Connected Papers

Connected Papers is a web-based literature search tool that builds visual similarity graphs from academic papers and helps researchers explore prior and derivative work. It includes a free tier, paid Academic and Business plans, and support for saved papers and graph history.

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Visual literature exploration for academic research

Connected Papers is a visual literature search tool for researchers and applied scientists. It turns a paper identifier, paper URL, or paper title into a similarity graph so you can explore related academic papers from a starting point that already matters to your work.

The product is designed to speed up literature discovery, help users understand a field visually, and surface important prior and derivative works. It uses the Semantic Scholar database and supports examples, saved papers, and graph history as part of the research workflow.

Core features

Visual graph creation

Build a similarity graph from a paper identifier, paper URL, or paper title, and start from an example graph when you do not have a source paper ready.

Prior works exploration

Use the Prior Works view to find important ancestor papers connected to your input paper.

Derivative works exploration

Use the Derivative Works view to see literature reviews and more recent state-of-the-art papers that follow from an input paper.

Saved papers

Save papers you want to revisit and keep track of papers you have already collected for a topic.

Graph history

Review previously created graphs through graph history, which helps you return to earlier searches instead of rebuilding them from scratch.

Multi-origin graphs

Create graphs with multiple origins to compare related starting points in the same visual workflow.

Common workflows

Map a new research area
Start with a representative paper and generate a connected graph to get a fast visual overview of a new field before reading deeply.
Build a literature review
Use prior and derivative views to locate foundational studies and recent follow-on work while building or checking a bibliography.
Find related papers from one source
Search by title, DOI, or paper URL when you already know one paper and want related work without manually assembling keyword searches.
Organize an ongoing research trail
Use saved papers and graph history to manage ongoing exploration across multiple topics or sessions.
Support thesis bibliography work
Create graphs for a thesis topic and fill gaps in a bibliography with nearby papers you may have missed during manual searching.

Pros and Cons

Pros

Creates a visual graph from a single starting paper, which is useful when you are beginning a literature search.
Supports multiple entry formats, including DOI, arXiv, paper URLs, Semantic Scholar paper URLs, PubMed paper URLs, and titles.
Helps users find prior works and derivative works around an input paper.
Includes saved papers and graph history for keeping research organized.
Offers a free tier plus academic and business plans for heavier use.

Cons

The free tier is limited to 5 graphs per month.
The site does not present a broad integration ecosystem or export workflow in the source material provided.
Individual premium accounts are described as personal, non-transferable, and non-sublicensable.

FAQ

Can I use Connected Papers for free?

Yes. The free tier includes all features and provides 5 graphs per month. Users who need more can upgrade to a paid plan.

How do I start a graph?

Connected Papers supports paper identifiers and links such as DOI, arXiv, paper URLs, Semantic Scholar paper URLs, PubMed paper URLs, or a paper title. You can also start from an example graph.

Can teams share access?

The site says group accounts are for teams and organizations that want to provide premium access to members. Administrators manage seats and can assign access to users under the plan.

What is the difference between Academic and Business plans?

The Academic plan is for academic institutions, non-profits, and personal use. The Business plan is for commercial or for-profit use; both remove the free-plan restriction and allow unlimited graphs.

What kind of paper exploration does it support?

The product uses the Semantic Scholar database and supports Prior Works and Derivative Works views for tracing related literature around an input paper.