ResearchRabbit
A literature discovery tool that starts from papers you already have and maps related work, authors and topics.
- Best for
- Students running a literature review who want to find related papers fast.
- Pricing
- Freemium
- Free plan
- Yes
- Platforms
- Web
- Category
- Research
What is ResearchRabbit?
ResearchRabbit is a web-based literature discovery tool run by Litmap Limited. You add a paper or two, and it suggests related works, authors and emerging topics, showing how papers connect. Students can import a reference library, organise collections and share them with others. The free tier offers unlimited searches and libraries with a limit on the number of seed papers, and a paid plan raises that limit and adds alerts and advanced search controls. It helps most during the early stages of a literature review.
How students can use it
- Building a reading list for a thesis from three known papers
- Finding authors who write on the same topic as a seminar paper
- Sharing a collection of sources with a project group
Key features
- Start from one paper and explore related papers
- Import your reference library
- Recommendations that improve as you add papers
- Shared collections and alerts on new work
Pros and cons
Pros
- Free tier is enough for a typical course literature review
- Good for finding papers you would not search for directly
- Collections can be shared with classmates
Cons
- Web only, with no dedicated mobile app listed
- Paid tier is needed for large projects and alerts
Is ResearchRabbit free?
Yes — there is a free plan you can use without paying.
The free tier includes unlimited searching and libraries with a cap on how many seed papers you can use, while a paid tier raises that cap and adds alerts.
How to use it well
Begin with two or three strong seed papers, then add only the recommendations that match your question.
Export your collection to your reference manager regularly.
Limitations to know about
The free tier limits how many seed papers you can use.
Recommendations depend on database coverage, so check key sources manually.
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