What it does best
Creates visual maps of related research papers. Helps with literature exploration.
Quick info about Connected Papers
Where it fits in your workflow
Use it for discovering relevant papers and understanding research networks.
Plans and availability
Free to use with limits. Premium plans for researchers and institutions.
Is this the right AI tool for you?
0 / 500
Where Connected Papers shines
Connected Papers builds a visual graph of papers related to a seed work. It clusters papers by similarity (citations, text, and metadata) so you can see families of ideas, earlier antecedents, and follow-ups at a glance. The map helps you identify seminal works, bridges between subfields, and promising directions you might miss with linear search.
Common use cases:
Generate a visual map of a research area from one or more seed papers
Spot seminal ancestors and recent derivatives to build a reading plan
Find “bridge” papers connecting two methods or communities
Export a bibliography of the cluster to start a review
Onboard newcomers with a picture of the field, not just a list
Generate a visual map of a research area from one or more seed papers
Spot seminal ancestors and recent derivatives to build a reading plan
Find “bridge” papers connecting two methods or communities
Export a bibliography of the cluster to start a review
Onboard newcomers with a picture of the field, not just a list
What Connected Papers helps you visualize in a field
Connected Papers builds a visual graph of related research around a seed paper so that you can see clusters of ideas and how they connect. Instead of a flat list of results, you get a map where proximity reflects similarity based on co citations and shared references. This view reveals families of methods, applications, and debates at a glance. You can spot seminal works that anchor a cluster, identify bridging papers that connect areas, and notice recent additions that extend a line of work. The interface lets you expand the graph, switch between prior and derivative works, and export the map or the bibliography for your notes.
Where Connected Papers is most helpful and how to use it well
Connected Papers excels when you have one or two reference papers and want to explore the nearby landscape without missing adjacent threads. Use the graph to find foundational papers that your seed cites and to discover later work that builds on the same core ideas. Create a session where you follow a path through clusters and jot down what unites each group, such as a shared model class or a recurring dataset. This produces a mental map that a simple search list rarely provides. When preparing a talk or a product review, export the key nodes and organize them by cluster to show the audience how the field is structured and where your project fits. Treat the graph as a hint generator and verify relevance by reading abstracts and methods before committing to a line of work.
Limits to expect and data stewardship
The graph is learned from available citation data and similarity metrics, which means coverage can be uneven in fast changing or very new areas. Visual proximity suggests relatedness but does not guarantee that two papers reach the same conclusion or share quality. Use the map to guide attention, not to replace evaluation. For privacy, avoid storing sensitive annotations in the tool and keep your research notes in your own system if the topic is confidential. With a habit of verification and a clear record of sources, Connected Papers turns a seed reference into an organized reading path and reduces the risk of tunnel vision during reviews.
Our assessment of Connected Papers for visual literature mapping
We like Connected Papers because it gives shape to a domain and reveals bridges and clusters that a ranked list cannot. We do not like the temptation to treat proximity as endorsement or to overlook quality checks when the visualization is compelling. It could be better with clearer indicators of evidence strength on nodes and with timeline views that highlight waves of development. The memorable value is the fast creation of a study plan that covers a field with breadth and sensible depth. Security considerations are modest. Keep confidential notes outside the service and track sources for your records. Connected Papers is for researchers, graduate students, and technical leaders who want to understand structure before diving deep. Its strength is map first exploration. Its weakness is the need for disciplined follow through on reading and appraisal.
Our verdict:
Connected Papers is an effective way to build a mental map from a single seed. Use it to plan reading across clusters and then validate findings in the primary texts.
Connected Papers is an effective way to build a mental map from a single seed. Use it to plan reading across clusters and then validate findings in the primary texts.
At a glance
Platforms
Integrations
Export formats
Coverage & data
Sources
- Scholarly metadata
- citations
- and text features to compute paper similarity.
Coverage
Visual similaritUpdate frequency
FrequentAcademic adoption
Reported in academia
Commonly used in seminars to visualize literatures and plan reading groups.
Plans & limits
Free plan
Limited graphs or nodes on free tier.
Pro features
Larger graphs, history, and export features depending on plan.
Ads / tracking
YesCommunity signal
Mentions
Popular among graduate students and engineers for quickly orienting to a field and building related-work sections.
Compared to similar tools
Connected Papers visualizes neighborhoods and bridges. Semantic Scholar is stronger for broad discovery and author context; Scite evaluates whether claims are supported or disputed.
Similar tools teams compare
Research Rabbit
Free/Paid: Free
Pricing: Free Forever View →
Wolfram Alpha
Free/Paid: Freemium (free queries; Pro from ~$4.99/month)
Pricing: Free (Or pro from ~$9.99/month) View →
Elicit
Free/Paid: Free
Pricing: Free basic plan (Or ~$12/month) View →
ClauseBase
Streamline contract review and management with AI
Pricing: Offers tiered pricing plans for individuals, small teams, and enterprises, with custom quotes available for larger organizations. View →
Scite
Free/Paid: Freemium
Pricing: Paid ~$20/month View →
Gyana
Unlock insights, organize information, and boost productivity.
Pricing: Offers a free tier for individuals and paid plans for teams with advanced features and collaboration tools. View →Trying to decide? Compare these
Gyana
Unlock insights, organize information, and boost productivity.
Pricing: Offers a free tier for individuals and paid plans for teams with advanced features and collaboration tools. View details →
Codacy Reviewer
Automated code quality and security checks
Pricing: Offers a free tier for open-source projects and paid plans for teams with advanced features and support. View details →
Anthropic Claude
Anthropic’s chatbot with strong analysis and safe outputs
Pricing: Free and Pro plans View details →