AGRIS Improves User Experience with Clustered Display of Duplicate Records
21/05/2025
© FAO/Ezequiel Becerra
AGRIS is introducing a new way of displaying the same document(s) hosted by different AGRIS organizations by clustering them, thus improving the clarity of search and access to information.
As a global platform, AGRIS aggregates bibliographic metadata from thousands of trusted data providers, including universities, research institutes, and journals. Naturally, the same publication may be described by multiple sources, each contributing metadata with varying levels of detail, some with links to full texts, others with full author lists or different language versions. This multiplicity is not an error but a reflection of AGRIS ‘s strength as a collaborative, decentralized system that values metadata provenance.
To address this, AGRIS is now grouping all the records of the same document into “clusters”. Instead, it shows multiple entries for the same publication in the results list. Users will now see one main entry, marked visually with the number of versions available, followed by a “+” sign to the right, indicating that multiple versions are available. When clicked, this entry reveals all associated records, allowing users to compare metadata or access the most complete version.

This change is entirely visual and user-oriented. It doesn’t merge, delete, or modify any records or change the structure of, some with links to full texts, others with full author lists, or different language versions. This multiplicity is not an error in the database, keeping each original record intact and accessible. The goal of this update is to make it easier to find and use the search results without redundancy.
One final update is the addition of an indicator next to the record title for those that contain a link to the full text.

Users are encouraged to explore the new search experience and provide feedback on errors to [email protected].
Try it now, visit: https://agris.fao.org

