ResearchRabbit: Literature Discovery Tutorial
Use citation connections to explore related literature, organise candidate papers and identify sources to investigate further.
Product information last checked: 17 September 2026. Interfaces, features and account arrangements can change. If the interface differs from this tutorial, check the current ResearchRabbit documentation.
What is ResearchRabbit?
ResearchRabbit is a literature-discovery tool that uses citation connections to explore related papers. Start from papers you have read and use the connections to identify further sources to investigate:
- Related papers: Candidate readings connected to your starting papers.
- Earlier sources: Papers cited by your starting papers.
- Later citations: Papers that cite your starting papers.
ResearchRabbit offers a substantial free tier, with additional features available through a paid plan. Check the current pricing and feature comparison before relying on a particular feature.
A recommended or connected paper is not automatically relevant, high quality, representative of the literature or evidence for your claim. Connections do not establish that a search is comprehensive. Open and evaluate the original paper before relying on it, using the verification guidance.
How to Use It: A 7-Step Workflow
Organise Papers with Collections
Use Collections to organise papers, with Subcollections where useful for themes or parts of a project. See the current organisation guide.
| Concept | What It Is (and Why You Should Use It) |
|---|---|
| Collection | Keep candidate papers together for a project, topic or course. Choose a structure that supports your research rather than treating it as a required two-level folder system. |
| Subcollection | Group papers within a Collection for a theme or part of a project, such as methods or a chapter, where that is useful. |
Create a "Collection"
Create a Collection for your project or topic and save candidate papers there. Add Subcollections if they help you compare themes or organise parts of the work.
Add "Seed Papers"
Choose starting papers you have read and judged relevant. Search for candidate papers, use the Zotero Importer, or transfer papers from Mendeley through a BibTeX file. These are different import workflows, not live synchronisation; see reference-manager transfers below.
Explore the Network
Use the discovery views to explore papers related through citation connections. Treat results as candidates: open the originals and check their relevance, methods, limitations and support for your question.
Build Your Collection
Save useful candidate papers to a Collection and record why you selected them. Evaluate the originals; adding papers does not establish their quality or make the search comprehensive.
Visualise the Graph & Timeline
Use network views to investigate citation connections. Where a timeline view is available, compare publication dates and then read the papers to understand how arguments developed. A prominent node or connection is not evidence of quality or importance.
Coach's Tip:
Save selected papers deliberately to a Collection and keep your own research notes. Check current documentation for what exploration history and views are retained between sessions; do not assume a discovery view replaces your research record.
Set Up Alerts
Check current documentation for monitoring or notification options and the account arrangements they require. Where alerts are available, evaluate suggested papers yourself rather than treating an alert as a quality judgement.
Core Functions
Seed-Based Discovery
Explore candidate papers related to selected starting papers and follow citation connections. Coverage and connectedness do not establish quality or completeness.
Interactive Network Graphs
Use network views to investigate connections between candidate papers and authors. A visible cluster is a starting point for reading, not a representative account of an entire field.
Collections and Subcollections
Organise candidate papers in Collections and, where useful, Subcollections. Use the Zotero Importer to transfer selected papers; do not assume automatic two-way synchronisation.
Monitoring Options
Check current availability and settings for monitoring or notifications. Use any suggestions to identify papers to investigate, then evaluate the originals.
Reference-Manager Transfers and Research Checks
Import from Zotero and Transfer Papers Back
ResearchRabbit can import papers from Zotero using its Zotero Importer. At present, this should not be treated as continuous two-way synchronisation: ResearchRabbit describes two-way sync as under development, not a current capability. Discovered papers can be transferred back to Zotero using export/BibTeX workflows. Check the current Zotero integration documentation if you want changes to move between the services.
A Transfer Workflow:
- Select material: Choose the Zotero papers you want to investigate and check permission before granting access or transferring material.
- Use the Zotero Importer: Link the intended Zotero account, review the requested access and choose the papers and ResearchRabbit Collection for the import.
- Explore and evaluate: Investigate related papers and read the originals before treating them as evidence.
- Transfer back when needed: Export selected papers from ResearchRabbit as BibTeX and import the file into Zotero. Check reference metadata and claim support before citing.
Mendeley is a separate transfer workflow: Export selected papers from Mendeley as a BibTeX file, then import that file into ResearchRabbit. This is an import/transfer, not live synchronisation. Follow the official Mendeley import guide.
- Compare Starting Points: Try papers representing different approaches and consider what each adds to your search. More seeds do not establish quality or completeness.
- Investigate Authors: Explore authors connected with relevant papers, while looking beyond a single network or viewpoint. Check current options if you want author notifications.
- Read Beyond the Graph: Do not infer that prominent or well-connected papers are seminal, high quality or representative. Read the originals and consider evidence, methods and missing perspectives.
- Be Selective: Do not add every paper to your collection. Be critical. A clean, focused collection is more useful than a "dump" folder.
Your First Tasks
Try these steps to get started with your own research.