Citation graph

The citation graph turns your library into a network, drawing a line every time one work cites another. Instead of scanning a table, you see from above how your references relate: which are cited most, which pull ideas together, and which stand alone. It only draws citations between works that are both in your library.

What the graph shows

Each reference in your library is a node. Each line is a citation between two references, and it has a direction: it goes from the work that cites toward the work being cited — the small legend in the corner reads "cites → cited". A line only appears when both ends exist in your library, so the graph reflects the connections inside your own collection, not the entire literature.

Node: A reference. Nodes grow with the citations they receive, so the works most cited by the rest stand out at a glance.
Line (arrow): A citation from one reference to another. The arrow points to the work being cited, so you can read who cites whom.
Colors: Nodes are colored by community: references that cite each other closely share a color, revealing groups of related readings.
Faded nodes: References with no citation link to anything else appear dimmed. They're candidates to connect once you fetch their cited references.

A connection means one reference cites the other. The graph doesn't invent links: it draws the citations recorded when you fetch a reference's cited works (from CrossRef and Semantic Scholar, via the reference's DOI).

Explore the network

The graph is interactive. Move around it to find the communities that matter and follow the arrows between related works. The corner legend sums up the mouse: "click pins · double-click opens".

1In the References module, switch to the Citation graph view.
2Zoom in and out with the mouse wheel, and drag the background to move across the network.
3Click a node to pin it: the graph centers on it, its direct connections light up and the rest dims. The focus stays pinned while you explore; click the background to release it.
4Double-click a node to open that reference in the library.
5Drag a node to reposition it by hand if you want to untangle a cluster.
6Look for groups of the same color — they are communities of related readings that cite one another.

Use the Center button to reframe the whole network after zooming or dragging, and the Reorganize button to shake the layout loose and settle it again so communities separate and lines overlap less.

Fetch citations for all

The Fetch citations for all button in the graph header fills the network in one sweep: it queries the sources for every reference in your library that has a DOI, one at a time, and records the citations found. A confirmation tells you how many references will be queried — the run can take a few minutes, and the button shows live progress (done/total) while it works.

Only references with a DOI are queried — the DOI is what the citation sources index.
Failures are counted and reported at the end, without interrupting the rest of the queue.
When the sweep finishes, the graph reloads with the new connections.

The analysis panel

Alongside the graph, the Analysis panel summarizes the network and ranks the references that stand out. Click any entry to pin that reference in the graph.

Summary: How many references are connected, how many communities they form, and how many are orphans.
Most connected: The references with the most citation links overall, counting both citing and being cited.
Most cited: The references cited most often by the others — the hubs of your library.
Cites the most: The references that cite the most works, typically reviews and surveys.
Bridges: The references that connect otherwise separate groups, linking one community to another.
Orphans: References with no citation links yet, listed so you can open them and fetch their citations.

Focus and adjust the graph

A few controls in the header let you narrow what appears and tune how the network is drawn.

Use the Filter select to draw only the references of one collection and the citations among them — or All references.
Open Configure to adjust Repulsion, Link distance and Node size, or to toggle Show labels (titles appear next to nodes as you zoom in).
The Reset button in the settings returns every slider to its default if the layout gets away from you.

The graph fills up as you fetch the cited references of your works. The more citation data your library holds, the richer and more useful the network becomes. To add references, see "Add references"; to sort them into collections, see "Organize the library".