Timeline exploration tools

1. Basic timeline description

The elements of the basic timeline are shown by the numbered circles in the figure below.

1. Plot area: the plot area corresponds to a MATLAB axis. The papers are plotted in this box. You can use the mouse and left click to drag a box in this area to select papers. You can also right click in this area to bring up a context menu that allows several exploration functions.
2. Papers: papers are plotted as indiviual circles on the plot. These cicles can overlay each other on the map. You can use MATLAB figure ZOOM function to expand overlayed papers to separate them for selection.
3. Date axis: papers are plotted by the year of their publication on the x axis.
4. Research front axis: research fronts are groups of papers formed by clustering using bibliographic coupling. Research fronts are plotted in horizontal tracks whose y position corresponds to the position of the research front as a leaf on the clustering dendrogram. The clustering dendrogram is shown to the left of the plot area.
5. Research front: the papers in each research front are plotted in a horizontal track. Each paper's x position is determined by the publication date of the paper. A horizontal dashed line is plotted behind each research front.
6. Research front number: each research front has a unique identifying number. The research front numbers are displayed at the leaves of the clustering dendrogram, immeadiately to the left of the plot area.
7. Research front labels: research front labels are usually created by the user or a subject matter expert, after browsing the titles in the papers in the research front for themes. The labels are typed into a label file or a table in the database and are automatically loaded when a map is displayed.
8. Webpage menu: The webpage menu is used to produce an interactive webpage that can be explored by a subject matter expert.
9. Annotate menu: the annotate menu contains items for adding text boxes and text annotation to the map for written reports. The menu also contains programs for zooming into interesting sections of the timeline and for adjusting the plot area position for better ledgibility of the research front labels.
10. MATLAB figure annotation tools: MATLAB's figure annotation tools can be used to add notes to the timeline. MATLAB annotation cannot be resized by to the printing and webpage generation programs in DIVA. For text annotation and boxes, it is best to use the DIVA annotate menu.

2. Visualizing cited papers

Visualizing cited papers is a technique to highlight highly cited papers, and additionally, to highlight papers that have been highly cited in the last year.

• With timeline map open, in TFGUI, set the CONNECTIONS drop down box to 'directed'.
• Click the small button that is immediately to the right of the DOTMAP button.

• The timeline window will change so that the paper circles are proportional to the number of times that each paper has been cited. Furthermore, the circles are shaded red in proportion to the number of times that that each paper has been cited in the last year of the timeline. This allows the investigator to spot 'key' papers as large circles, and 'hot' papers and red circles. This type of plot also produces characteristics 'stairstep' patterns that may be evidence of cumulating knowledge in a specialty.

3. Timeline exploration tools

Working with selected groups of papers These instructions were moved to a separate page to speed loading.

Visualizing links These instructions were moved to a separate page to speed loading.

Visualizing query results These instructions were moved to a separate page to speed loading.