2.2 Who can benefit from VOSviewer?

We see some clear use cases for the VOSviewer software in several roles within the university. Click the links to see an example of how one can use the technique described. For some techniques we will create a short tutorial later this month.

2.2.1 Principal Investigator

Most likely you are already an expert in the topic at hand. However, sometimes you need to visualize your knowledge in order to get funding for example, where the funder wants to see collaboration partners or the impact of your output within the field. Or you have a research question where you need to know what has not yet been researched in depth, what topics are hot or what search terms (also known as article search engine optimization) make your work as visible as possible.

· Collaboration maps (author similarity)

· Article overview of the field (based on citations)

· Topic overview (based on search terms)

2.2.2 PhD

As a PhD you usually start out fresh on a new line of research when you enter university. You want to catch up quickly to the knowledge base of the professors and need field overviews. You also want to know what specific topics and keywords are of interest at the moment so you can focus your search and research interests.

· Article overview of the field (based on citations)

· Topic overview (based on search terms)

· Journal maps (where to publish)

2.2.3 Policy makers

You need to be able to support research policy. Possibly you want to tell stories about how your researchers collaborate (internally and externally), how your organization is mentioned in news outlets and whether the publication output matches the goals set for the research vision.

· Collaboration maps (author similarity)

· Topic overview (based on search terms)

· Overlays

If you are interested in all possibilities of the VOSviewer software, check out the other chapters for examples and information on how to use a diversity of databases to get the best results. Another good starting point to discover all of VOSviewers possibilities is the AIDA booklet.