• LINEAGE
  • IMPACT
  • DISCOVERY
  • ANALYSIS

How to map research citation networks with your AI

Connect Stanford Semantic Scholar to your AI client to follow the trail of academic influence. You can move backward through a paper's history or forward through its impact.

Ask AI about this page

Short answer

How can I map research citation networks with my AI?

Your AI uses the Stanford Semantic Scholar MCP to pull citation and reference data for specific papers. You can then ask it to identify influential predecessors or find newer studies that built on a specific finding.

Research outcomes

Where the data lands.

The AI pulls specific datasets from Semantic Scholar to build your research map.

LINEAGE

Trace intellectual history

The AI identifies the specific papers a study cited. You get a clear view of the foundational work that led to a discovery.

IMPACT

Track citation growth

The AI finds newer papers that have cited the original work. This shows you how an idea has evolved since publication.

DISCOVERY

Find related research

The AI suggests papers with similar themes or methodologies. This helps you find relevant literature you might have missed.

ANALYSIS

Human-led synthesis

The AI provides the raw citation lists. You decide which connections are meaningful and write the final review.

The workflow

What your AI does when a paper is identified.

The AI acts as a researcher that navigates the Semantic Scholar database for you.

  1. Identify references

    The AI looks up the specific papers that the target study cited to establish its foundation.

    get_paper_references

  2. Track citations

    The AI finds all subsequent papers that have cited the original work to show its influence.

    get_paper_citations

  3. Expand search

    The AI finds papers that are semantically or contextually similar to the one you are studying.

    get_recommendations

  4. Map the network

    The AI organizes the retrieved citation and reference lists into a coherent map of the research field.

    get_paper_citationsget_paper_references

Try it

Copy these to start.

Use these prompts to begin your research mapping.

Starting points

Replace the bracketed text with the actual title or DOI of the paper you are researching.

Semantic Scholar Connector

You're all set. Choose your MCP client and follow the setup instructions.

Connector linkhttps://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_AZJpPbxBFEPF3qqoPfdyST9yhfXQRp6VrfLZlw40/mcp

Claude Desktop

Follow the steps below to connect in seconds.

  1. 1In Claude Desktop, open Settings → Connectors.
  2. 2Click “Add custom connector” and paste the connector link above as the remote MCP server URL.
  3. 3Click Add and start a new chat — Semantic Scholar capabilities are ready to use.
Configuration · claude_desktop_config.jsonCopy
{
  "mcpServers": {
    "stanford-semantic-scholar-mcp": {
      "url": "https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_AZJpPbxBFEPF3qqoPfdyST9yhfXQRp6VrfLZlw40/mcp"
    }
  }
}
Copy into chat04

  • Find all the papers cited by [Paper Title] to see its intellectual roots.

  • Who has cited [Paper DOI] since it was published?

  • Based on [Paper Title], what other research should I read in this field?

  • Map the citation network for [Paper Title] by finding its references and its citations.

  • Claude
  • ChatGPT
  • Cursor
  • VS Code
  • Windsurf
  • Claude Code
  • JetBrains
  • Cline

Start here

Connect Stanford Semantic Scholar once, then ask.

One connection gives your AI access to the full Semantic Scholar database. You can then use any of the prompts above in your preferred client.

Connect Stanford Semantic Scholar to your AI

FAQ

How this task behaves

  • 01

    Can the AI download the full PDF of a paper?

    No. The AI can only access citation, reference, and recommendation data through the Semantic Scholar tools.

  • 02

    Does the AI write my literature review for me?

    No. The AI gathers the citation data and identifies connections, but you must perform the actual writing and synthesis.

  • 03

    Can I use this with Claude or Cursor?

    Yes. Once you connect the MCP via Vinkius, it works with any MCP-compatible client like Claude, Cursor, or Windsurf.

  • 04

    Can the AI change the data on Semantic Scholar?

    No. The tools are read-only. The AI can only retrieve information from the database.

  • 05

    How does the AI find similar papers?

    It uses the recommendation tool to find papers that are contextually related to your target study.

  • More questions about Stanford Semantic Scholar? See everything the Stanford Semantic Scholar Connector can do

Connect Semantic Scholar to Claude, Cursor, ChatGPT & more