Map types
The six SciNodes research map types (citation, co-citation, bibliographic coupling, co-authorship, keyword and term co-occurrence) and when to use each.
Create a map from a research question
Type a research question in the Map queries bar and SciNodes recommends the map that answers it, builds it and opens a chat about it.
Query Bank
Browse SciNodes' built-in catalog of research questions by category and turn any of them, or your own, into a research map.
Expert Mode
Build a research map by hand in Expert Mode: choose the map type, unit, thresholds, clustering, layout, normalization and weights.
Building a map
What happens after you plot a research map: build steps, progress, background builds, cancelling, very large maps and what to do when a build fails.
Reading a map
How to read a SciNodes research map: nodes, edges, clusters, node size metrics like degree and betweenness, and cluster cohesion and density.
Map controls and styling
Zoom, rotate and recenter a research map, then style nodes, edges, clusters and the stage, set display thresholds and reset everything to defaults.
Timeline mode and hover effect
Use the timeline slider to see how a research map grew year by year, and turn the hover effect on or off to highlight a node's neighbors.
Selecting, merging and excluding nodes
Click nodes and edges for details, select several, merge duplicate terms, exclude data points, see term definitions and add cited publications to your corpus.
Drafts and saving maps
Why new maps start as drafts, how to save a map, discard drafts with undo, and what happens when you reach the limit of 32 drafts per project.
Map folders and properties
Organize research maps into folders, change folder icons, search and reorder maps, rename maps, edit Map Properties and delete maps or folders.
Exporting maps
Export a research map as PNG, JPEG, WEBP, SVG or PDF for manuscripts and slides, with size, resolution up to 600 dpi, theme and transparent background.
Empty maps and reference data
Why a research map comes out empty or without links, and how to fix it with Fetch reference data, a wider corpus slice or lower thresholds.
Sharing maps
Sharing a single research map by invite or link is coming soon. Today, share the whole project with collaborators or export the map as a file.