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, instructors can add ClioVis to a course through the UT Canvas App Store:
If you are not using an LMS and are using the web-based 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:
Inviting people to your project is easy: just 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 only view them. Watch the video below for instructions.
Learn how to control who can edit your timelines:
Managing ClioVis Permissions: Control Student Access to Timelines (Website and Canvas)
Learn how to link events and show relationships on your timeline:
When you export your timeline as a Word document, all your connections will automatically appear in the file.
Enhance your ClioVis timelines with images:
You can also upload an image directly from your computer by clicking the blue folder icon next to the Image URL field. Your image will then 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 the same way you add images, in one of two ways:
Your recording will then 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:
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?
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?
The file will be saved to your computer’s Downloads folder and contains 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.
Keep your ClioVis timelines organized by grouping them into folders within your project. To create one:
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:
Your ClioVis timeline has now been 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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