Frequently Asked Questions

Your active filters are displayed in the filter area at the top of the dashboard:

• Look for the filter display area near the top of the dashboard
• Applied filters appear as tags or chips with filter names and values
• Each filter shows the field name and the selected criteria
• You can see all active filters at a glance in this area

You can remove filters in several ways:

• Click the "X" button on individual filter tags to remove specific filters
• Use the "Clear all filters" option to remove all applied filters at once
• Right-click on chart elements to access filter removal options
• Use the filter panels to modify or clear specific filter criteria

To filter by author category interactively:

• Hover your mouse over author names or categories in the visualization
• Look for the "+" (plus) and "-" (minus) buttons that appear
• Click the "+" button to include only that author/category in your filter
• Click the "-" button to exclude that author/category from your results
• The dashboard will update automatically to reflect your filter choices

Yes! You can search for specific authors using the advanced search functionality:

• Access the filter controls or search panel
• Look for author-specific search fields
• Enter the author's name (full or partial)
• Use wildcards (*) for broader searches
• Apply the filter to see results for that specific author

This is particularly useful when you're looking for publications by a known researcher in the field.

To filter by institutional affiliation:

• Look for affiliation-related charts or lists in the dashboard
• Hover over institution names to reveal filter options
• Use the "+" button to filter for specific institutions
• Use the "-" button to exclude certain institutions
• You can apply multiple affiliation filters simultaneously

This helps you focus on research from specific universities, organizations, or geographic regions.

Yes, you can search for specific institutions using advanced filtering:

• Access the advanced filter options
• Select affiliation or institution fields
• Enter the organization name (use partial names for broader results)
• Apply wildcards (*) to match multiple similar institutions
• Filter to see research from your target organizations

This is useful for tracking research output from specific universities, government agencies, or research institutes.

For advanced searching with specific criteria:

• Access the advanced filter panel or search interface
• Select the field you want to search (author, title, keyword, etc.)
• Choose an operator (contains, equals, starts with, etc.)
• Enter your search value or criteria
• Apply the filter to see targeted results

Available operators typically include: contains, equals, starts with, ends with, and pattern matching.

Wildcards help you search for patterns and partial matches:

• Asterisk (*) - Matches any number of characters
• Example: "Smith*" finds Smith, Smithson, Smithfield
• Example: "*climate*" finds anything containing "climate"
• Example: "Univ*" finds University, Universities, etc.

Wildcards are especially useful when you're not sure of exact spellings or want to capture variations of terms.

Search behavior varies by field and interface:

• Most searches are case-insensitive - "smith" will find "Smith", "SMITH", "smith"
• Some advanced filter options may have case-sensitive settings
• Check for case sensitivity options in the filter interface
• When in doubt, try searches in lowercase for broader results

Generally, it's safe to use any case when searching, as the system is designed to be user-friendly.

The dashboard supports complex filter combinations:

• AND Logic (default): Multiple filters narrow results (must match all criteria)
• OR Logic: Available in some advanced filter interfaces (matches any criteria)
• Apply multiple filters step-by-step to refine your search
• Use the filter display area to monitor your active criteria
• Remove filters individually to broaden results as needed

To confirm your filters are working properly:

• Check the filter display area to see all active filters
• Notice how result counts change when filters are applied
• Review the data in charts and tables to confirm they match your criteria
• Try removing and reapplying filters to see the difference
• Use the dashboard's data summary or count indicators

The dashboard should show immediate visual feedback when filters are applied or removed.

If you're experiencing filter issues:

• Clear all filters and start fresh
• Refresh the page to reset the dashboard state
• Check spelling in your search terms
• Try broader search terms or wildcards
• Remove conflicting filters that might exclude all results
• Verify field selections in advanced search

Most filter issues can be resolved by starting with simpler criteria and building complexity gradually.

Best practices for effective dashboard filtering:

• Start broad, then narrow: Begin with general filters and add specificity
• Use the interactive hover filters for quick exploration
• Monitor result counts to ensure you're not over-filtering
• Save or bookmark useful filter combinations if the dashboard supports it
• Explore related data before applying restrictive filters
• Use wildcards strategically for flexible searching

Remember that the goal is to find insights, so balance precision with exploration.