Figshare portal Administrators are provided with out-of-the-box statistics reporting, providing information across a range of metrics through interactive data visualizations. This functionality saves administrators time by reducing the need to rely on the statistics API to compile and analyze data. By providing information on system usage, these stock visualizations allow administrators to make informed decisions based on accurate, up-to-date data.

‘System Administrators’ and users with the 'Institutional Reporter' role, have permission to view the ‘Statistics’ page, accessed via the menu. There are fifteen stock visualizations provided as standard. This statistics page is distinct from the public statistics page, displaying a set of visualizations tailored to internal use. 

Kibana dashboards 

Kibana is a data visualization tool that uses application monitoring to produce usage analytics. The tool is able to produce a number of data visualizations that give insight into application use through numerous metrics. Figshare uses Kibana to provide our administrators with an insight into the organizational use of Figshare and specific metrics related to the outputs on your portal.

Note: Statistical events from Figshare.com will be included in your portal statistics. E.g. If the files from an Item uploaded at your portal are downloaded from Figshare.com this will be included as a ‘download’ event on your statistics page. In this way, a complete picture of the activity associated with your content is provided. 

Filtering visualizations

You can filter the data displayed in visualizations by specifying a date range using datetime parameters. The date range filter is located at the top of the page and can be applied in two ways:

1) Click the calendar icon on the left-hand side of the filter to access options such as relative time, ‘commonly used’ date ranges, and ‘previously used’ date ranges. This allows you to quickly explore data across different time periods.

2) Alternatively, you can click on the pre-filled date to open the calendar view, where you can set a specific date range for your data. The left-hand date represents the start of the range, and the right-hand date marks the end. Each date can be set independently. If you set the end date to ‘now’, the range will automatically update to the current time with every refresh.

Note: The statistics events are stored in GMT (UTC+0). The time portion of the filter input is also in UTC. This should be considered when inputting specific time ranges.

If your Figshare portal contains a significant volume of data, selecting large date ranges may result in longer loading times for visualizations. This is normal, as the system requires additional time to process the larger dataset. Should you encounter any issues, such as visualizations timing out, please don't hesitate to reach out to the Figshare support team for assistance.

Interacting with visualizations

Beyond setting the date range for the data returned, it is possible to interact with the visualizations on the page.

• For more granular detail, you can download the underlying data from each visualization as a CSV by clicking on the three dot menu in the top right corner of the visualization. This can be helpful for capturing and storing snapshots of data for further analysis. 
• For chart style visualizations, the ‘legend’ button at the bottom left hand corner allows you to toggle on and off the display of the chart’s legend. 
• Data tables include the ability to increase the number of rows returned. This option is only displayed if not all rows are currently displayed.

Filtering out robot traffic

Like any publicly accessible website, Figshare portals may encounter traffic generated from bots, which can be of a legitimate or malicious nature. Figshare’s infrastructure is designed to ensure malicious traffic cannot impact the confidentiality, integrity or availability of content on the platform. 

The system that stores usage statistics does not by default exclude bot traffic. It is possible to opt out of returning statistics that Figshare considers generated by bots. If you are interested in excluding bot traffic from your Administrator statistics page, please raise a support ticket. Please note that excluding bot traffic will impact the counts on your Administrator statistics page as well as your public statistics page (if enabled). 

Figshare classifies bot traffic by examining the ‘user agent’ associated with each request. This is compared with a predefined list of known bot user agents, and if a request matches one of these, the event is flagged as bot traffic. Full details of the list of bots can be here. This approach is aligned with the project COUNTER Code of Practice.

Custom visualizations

Alongside the stock visualizations, organizations may wish to tailor the statistics page to focus on the metrics that matter most to their specific context, making the tool applicable to various needs. Custom visualizations can be added upon request. Requests must undergo an internal review process to evaluate the potential impact on system efficiency, response times, resource usage, and overall performance. We advise organizations to limit the number of visualizations to a maximum of twenty to ensure optimal performance.

