A 10-Minute Tour of Analytical Views in Dimensions.ai

Ying-Ju Tessa Chen

Department of Mathematics, University of Dayton

January 23, 2026

Plan

This short demo is meant to:

give you a sense of what is possible
help you decide whether Dimensions.ai is useful for your work

What is Dimensions.ai

Dimensions.ai is a research intelligence platform that helps you:

🔍 Search publications (free), datasets (free), grants, patents, and clinical trials together
📈 See trends across time, topics, and disciplines
🌐 Explore networks of researchers, institutions, and funding
🤖 Use AI summaries to quickly understand research landscapes

Think beyond finding papers -
think understanding the research ecosystem.

Not a replacement for Google Scholar. A complement when you want context, patterns, and strategy.

Demo Time: https://www.dimensions.ai/

Interface of Dimensions.ai

Dimensions.ai: Take-Home Messages

What you saw today

Start from a research topic, not individual papers
Use Analytical Views to understand trends and structure
Narrow down to focused, relevant literature efficiently

Beyond discovery

Altmetric: see how research is discussed beyond academia
Author network: visualize collaboration and research identity

AI Acknowledgment: This presentation was prepared with the assistance of AI-based tools for drafting, editing, and formatting support. All content and interpretations are the author’s own.

Appendix: Publish and Embed a Co-author Network (Google Drive + VOSviewer Online)

This appendix provides step-by-step instructions for sharing an interactive co-author network on a personal webpage. The workflow uses a VOSviewer JSON file (e.g., coauthor_network.json) hosted on Google Drive and visualized via VOSviewer Online.

What you need

A VOSviewer JSON file downloaded from Dimensions.ai (e.g., VOSviewer-network.json)
A Google Drive account
A personal webpage (department site, GitHub Pages, WordPress, etc.)

Part 1 - Upload the JSON file to Google Drive

Upload VOSviewer-network.json to Google Drive.
Right-click the file → Share.
Under General access, select Anyone with the link (not Restricted).
Set permission to Viewer.
Copy the share link.

Note: If the access is not set to “Anyone with the link,” VOSviewer Online will not be able to load the JSON file.

A typical Google Drive share link looks like this:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/FILE_ID/view?usp=sharing

Step 1: Extract the `FILE_ID`

The FILE_ID is the substring between /d/ and /view.

Step 2: Create the direct-access link

Use the following format:

https://drive.google.com/uc?id=FILE_ID

Quick test: Paste the direct-access link into a browser.

If it downloads or displays the JSON content, it is accessible.
If you see a permissions error, revisit the sharing settings in Part 1.

Part 3 - Create a VOSviewer Online link for your network

Use the direct-access link (from Part 2) as the json parameter for VOSviewer Online:

https://app.vosviewer.com/?json=https://drive.google.com/uc?id=FILE_ID

Quick test: Open the link in a browser to confirm the interactive map loads.

Part 4 - Add the network to your personal website

There are two common approaches:

Option A (Recommended fallback): Add a hyperlink (most reliable)

This option works on virtually any website platform:

<p>
  <a href="https://app.vosviewer.com/?json=https://drive.google.com/uc?id=FILE_ID"
     target="_blank" rel="noopener">
    View my co-author network (interactive)
  </a>
</p>

Option B (Best-looking): Embed using an iframe

Embedding displays the interactive map directly on your webpage:

<iframe
  src="https://app.vosviewer.com/?json=https://drive.google.com/uc?id=FILE_ID"
  width="100%"
  height="650"
  style="border:0;"
  loading="lazy">
</iframe>

Compatibility note: Some website builders or institutional CMS platforms restrict iframes.

If the embedded view does not load, use Option A (hyperlink), which is the most robust alternative.

Troubleshooting (common issues)

It opens in VOSviewer Online, but the iframe is blank:
Your website platform may block external iframes. Use Option A (hyperlink).
Others cannot access the network / permissions error:
Confirm the Drive file is shared as Anyone with the link and permission is Viewer.
I updated the JSON file and the link stopped working:
If you uploaded a new file, the FILE_ID changed. Update your links accordingly.
If you replaced/updated the same file (same FILE_ID), links usually remain valid.