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AMiner is an academic search and scholarly-data platform at aminer.org, developed by Z.ai and descended from the ArnetMiner research project at Tsinghua University. It combines literature search, scholar profiles, patent records and citation links, with AI features added on top. This page explains what it is, who runs it, what its own documentation says it covers, and how it sits next to other scholarly indexes.
Coverage figures below are quoted from AMiner’s own About page as read on 2026-11-08. They are the platform’s own statements, not independent measurements.
What AMiner is
AMiner describes itself as an academic platform with literature search, academic question answering, document parsing and a personal document library. Its listed products are Academic Search, Deep Research, Highlights, AI 2000 and Citation Tree. In Academic Search and AI Reading, the user can pick which GLM model powers the AI features from a dropdown.
From ArnetMiner to AMiner
The service launched in 2006 and was formerly called ArnetMiner. The founding paper, “ArnetMiner: Extraction and Mining of Academic Social Networks” (2008; Jie Tang, Jing Zhang, Limin Yao and Juanzi Li of Tsinghua University, and Li Zhang and Zhong Su of IBM Research China), received the Test of Time Award for Applied Science at the 26th ACM SIGKDD conference, according to Tsinghua University’s news release. AMiner’s About page reports a September 2025 major upgrade that integrated Z.ai GLM models.
Who runs AMiner and what it covers
The About page states that AMiner is developed by Z.ai. It reports use by tens of millions of users in 220 countries and regions and says it pushes services to more than 400 journals. The interface is offered in Simplified Chinese and English (US).
| Item | Figure stated by AMiner (as of June 2026) |
|---|---|
| Paper records | 330 million |
| Scholar profiles | 60 million |
| Patent records | 180 million |
| Citation relationships | 2.8 billion |
| Journals and conferences | 110,000 |
| Knowledge entities | 8.79 million |
AMiner says these statistics are updated continuously, so older figures quoted by directories and articles may no longer match.
Where the data comes from
AMiner says its primary research data comes from public literature repositories such as arXiv and PubMed, and that it also acquires data by integrating sources and indexing papers, by collaborating with scholars and institutions, and by licensing content from providers. It states that it makes no commitment or guarantee about the validity, accuracy, completeness or timeliness of the data on its pages.
Where to find AMiner and what to look for
AMiner is a web service at aminer.org. The About page lists these capabilities, which are the ones to look for in the interface:
- Academic Search for literature and scholar discovery.
- Model dropdown in Academic Search and AI Reading for choosing a GLM model.
- Deep Research, listed as a product and feature.
- Document library and document parsing for keeping and reading your own papers.
- Citation Tree, Highlights and AI 2000 as further listed products.
For enterprise or university integration, the About page says those services are “stay tuned” and directs requirements to [email protected].
Strengths and limits
- Strength: scholar-centred records. The platform reports 60 million scholar profiles alongside papers, patents and citation links, so it works as a researcher-profile tool as well as a literature tool.
- Strength: documented lineage. Its origins trace to a published paper recognised with a SIGKDD Test of Time Award.
- Limit: no accuracy guarantee. AMiner disclaims guarantees on accuracy, completeness and timeliness, so check a record against the publisher’s version or its DOI. See Crossref DOI for how registered DOIs work.
- Limit: self-reported coverage. The coverage numbers are the vendor’s own statements, not an independent audit.
Alternatives and neighbours
These are scholarly indexes CASRAI already documents. The table is a cross-reference, not a ranking.
| Source | What it is | Read more |
|---|---|---|
| OpenAlex | Free, openly licensed (CC0) scholarly metadata catalog | OpenAlex guide |
| Scopus | Abstract and citation database | Scopus |
| Web of Science | Citation index | Web of Science |
| Google Scholar | Scholarly search with author profiles | Google Scholar Citations profile |
FAQ
What is AMiner?
AMiner is an academic search and scholar-data platform developed by Z.ai, formerly known as ArnetMiner, launched in 2006.
Who runs AMiner?
Its About page says it is developed by Z.ai and descends from the Tsinghua University ArnetMiner project.
How big is AMiner?
As of June 2026 AMiner states 330 million paper records, 60 million scholar profiles, 180 million patent records and 2.8 billion citation relationships.
Is AMiner data guaranteed accurate?
No. AMiner states it makes no commitment on the validity, accuracy, completeness or timeliness of its data.
Sources
- AMiner, About us: aminer.org/aboutus/en-US/about (read 2026-11-08)
- Tsinghua University, SIGKDD 2020 Test of Time Award news: tsinghua.edu.cn/en/info/1245/5369.htm (read 2026-11-08)
