Seed papers are the starting point of every search in ResearchRabbit. 🐰 Each one you add helps ResearchRabbit understand what you’re looking for, and your recommendations and citation map update to match.
What is a seed paper?
A seed paper is any article you add to your search to guide it. ResearchRabbit looks at how your seed papers are connected to other papers, through citations, references and shared authors, and uses those connections to recommend related work. The more relevant your seeds, the better your recommendations.
Step 1: Choose where your papers come from
Open the Add tab. Under Add seeds from, choose where your papers come from:
Lookup Search: search by keywords, just like a normal web search
DOI (or other identifier): add a specific paper you already know
Collections: add papers from one of your collections
Recently Found: add papers you’ve come across in earlier searches
Reading List: add papers from your reading list
File Upload: upload a file of papers exported from your reference manager
Step 2: Pick your seeds
In your results, click the seed button next to each paper that’s relevant to your topic. Your seeds appear on the map as you go, and the number next to Add shows how many you’ve chosen.
To check your choices, switch between Selected and All. To start again, click Clear.
Step 3: Click Grow
Once you’ve added all the papers you want, click Grow. ResearchRabbit finds papers connected to your seeds and shows them on your map.
From there, keep going: review your results, seed the ones that look useful, and grow again. Each round brings your search closer to the papers you need.
↩️ Added a Seed by mistake? A message pops up each time you add one, with an Undo button. Click it to remove the Seed and any new papers it brought in. See How to undo or remove papers from your map.
Bringing in papers from your reference manager
If your papers are already in a reference manager, you can bring them straight into ResearchRabbit. You can import from Zotero, Mendeley, EndNote or Paperpile, then add the papers as seeds from Collections or File Upload.
With ResearchRabbit+, you can also connect your Zotero collections directly with Zotero sync. There’s also a short video showing how.
Common questions
How many seed papers should I start with?
One or two relevant papers is a good start. It helps if at least one is a well-cited, recent paper. You can always add more as you go.
Can I use papers I’ve already found?
Yes. Choose Collections, Recently Found or Reading List under Add seeds from, and seed any papers from there.
I only know the paper’s DOI. Can I still add it?
Yes. Choose DOI (or other identifier) under Add seeds from, and paste it in.
Can I add a PDF as a seed paper?
Not directly. ResearchRabbit can’t read PDF files, but you can still add the paper. Search for its title with Lookup Search, or paste its DOI under DOI (or other identifier). If the paper is in your reference manager, export the reference as a BibTeX (.bib) or RIS (.ris) file and add it with File Upload.
How do I start again?
Click Clear to remove all your seeds and pick new ones.
Do I need ResearchRabbit+ to add seeds?
No. Free accounts can add up to 50 Seeds, and ResearchRabbit+ raises that to 300. Zotero sync is an RR+ feature, but you can import from Zotero and other reference managers on the free plan.