Want to help?
Last updated 21 October 2026
LitBeacon sorts papers into reading categories with an algorithm. Only people who know a field can say whether it sorted them well. If you know one of the fields in the form, from astronomy to economics, you can help by judging a few papers from it.
Short on time? Send feedback instead
The feedback form is the faster way to help: a few questions about how you use LitBeacon and what would make it better, with no papers to judge.
What you do
- You see one paper at a time: the search it came from, its title, authors and abstract, and a link to the paper itself.
- You say whether it is about that search's own subject (Core), the background needed to understand it (Surrounding), or a different subject (Off), and whether it would help a newcomer among their first readings.
- You say whether it is a toolkit paper (software, a database, a dataset or a reusable protocol) and, if you feel able, which reading categories suit it, such as Starters, Foundations or Recent work.
- Answer only what you can judge. Uncertain is a fine answer, and a few papers help too.
How your answers reach us
Nothing is sent automatically: your answers are kept in your browser. When you have done as many papers as you like, press Download my answers and email the file to litbeacon.feedback@gmail.com. The form asks for your name or an ID and your expertise; they go only into that file.
To continue another day, just open the form again in the same browser: your answers are still there. On another computer, load your downloaded file with Continue from a file.
621 papers from 30 searches across the sciences: the physical sciences and engineering, the life and health sciences, and a few from the social sciences. Choose the field you know in the form's Field menu.