Search

Research Discovery & Paper Search

Find and explore academic papers from major research databases. Discover related work, visualize citation networks, and expand your research knowledge.

Overview

The Search feature connects you to:

  • OpenAlex - 200+ million papers and research outputs
  • Semantic Scholar - AI-powered paper indexing and recommendations
  • CrossRef - 150+ million research articles

Search all databases simultaneously and get comprehensive results.

Basic Search

Step 1: Enter Your Query

  1. Click "Search" tab in your project
  2. Type keywords:
    • Single topic: "machine learning"
    • Phrase: "deep learning classification"
    • Author: "Jane Smith"
  3. Press Enter or click Search

Step 2: Browse Results

Results show:

  • Title - Click to see details
  • Authors - Research team
  • Year - Publication date
  • Citation Count - How many papers cite this
  • Abstract - Paper summary
  • Source - Where it's published

Step 3: Save to References

  1. Click "Save" button on any paper
  2. Optionally add tags
  3. Paper appears in your References library
  4. Full metadata is captured

Advanced Filtering

Click "Advanced Filters" to narrow results:

By Year

  • Set date range (e.g., 2020-2024)
  • Find latest research
  • Or search historical work

By Author

  • Type author name
  • Find all papers by someone
  • Discover related authors

By Journal/Publication

  • Filter by specific journal
  • Focus on top-tier publications
  • Or search specific venues

By Field/Subject

  • Computer Science
  • Biology
  • Medicine
  • Physics
  • And many more

By Availability

  • Open Access - Free full-text
  • Peer Reviewed - Validated research
  • Has Abstract - Papers with summaries

By Type

  • Journal articles
  • Conference proceedings
  • Preprints (arXiv)
  • Books
  • Other

Understanding Results

Each paper result shows:

Citation Score

  • How many papers cite this paper
  • Higher = more influential
  • Good indicator of importance

Relevance Score

  • How well it matches your query
  • Based on title, abstract, content
  • Higher = better match

Open Access Badge

  • Green badge = free access
  • Indicates you can read full paper
  • Click to access

Abstract Preview

  • First 100-200 words of the paper
  • Click "Read More" for full abstract
  • See if paper matches your needs

Viewing Paper Details

Click a paper title to see:

Overview

  • Full title and authors
  • Publication year and journal
  • Abstract (complete version)
  • DOI and URLs

Citation Information

  • How many times cited
  • Recent citations
  • Citation trends over time

Related Papers

  • Similar papers automatically suggested
  • Papers this cites
  • Papers that cite this

Full Text Options

  • Direct link to publisher
  • Open access (if available)
  • Preprint versions
  • Request from authors option

Citation Networks

Understand how papers relate and influence each other:

Viewing the Network

  1. Click a paper
  2. Scroll to "Citation Network"
  3. Visual graph appears showing:
    • Your paper (center, larger)
    • Papers it cites (arrows pointing out)
    • Papers that cite it (arrows pointing in)
    • Connection strength (line thickness)

Exploring the Network

  • Hover - See paper details
  • Click - Navigate to that paper
  • Zoom - In and out to see more detail
  • Pan - Click and drag to reposition
  • Highlight path - Click to show connections

Understanding the Visualization

  • Node size - Citation count (larger = more cited)
  • Line thickness - Citation strength
  • Colors - Different topics/authors
  • Layout - Automatic arrangement showing relationships

Following Citation Paths

  1. Start with your main paper
  2. Follow citations to related work
  3. Discover foundational papers
  4. Find papers building on the research
  5. Map out your literature landscape

Finding Related Papers

Citezy suggests related papers based on:

  • Citation overlap - Papers citing the same sources
  • Content similarity - Similar topics and methods
  • Author connections - Collaborative networks
  • Time proximity - Recent developments in the area

Sorting Results

Change how results are ordered:

  • Relevance - Best match to query (default)
  • Newest First - Latest published papers
  • Most Cited - Most influential papers
  • Title A-Z - Alphabetical order

Searching Effectively

Search Tips

Broad searches

  • "machine learning" - Gets 1M+ results
  • Use filters to narrow down
  • Scroll through top results

Specific searches

  • "deep neural networks for image classification" - More targeted
  • Gets fewer but more relevant results
  • Often better starting point

Author searches

  • "Yann LeCun" - Find all papers by someone
  • Great for following specific researchers
  • See research evolution over time

Citation searching

  • "cited by: [paper]" - Find papers that cite a specific work
  • Discover work building on key papers
  • Track ideas forward in time

Phrase searching

  • "transformer models" - Exact phrase matching
  • More specific results
  • Good for technical terms

Advanced Query Syntax

  • AND: "machine learning AND healthcare"
  • OR: "deep learning OR neural networks"
  • NOT: "classification NOT regression"
  • Quotes: "exact phrase here"

Common Search Scenarios

Scenario 1: Literature Review

  1. Search your topic: "topic name"
  2. Filter by year: Last 5-10 years
  3. Sort by citations (to find key papers)
  4. Save the most relevant
  5. Explore citation networks to find related work

Scenario 2: Follow a Researcher

  1. Search by author: "Full Name"
  2. Review publications chronologically
  3. Save key papers
  4. See their cited work for related topics

Scenario 3: Find Latest Research

  1. Search topic: "new technology"
  2. Filter by year: Most recent
  3. Sort by newest first
  4. Review latest developments
  5. Check citation networks for deeper dives

Scenario 4: Understand a Topic

  1. Search: "topic overview"
  2. Filter by survey/review papers
  3. Review those first (broader perspective)
  4. Then search specific subtopics
  5. Build comprehensive knowledge

Scenario 5: Find Open Access Papers

  1. Search your topic
  2. Filter by "Open Access"
  3. Click green badge for full text
  4. Read directly without paywalls

Exporting Search Results

  1. Select papers from results (checkboxes)
  2. Click "Export Selected"
  3. Choose format:
    • BibTeX - For LaTeX
    • CSV - For spreadsheets
    • JSON - For processing
    • PDF - Formatted list
  4. File downloads

Saving Searches

Save searches for later:

  1. Search something
  2. Click "Save Search"
  3. Name it (e.g., "ML Papers 2023")
  4. Access from saved searches sidebar
  5. Quick re-run of the same query

Tips & Tricks

Finding Foundational Papers

  • Search broad topic
  • Filter by year range (early years)
  • Sort by most cited
  • These are usually the foundational works

Discovering New Areas

  • Save a key paper
  • Explore its citation network
  • Branch out to related areas
  • Follow your curiosity

Building Bibliography Progressively

  • Search incrementally
  • Save relevant papers
  • Come back to search later
  • Your references grow over time

Cross-Reference Checking

  • Find a paper you know
  • Check its citations
  • Ensures comprehensive coverage
  • Catch papers you might miss

Identifying Trends

  • Search topic with year filter
  • See publication growth over time
  • Identify when field grew
  • Spot emerging vs. declining areas

Limitations

  • Some papers may not be indexed
  • Old papers (pre-1990s) less complete
  • Some paywalled papers not fully indexed
  • Citation counts delay for newest papers

Keyboard Shortcuts

  • Cmd/Ctrl+F - Focus search
  • Cmd/Ctrl+S - Save paper
  • Cmd/Ctrl+E - Export results
  • Escape - Close details

Next Steps