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Litmaps

Freemium
researchliterature reviewacademiasciencecitation analysisdata visualizationbibliographyacademic searchr&dproductivity

A visual research platform that accelerates literature discovery by generating interactive maps of academic papers based on their citation networks, helping researchers and scientists uncover relevant studies and track subject evolution.


Litmaps is a research discovery platform designed to help academics, scientists, and students explore scientific literature more effectively. It operates by visualizing the academic landscape, creating interactive maps of papers based on their citation networks and publication dates. The software is built for researchers, PhD students, and corporate R&D teams who need to conduct comprehensive and systematic literature reviews. Unlike traditional keyword-based search engines, Litmaps' unique value proposition is its visual, citation-based exploration method, which reveals connections and seminal works that might otherwise be missed. This approach accelerates the discovery process, helps ensure key articles are not overlooked, and allows users to automatically monitor their field for new, relevant publications.

Pros

  • Visual citation mapping provides an intuitive way to discover connections between academic papers.
  • Automated monitoring alerts users to new publications relevant to their research interests.
  • "Seed Maps" allow users to start from a handful of key papers and quickly expand their search network.
  • Direct integrations with reference managers like Zotero and Mendeley streamline research workflows.
  • Effectively identifies seminal papers and illustrates the chronological evolution of research topics.

Cons

  • The visual interface can become cluttered and difficult to navigate with very large literature maps.
  • Data is dependent on citation databases, which can have delays in indexing the newest pre-prints and articles.
  • The free tier is significantly limited in the number of maps, articles per map, and access to monitoring features.
  • The discovery method is less effective for brand-new fields of study with sparse citation data.

Key features

  • Interactive citation network visualization
  • Automated literature monitoring with email alerts
  • Seed Map generation from a starting set of articles
  • Article timeline view to track research development chronologically
  • Integration for importing from Zotero, Mendeley, and EndNote
  • Collaboration tools for sharing maps within a team
  • Search and import from databases like Semantic Scholar and PubMed
  • Export to BibTeX and RIS formats

Integrations

ZoteroMendeleyEndNoteSemantic ScholarPubMedOpenAlexCrossrefThe LensBibTeXRIS

Target audience

Academic researchers, PhD and graduate students, scientists, corporate R&D teams, and anyone performing systematic literature reviews.


Ratings & Reviews

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Key Metrics

Active Users

300,000+

Founded

2019

Headquarters

Wellington, New Zealand

Pricing Tiers

Litmaps Free

For students and light use. Includes 2 Litmaps, 1 Monitor feed, and up to 50 articles per map.

Free

Litmaps Pro

For individual researchers. Includes unlimited Litmaps, unlimited articles, unlimited Monitor feeds, and premium support. Billed annually at $120/year.

$10/mo

Litmaps for Teams

For labs, libraries, and companies. Includes all Pro features plus a shared team workspace, SSO, centralized billing, and custom onboarding.

Contact sales


Frequently Asked Questions


Top Alternatives to Litmaps

ResearchRabbit

Also a visual literature mapping tool, it is often chosen for its free-for-researchers pricing model and highly interactive 'similar work' discovery engine.

Connected Papers

This tool focuses on rapidly generating a single, static graph for a given origin paper, making it ideal for quickly exploring the immediate context of one specific article.

Scite.ai

Offers a distinct advantage by analyzing citation context to classify them as supporting, mentioning, or contrasting, which is better for assessing a paper's true scientific dialogue.

Inciteful

A free, text-based alternative that also builds citation networks from seed papers to generate lists of important articles, authors, and journals in a given field.

Ready to get started?

Join thousands of users and see how Litmaps can transform your workflow today.

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