Welcome to the ClioVis Tutorials page—your step-by-step guide to getting started and mastering the platform. Whether you’re an instructor introducing ClioVis in your classroom or a student building your first timeline, this section walks you through everything from creating a project and inviting collaborators to embedding, exporting, and presenting timelines. You’ll also find tutorials on advanced uses such as integrating ClioVis into Canvas, using timelines for research and dissertations, and adapting the Simplified View for accessibility.
If you don’t see a specific tutorial listed here, visit our ClioVis YouTube Channel, where you’ll find an expanded library of video walkthroughs and demonstrations for instructors, students, and researchers.
Reach out to us and we can get ClioVis added to your class page. Email support@cliovis.com
At UT-Austin: If you are an instructor, go to your Canvas homepage and scroll down the left menu to find UT Canvas Apps. You’ll be redirected to the Canvas App Store—click Authorize when prompted. In the search bar, type ClioVis, or scroll to Collaboration Tools and select it. Then open the Installation dropdown, choose the course you want to connect, and click Install. A confirmation message will appear once the installation is complete. Return to your course page, and ClioVis will now appear in the left-side menu—ready to use directly from Canvas.
If you are not using and LMS and you are using the Webased version, go to step 2.
Click Start
Sign up for an account. Watch this video for more information:
To create a project, provide a title and description. You can also drop a pin on a map if your project corresponds with a specific geolocation. You can use your own map by uploading it, using the Google Maps option, or using the “default” map we provide (seen in the video below). If you do not need to geo-locate your project, pick “none” in the drop-down menu.
To build a timeline in ClioVis:
Hit the Create Timeline button located in the bottom left.
Add your date range (minimum range is 10 years, but once you are working you can narrow that range down to a specific year if you want).
Add a title of your Timeline.
After creating your Timeline, you can also add a description of your Timeline by clicking on the “information” icon at the top of the screen.
You can start adding Events to your Timeline. Each Event needs a title, date, description, and source. You can also add an image and/or audio URL.
You can create categories that you can use to color code your events at the top of the timeline by hitting the plus sign.
You can then connect events by drawing a line between two different nodes. Once the line is in place, it will ask you for a description.
Inviting people to your project is easy—create an invitation code. When setting up your project, you can give different people different privileges. (You can also change those privileges once people have been added.) For instance, you can let some people edit projects while others can view them. Watch the video below for instructions.
Learn how to control who can edit your timelines. In your project, click the Edit button—or open the project folder and select the pencil icon next to the title. Then choose Edit Users, assign roles such as Student, Guest, or Admin and set their permissions, and click Save Changes. That’s it—your project’s permissions are updated.
Managing ClioVis Permissions: Control Student Access to Timelines (Website and Canvas)
Learn how to link events and show relationships on your timeline. After creating at least two events, click and drag your cursor from one event to another until a red line appears—this forms the connection. Then set the type of direction (forward, backward, bidirectional or none), add a description, and include your references. When you export your timeline as a Word document, all your connections will automatically appear in the file.
Enhance your ClioVis timelines with images. Find a picture online—Wikipedia’s Creative Commons or Wikimedia Commons are great sources—and copy its direct image URL (it should end in .jpg, .png, or a similar file type). Paste the link into the Image URL box in your event editor. You can also upload an image directly from your computer by clicking the blue folder icon next to the Image URL field. That’s it—your image will appear in the event!
Online open-access image repositories such as WikiMedia Commons are a great resource for adding visuals to your ClioVis timelines. Learn how to easily incorporate online pictures in your projects in the video below.
Bring your ClioVis timeline to life with sound. You can add audio clips just like you add images—either paste a direct audio URL (ending in .mp3, .m4a, or a similar format) into the Audio Clip URL box in the event editor, or click the blue folder icon to upload the file directly from your computer. That’s it—your recording will now play within your timeline event.
Using the dropdown menus in the top center of your screen, you can activate presentation mode, order your events however you want for presentations, chat with others using the timeline, and export all the information you put in the timeline in a text format from presentation mode. Note: the video does not go over all the options. Be sure to play around to discover all you can do!
Switch to Simplified View for a structured, text-based version of your timeline. Click the middle icon in the lower right corner to activate it. In this mode, you can read your timeline in chronological order—much like a draft paper—and edit events by selecting the Edit icon next to the one you want to update. To return to the standard visual view, click the same middle icon you clicked before. Simplified View is especially helpful for users with visual impairments or those using screen readers, and it also makes editing and reviewing timelines easier for everyone.
Want to share your ClioVis timeline on another site? Go to Uploads and Snapshots in the top menu and select Timeline Snapshots. Click Create New Snapshot, give it a name, and choose Generate Shareable Snapshot Link. Then select the Embed option, copy the provided HTML code, and paste it into your webpage editor. Once you publish your page, your timeline will appear in view-only mode, allowing visitors to explore it without being able to edit or delete any content.
Need a text version of your timeline? Go to your timeline and click the Export menu at the top of the screen and select Download as DOCX. Your file will be saved in your computer’s Downloads folder, containing all your timeline information in a text-based format—similar to a paper. You can use it as a study guide, a draft essay, or for any other reference purpose. That’s it!
Keep your ClioVis timelines organized by grouping them into folders within your project. To create one, open your project and click Create a Folder on the left, below Edit Map. Give your folder a name and click Create. To move a timeline into it, click the folder icon below your chosen timeline (new timelines are stored in the Uncategorized folder by default), then select your desired folder and click OK. Your timeline will be relocated to it. New folders can be expanded or collapsed as needed to keep your workspace tidy.
Submitting your ClioVis timeline for a class assignment is quick and easy. Open your timeline in Canvas, go to the Export menu at the top of your ClioVis timeline, and select Share Timeline. Create a new snapshot, give it a name, and click Generate Shareable Link. Copy the URL provided, then head to your Canvas assignment page. In the submission box (Enter Web URL), paste your link, and click Submit Assignment. That’s it—your ClioVis timeline has been successfully turned in!
This tutorial offers a comprehensive overview of ClioVis through a research-based case study. It demonstrates how the platform can help you visualize dissertation arguments or hypotheses, organize sources, and trace conceptual connections across time. By walking through each feature of the tool, the tutorial shows how ClioVis supports advanced research design, analysis, and presentation for graduate and doctoral projects.
This video shows three practical ways students can use ClioVis to stay organized and excel in their coursework. The first strategy is using ClioVis to take notes; the second is breaking down books into key concepts, ideas, and arguments; and the third is studying for exams by visualizing key developments. The tutorial features examples such as a timeline on Russian history since 1917, a contextualization of Jablonka, and a timeline on 19th-century French history, illustrating how ClioVis helps connect ideas across time and themes.
These tutorials are designed to help you make the most of ClioVis—whether you’re using it for classroom assignments, large-scale research, or digital storytelling. We recommend exploring them in order if you’re new to the platform, or browsing by topic to find quick answers to specific questions. Together with our YouTube library, this section provides all the tools you need to visualize connections, enhance learning, and bring your projects to life.
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