Good research starts with asking good questions and following your curiosity. This guide walks you through your first search in ResearchRabbit, from your first Seeds to a map of your field.
New to the idea of the citation network? Start with What is ResearchRabbit and how does it use the citation network?
🚀 How to use ResearchRabbit
Research isn’t a step-by-step process, and ResearchRabbit is built to flow with you. But here’s the easiest way to get started.
1. Start a new search
First, login or sign up for free on the ResearchRabbit app, then start a new search from the home page.
Every search is a Search Journey. It starts with your base map built from your Seeds.
2. Add your first Seeds
Seeds are the papers ResearchRabbit uses to find related research. You can add them from lots of places:
Lookup search: type a topic or paper title. You can even use advanced search operators and boolean operators to look up articles.
DOI (or other identifier): use identifiers like DOIs to find Seeds.
Your Collections: use a paper saved in a Collection you’ve already built in ResearchRabbit as the basis for a search.
Recently Found: pick up papers you’ve come across while exploring.
Reading list: use a paper you have already added to your Reading List.
💡 Tip: If you’re just getting started with your literature review, pick 1-2 papers that look interesting and quickly move to Grow. It is easy to keep adjusting your Seeds as you explore and learn more about the topic.
For more on choosing and adding Seeds, see How to add seed papers to your search.
3. Watch your map Grow with relevant papers
When you are ready to find new papers, click Grow to expand your map. ResearchRabbit analyzes the citation network around your Seeds and maps the most relevant papers for you.
Each dot is a paper, and the lines show how they cite one another:
Seed dots = the papers you’ve added as Seeds.
Hollow dots = recommended papers.
Colored dots = papers you’ve already saved.
Connections (lines) = citation links between papers.
X-axis = publication date (older to newer).
Y-axis = citation count.
Look towards the top left for influential papers, and towards the newer end of the timeline for recent work that may not have many citations yet. The same papers appear in the list on the left and are sorted by relevance.
4. Add relevant papers as new Seeds and watch the map update
This is where ResearchRabbit gets really useful. When you find a relevant paper, add it as a Seed. Your citation network grows and your map updates automatically, so your recommendations always reflect your latest Seeds. The more relevant your Seeds, the better your recommendations.
💡 Tip: As you’re exploring and uncovering new Seeds, you can click on the paper, either in the list or in the map. Check the title, the publication date and the citation count. If you’re unsure, you can skim the abstract or open the source to check if the paper is relevant.
5. See more of your field mapped
Want to see more? In the Grow tab you can:
Use Show more to add more papers to your map.
Add the best-connected Refs of your Seeds to find foundational work.
Add the best-connected Cites of your Seeds to see where the field is heading.
Re-sort your list once you have added new papers. You can choose relevance, recency, and much more.
6. Fall down the Rabbit-hole
Found a paper that looks promising? Open a Rabbit-hole to explore Similar papers, Cites, Refs, or authors You can go several layers deep, and your base map stays right where you left it.
When you find something relevant, merge it back into your base map as a new Seed. Your detour adds to your search instead of replacing it.
7. Analyze your citation network
Step back, take in the whole field, and explore the edges. Open the Analyze tab to see every paper in your citation network on one chart.
Each dot is a paper, stacked by publication year. When you add filters, matching papers turn dark and the rest fade, so you can see where they sit in your field.
You can narrow your network with:
Suggested Keywords: themes ResearchRabbit spots across your network. Click one to focus on that research area.
Your own Keywords: words and phrases, combined with And, Or and Not.
Article Details: publication date, open access, SJR quartile, H-index and retractions.
8. Explore a new direction (RR+)
For RR+ users, when you’ve found a patch worth digging into, click Explore matching articles. Your matching papers open as a Rabbit-hole, labelled with your filters, and your base map stays where you left it. Select the papers you want to keep, then click Merge to add them to your base map as Seeds.
💡 Try a Suggested Keyword you didn't expect. An unfamiliar theme is often the start of your next Rabbit-hole
9. Save and organize your finds
Save papers to your library whenever you find something useful. You can:
Add them to a Collection, for example by topic or project.
Add them to your Reading List.
Add notes on why each paper matters.
💡 Tip: Not ready to organize yet? Papers you explore collect in Recently Found, in your library, so you can sort them later. You can also turn on Autosave to save every Seed automatically.
On your Journey Home you can select papers from your list, or on your map, and save them to a Collection. You can also Remove them from your map or Export them.
10. Hop out, hop back in
Your Search Journey saves automatically, including your base map and every Rabbit-hole you’ve explored. Give it a name so it’s easy to find, then pick up where you left off from your home page.
Next steps
Keep adding Seeds and exploring until you’re confident you’ve seen the full scope of work on your topic. When you’re ready to write:
Read through your saved papers, using the built-in notes to track insights.
Export your saved papers as BibTeX, CSV, or RIS to cite them in your writing.
See How to do a literature review with ResearchRabbit for the full process.
🐇⚡️ Going further with ResearchRabbit+
For bigger reviews, RR+ lets you filter your live map, use Analyze to explore themes across your whole citation network, explore as many branches as you need at once, keep unlimited saved Search Histories, sync with Zotero, and set alerts for new papers. Learn more about RR+ →
Whether you’re starting your first class assignment or a multi-year research project, ResearchRabbit helps you follow your curiosity, see the bigger picture, and come out of every rabbit hole with something worth keeping.