Dimensions

Dimensions is a comprehensive research-information platform developed by Digital Science that integrates vast amounts of linked scholarly data—including publications, grants, patents, clinical trials, datasets and policy documents—into one searchable and analysable environment. 

Who it serves & how
The platform is designed for a wide array of stakeholders including academic institutions, research organisations, funders, industry R&D teams and publishers. It enables users to:

• Discover relevant literature, trace research trajectories and link outcomes to funding sources. 
• Conduct strategic analyses such as horizon-scanning, collaboration mapping, institutional benchmarking or identifying emerging research areas. 
• Use a unified interface rather than switching between separate databases, thereby saving time and reducing fragmentation of search workflows. 

Key features & value proposition

• Linked research ecosystem: Items such as a grant, the resulting publication, a downstream patent and a policy document are connected, affording insight across the full research lifecycle. 
• Broad coverage: Dimensions indexes tens to hundreds of millions of research items across multiple research object types and uses full-text indexing in many cases. 
• Analytic and visual tools: The platform offers built-in visualisation of research landscapes, collaboration networks and trend trajectories, enabling users to interpret big research data more intuitively. 
• Customisable workflows & APIs: It supports integration with institutional systems and custom data-science workflows via APIs or tailored modules. 

Considerations

• As with any large-scale database, the completeness and accuracy of metadata depend on source inputs and may vary across disciplines or regions.
• Because it’s a sophisticated platform, users may require training to fully exploit its analytic and visual-exploration capabilities.
• Some features or datasets may be behind a subscription or institutional licence rather than entirely free.