Dimensions

Dimensions is a research database from Digital Science that links over 100 million publications with grants, patents, clinical trials, and policy documents. You can see how funding flows into outputs — and into recognition. Each record links to related grants, patents, and trials, so you can follow a paper back to the grant that funded it. The free version covers the publications index with full-text search and basic metrics. It suits anyone tracing research impact. Check the official pricing page for current plans and limits.

Key Features

1. Linked Research Data

Publications, grants, patents, and clinical trials sit in one linked graph, so one search shows the full story behind a result.

2. Full-Text Search

Search across journals and books, not just titles, so you find papers even when key terms appear only in the body text.

3. Open Access One-Click

Get open-access full text instantly from your results, without hunting through publisher pages or paywalls.

4. Researcher Profiles

See a researcher's outputs, from papers to patents, in a single profile built from linked records.

5. Altmetric Data

Track attention and mentions alongside citations, so you can see how widely a paper is discussed beyond academia.

6. Free Metrics API

Non-commercial users get API access at no cost, so they can pull publication metrics into their own tools.

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

What can I search in Dimensions?

Publications, grants, patents, clinical trials, and policy documents, all linked together in one database.

How is Dimensions different from Google Scholar?

Dimensions links publications to funding, patents, and trials — showing the full research story, not just papers.

Who owns Dimensions?

Digital Science, the research technology company behind Altmetric.

Can I connect my ORCID?

Yes. Linking ORCID lets you add Dimensions publications to your record.

What does the paid version add?

Searchable grants, patents, clinical trials, extended facets, analytics, and institutional full-text access.

Is there an API?

Yes. A free metrics API for non-commercial use; a fuller API comes with paid plans.

Conclusion

Dimensions is built for seeing research in context — funding, outputs, and impact together. The free version is genuinely useful for literature search, while Plus adds grants, patents, and trials for deeper analysis. If you study funding flows or track research impact, it is worth trying. Plus unlocks the linked dataset for institutions that need grants, patents, and trial data.