Description:

This Master Prompt would focus on establishing the conceptual and methodological foundation of a critical review before substantive critique begins. It would guide researchers in defining the research problem, establishing why critical examination of the existing literature is necessary, formulating analytically demanding research questions, defining the unit of critique, establishing appropriate boundaries, and explaining why a critical review is more appropriate than a primarily descriptive, systematic, scoping, narrative, or other evidence-synthesis approach.

A major emphasis would be placed on distinguishing genuine critical analysis from merely summarizing studies and listing their limitations. Researchers would determine what specifically requires critical examination—such as assumptions, concepts, theories, methods, evidence claims, interpretations, practices, policies, or dominant paradigms—and establish explicit criteria against which those elements will be evaluated. The review would therefore begin with a clearly defined critical purpose, rather than adding criticism after descriptive synthesis.