Welcome to ResearchRabbit! Before you dive into the literature, there are a couple of quick steps to get through first.
ResearchRabbit works by building a network of connected papers around one or more starting articles, called seed papers. You can find these through a keyword search, import them from your reference manager, or start with a paper you already know. The more relevant seeds you add, the more focused your results become. Everything in ResearchRabbit grows from there.
After signing in
You'll need to verify your account using the code sent to your email. If it hasn't arrived, check your spam folder or head to our verification email guide. Then you'll be asked to enter your name and the title of your first project. You can name this after your current research topic and it's easy to change later.
Once that's done, you'll land on the Find your flow screen. This is where ResearchRabbit asks how you want to get started. Pick whichever option matches where you are in your research right now:
Start from your reference manager (such as Mendeley, EndNote, or Paperpile)
Start from an article
Best if you already have a specific paper in mind.
Option 1: Search by DOI (Digital Object Identifier)
Paste the paper's DOI into the search box
Click Find
Review the article details to confirm it's the right paper
Click Find your next 20 articles to start exploring, or click Set up your search criteria to customise how the search runs first
Option 2: Upload a PDF
Drag and drop a PDF onto the upload area, or click Upload to browse your files
ResearchRabbit will extract the article details automatically
Click Find your next 20 articles to start exploring
💡 A DOI is a unique code assigned to most academic papers. You'll usually find it on the journal webpage or in the link. It looks something like: 10.1000/xyz123
Trouble uploading a PDF?
PDF uploads are limited to 25MB. If your file is larger, try entering the article's DOI instead.
Make sure it is a PDF and that it isn’t password protected or encrypted.
Check that the PDF has selectable text, as scanned image files may not work.
If you’re dragging and dropping, you can also click Upload to choose the file manually.
If the file is corrupted, download the paper again and retry.
Large files or a slow connection can take a little longer.
Still having trouble? Try searching with the paper’s DOI instead.
Start from your reference manager
Best if you've already been collecting papers in another tool.
Most reference managers let you export your papers as a BibTeX file, a standard format that ResearchRabbit can read. Once you've exported your file, drag and drop it into the upload area and ResearchRabbit will get to work.
Step-by-step import guides:
Zotero — Zotero users can also use the dedicated Zotero importer for a smoother experience. See below.
💡 Using a different reference manager? Most tools that aren't listed here can still export a BibTeX file. Look for an export option and choose BibTeX or .bib as the format.
Once your file has loaded, you'll be able to review and select which articles to import. You can select all or just the ones you want. When you're ready, click Create Collection to add them to your library.
After importing, you'll see a citation map of your articles and a prompt to start your first search. You can click Find your next 20 articles to get started straight away, or click Set up your search criteria to customise how the search runs first.
Start from your Zotero library using the import tool
Best if you use Zotero and want to bring your existing library across.
Click Authenticate with Zotero and you'll be taken to Zotero to sign in and approve access. Keep this window open while you do this.
Once approved, you'll see a confirmation page. Close that tab and return to ResearchRabbit.
Back in ResearchRabbit, click Continue.
Select the collections you'd like to import and click Import Collections from Zotero.
While your library loads, you can browse a selection of suggested articles to get started straight away.
Once your collections are ready, select the articles you want to search from, or choose a whole collection.
Click Find your next 20 articles to dive straight in, or click Set up your search criteria if you want more control over how the search runs first.
From there, ResearchRabbit will map out related work based on the articles you selected. You can keep refining by selecting more articles as seeds, exploring by author, and iterating as your research grows.
💡 Have more than one Zotero account? Use the Connect Another Account button to add them and switch between accounts before continuing.
Already using Zotero and want to import more collections later? You can do this any time from your Library page. See Using the Zotero Importer for a full guide.
Start from scratch
Best if you're brand new to a topic and don't have any papers yet.
Skip the import step and go straight to the search bar. Type a keyword, paper title, or DOI to find your first articles.
From the results, pick one or two papers that look relevant and add them as your seed papers. These are the starting point for everything that follows. ResearchRabbit uses them to map out the connected literature through citations and references, so the stronger your seeds, the better your results.
Once you've chosen your seeds, hit Find your next 20 articles. From there you can:
Explore the citation map to see how papers connect across your field
Save papers that look useful to your library and organise them into collections
Add promising papers as new seeds to refine and expand your search
Switch between similar work, references, and citations to explore the literature from different angles
Search by author to follow a researcher's body of work
The more you explore and save, the more focused your results become. This is how you move from a broad starting point to a well-mapped body of literature.
👉 For a full guide to searching in ResearchRabbit, see How to get started with ResearchRabbit.
Set up your search criteria
Looking for something more specific? We've got you. Search criteria give you full control over how ResearchRabbit explores the literature. There are three tabs in the search settings panel:
Basic Settings — choose whether to search for articles or authors, and whether to look for similar work, references, or citations. You can also set how many results to return (10, 20, or 40).
Advanced Settings — available with RR+, our premium tier. Filter by keywords, publication date, journal quality (SJR quartiles and H-index), open access status, and retraction flags.
Seeds — review and adjust which articles from your collection are being used as seeds for the search.
Good luck with your research, and enjoy the rabbit holes 🐰