies, 2018–2026, that run MD (any flavor) on a CRISPR-Cas effector–nucleic acid complex and report a conformational or mechanistic result. EXCLUDE: pure experimental papers with no simulation; docking-only or static structure-prediction papers with no dynamics; reviews; Cas systems outside [your chosen families]; simulations under [e.g., 50 ns] with no enhanced sampling.
Extraction
Elicit columns · SciSpace · Scite- Cas effector studied - Simulation method + force field - Timescale (ns/µs) and system size (atoms) - Enhanced sampling used? (which) - Key conformational finding - Validated against experiment? (how) - Stated limitations
Summarize this paper's MD methodology in 5 bullets: system built, force field, solvation and ions, ensemble + timescale, and enhanced-sampling method (if any). Then state the single main conformational conclusion, and quote the specific result — with its numbers — that supports it. Do not infer beyond the text. If a detail isn't stated, write "not reported."
Has the finding that [e.g., "the REC2 domain gates HNH activation in Cas9"] been supported, mentioned, or contradicted by later studies?
Synthesis & outline
frontier LLMFeed it your finished extraction table. This is where you decide the argument — the model only organizes.
Below is my extraction table from [N] papers on MD simulations of CRISPR-Cas complexes. [PASTE TABLE] Using ONLY the information in this table: 1. Group the papers into 4–6 coherent themes and name each theme. 2. For each theme, state the consensus finding and note any disagreements between papers. 3. Identify 2–3 genuine gaps the table reveals — questions that none of these papers answer. 4. Propose a section-by-section outline for a review built around these themes. Under each section, list which papers (first author + year) support it. Do not add any paper, fact, or citation that is not in the table. If something is missing, say so rather than filling it in.
Draft one section
frontier LLM · sources-onlyDraft section by section. Paste in only the verified sources for that section.
Draft the "[SECTION NAME — e.g., Enhanced-sampling approaches to R-loop formation]" section of my review. Target ~[600] words. Rules: - Use ONLY the sources pasted below. Introduce no other papers, facts, or citations. - Cite as [Author, Year], matching the provided sources exactly. - Preserve every number, unit, and statistical value exactly as written — never round, rephrase, or "improve" them. - Where sources disagree, present the disagreement; do not smooth it over. - Academic register. No filler, no "in conclusion." Sources: [PASTE each verified paper or your notes, tagged with Author + Year]
Build a verification checklist
frontier LLMThe model can't verify citations — it just extracts them so you can check each one by hand.
Here is a section of my review draft. Extract every factual or numerical claim and the [Author, Year] it is attributed to. Output a table with columns: Claim | Cited source | Verified? (leave this column blank for me). Do NOT judge whether any citation is correct — you cannot verify sources. Only pull out the claims and their attributed sources so I can check each manually. [PASTE draft section]
↳ Then open every DOI yourself and fill the "Verified?" column.
Academic line edit
frontier LLM · or Writefull / PaperpalLine-edit the following for academic journal register. Tighten wordiness, fix grammar, and sharpen vague phrasing (e.g., replace bare "significant" with the specific statistical claim). Do NOT change any technical claim, number, citation, or the argument. Show the edited text, then a short list of the substantive changes you made. [PASTE text]