If you are interested in exploring options around creating custom visualizations, please contact the support team and we will be happy to discuss your needs and the available options. Please note that building custom reports falls outside our standard SLA and may be chargeable.  

Stock visualizations 

Views by item type

This visualization displays the top 15 Figshare Item types (including Collections and Projects) ranked by number of views. This information helps you identify which types of content within your Figshare portal are receiving the most attention, enabling you to better understand user engagement with your data.

Views per week (category breakdown)

This visualization displays the top ten categories by number of views for each week within your chosen time interval. For example, if a viewed Item had two categories associated with it, each of these categories would be counted separately. In the case where there are more than ten categories viewed in a given week, only the top ten are displayed. 

This visualization offers insights into which categories are attracting the most interest and helps you track how engagement changes over time.

Views and downloads map combined

This visualization provides valuable insights into the global reach of the outputs published on your portal. It highlights which countries are engaging most with your research by displaying the locations of downloads and views on a map. Please note, if multiple views or downloads originate from the same location, the dot's size on the map will remain unchanged. 

Views by country (top 25)

This visualization highlights the top 25 countries viewing content on your portal over the selected date range. This provides a more focused view on the top countries that are viewing content within your portal, providing an indication of the global interaction with the outputs on your portal. 

Total views

This count shows the total number of views across all entities (Items, Projects and Collections) within your selected date range. This count is helpful in indicating the overall reach that content within your portal has achieved. 

Total downloads

This count shows the total number of file downloads within your selected date range. If the user selects ‘download all’ this is registered as a single download, if the user downloads individual files each file download is registered. This count is helpful in indicating the usages of files stored in your portal. 

Statistical events top item types

This data table shows you the types of content that is receiving the highest amount of engagement within your selected date range. The data table breaks engagement information down - displaying views, downloads and citations per content type. The data table is ordered by the aggregate of these three counts. This data table allows you to determine the types of content that are being viewed, downloaded and cited the most.

Statistical events top 25 items

This data table shows the specific research outputs that are receiving the highest amount of engagement within your selected date range. The research output is identified by its DOI. The data table breaks engagement information down - displaying views, downloads and citations per content type. This is helpful in finding the specific research outputs that are driving engagement with your portal. 

Statistical events top departments

This data table aggregates the view, downloads and citations for research outputs by their Group. This provides insight into the Groups in your portal that have received the highest amount of engagement during your selected date range.

Uploads by item type

This visualization displays the proportion of different Item types uploaded to your Figshare portal within your selected date range. This visualization provides information into how users are engaging with your Figshare portal. 

Uploads by group (top 20)

Like any publicly accessible website, Figshare portals may encounter traffic generated from bots, which can be of a legitimate or malicious nature. Figshare’s infrastructure is designed to ensure malicious traffic cannot impact the confidentiality, integrity or availability of content on the platform.

Uploads top departments

This data table shows the Groups that have the highest number of uploads within your selected date range. However, this data table also includes both public and private Items that have been uploaded, offering a more comprehensive picture of activity. By providing visibility to all uploads, not just those made public, this data table allows you to better understand the full extent of content creation and usage across Groups.

Total deposits

This count displays the total number of Items (both public and private) uploaded across your Figshare portal within your selected date range, offering a clear indication of overall portal usage. By tracking the complete volume of uploads, this metric provides valuable insights into the level of activity and engagement within your portal. 

Number of depositors

This count displays the total number of unique depositors (user accounts) that created Items (both public and private) within your selected date range. This count provides a key measure of engagement by revealing how many individuals are actively using your Figshare portal to share or store research outputs.

Storage used

This counts displays by the amount of total storage used (in bytes) for both public and private Items within your selected date range. It provides a clear view of how much data is being stored on your Figshare portal during this period. By tracking storage usage, you can assess the scale of content being managed and ensure efficient utilization of your portal’s resources.