survey

Definition

A review paper that organizes existing work in an area, usually by proposing a taxonomy rather than a new method or result. Its job is to say what has been tried and what remains open, which makes it the efficient entry point into an unfamiliar subfield. The caveat is shelf life: a survey freezes at publication, and in fast-moving areas that is a real limitation.

Explainers using this term

• Why Language Models Hallucinate — The Mechanics and What Actually HelpsSurvey of Hallucination in Natural Language Generation