The real power of Academic Tree, however, lies not in its database of listed scientists, but in the connections between them. By thoroughly populating the site, academic lineages can be traced backward or forward several generations, revealing unforeseen connections spanning decades, continents, and scientific fields.
From the drop-down lists of scientists or the results table of a name search described on the previous page, by selecting the name of a scientist you wish to edit, you will be taken to a page where you can add their mentors, trainees, and collaborators. These connections are used to generate the scientific pedigree. The more connections you can add to each scientist, the more robust the tree will become.
To add a new connection, determine whether you are adding a mentor, trainee, or collaborator for the current scientist. Remember, consider the relationship from the perspective of the scientist who's name is in larger print in the upper left corner of the page. Once you have settled on the relationship, click on the appropriate link on the right side of the central box of the page, where it says 'New mentor,' 'New trainee,' or 'New collaborator.'
A new dialog box will appear, as seen below:
Enter the information for the new person. The new addition can either correspond to an existing node, or a new person not yet in the tree. As you type, potential matches from existing nodes will appear in a drop-down menu, which you may select from. Be sure to select accurately the relationship between the scientists.
