> ## Documentation Index
> Fetch the complete documentation index at: https://docs.consensus.app/llms.txt
> Use this file to discover all available pages before exploring further.
# Explore the citation graph
> See how papers connect through citations on a visual map. Start from a paper you trust and find the work it built on and the work that followed.
Following citations one paper at a time works, but it's slow. The **Citation Graph** shows the connections all at once: start from a paper you trust (a **seed**) and see the papers around it.
## Step 1: Open a graph from a paper
Open one of your key papers and click **Citation Graph** in its sidebar. You can also click **Graph** in the left sidebar and search for a paper to use as a seed.
## Step 2: Read the map
* **Left to right is time.** Papers on the left came before your seed; papers on the right came after.
* **Bigger circles** have more citations. Big circles on the left are often the field's foundations.
* **Arrows** point from a paper to the paper it cites.
Hover a circle to see its connections. Click it to see the paper's details.
## Step 3: Ask the graph a question
Click **Chat** at the bottom of the page. Every paper on the graph is attached, so you can ask:
```text theme={null}
How did the later papers build on the earliest one?
```
```text theme={null}
Which of these papers used a randomized design?
```
## Try it on your topic
Build a graph from your most important paper. Find one older paper it built on and one newer paper that built on it.
**You should now have:** 2–3 new papers for your reading list that you didn't find through search.
Add up to 5 seeds, change how many papers are shown, promote a paper to a seed, and learn how papers are ranked. See [Citation Graph](/core-features/citation-graph).
This documentation is built and hosted on [Mintlify](https://mintlify.com), a developer documentation platform.
* **Left to right is time.** Papers on the left came before your seed; papers on the right came after.
* **Bigger circles** have more citations. Big circles on the left are often the field's foundations.
* **Arrows** point from a paper to the paper it cites.
Hover a circle to see its connections. Click it to see the paper's details.
## Step 3: Ask the graph a question
Click **Chat** at the bottom of the page. Every paper on the graph is attached, so you can ask:
```text theme={null}
How did the later papers build on the earliest one?
```
```text theme={null}
Which of these papers used a randomized design?
```
## Try it on your topic
Build a graph from your most important paper. Find one older paper it built on and one newer paper that built on it.