What kind of statistics does the Archive track?
The Statistics page summarizes the numerical data from your works. Examples of Archive statistics include word count, number of bookmarks for a work, User Subscriptions, Work Subscriptions, and Hits. This information is displayed in both numerical and graphical forms. Data can be aggregated on various levels, such as all your works, works belonging to a particular fandom, or a single work.
For any individual work, the Statistics page has almost the same information that you will find on that work's blurb on the work page (refer to Why is the bookmark count different on the Statistics page than on the work blurb? for details of when the information differs). However, the Statistics page is the only place you'll find aggregated data across multiple works.
Where do I find Statistics?
When you're logged in, select the greeting (Hi, [user name]!), go to your Dashboard, and then select "Statistics" from the navigation menu.
You can also find statistics for an individual work on the work's blurb, which can be accessed from the work's page, a user's profile page, a fandom's page, a collection's page, or in search results. Statistics that can be viewed this way include the work's word count, chapter count, number of kudos, number of public bookmarks, and hit count. These statistics are visible to all visitors of the work's page whether or not they have an Archive of Our Own (AO3) account.
What do Statistics track?
Your Statistics page tracks your works' Subscriptions, Hits, Kudos, Comment Threads, and Bookmarks. This information can be found in each work's statistics box on your Statistics page. You can choose to sort this information in "Fandoms View", where the information is sorted by fandom, or in "Flat View", where the information is aggregated across all fandoms. In the default skin, "Fandoms View" and "Flat View" can be selected via two buttons near the middle of the Statistics page (in between the graph and the listing of works).
In addition, the Statistics page also tracks aggregated statistics for your account. At the top of the page, there is a box marked "Totals". In this box, you will find the number of User Subscriptions, as well as the total number of Kudos, Comment Threads, Bookmarks, Subscriptions, Word Count, and Hits from all your works across all pseuds. For more information on Subscriptions, User Subscriptions, and the difference between the two, refer to What is a Subscription?
What is a User Subscription?
A User Subscription is a notification system for users who are interested in you as a creator. Users who subscribe to you will receive a notification every time you create a new work or chapter of a work. The number of Archive users subscribed to you can be found in the Totals box on your statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions). User Subscriptions are for your account, and can't be filtered by individual pseuds or fandoms.
Note that User Subscriptions are not the same as Subscriptions; User Subscriptions generate notifications for all updates by that creator, while Subscriptions generate notifications for individual works or series. For more information about Subscriptions, refer to What is a Subscription?
For more information on User Subscriptions, refer to How do I subscribe to, or unsubscribe from, a user?
What are Kudos?
Kudos are marks that indicates a visitor has enjoyed your work. The number of kudos in the Totals box on your Statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions) is the total number of kudos you have received for all of your works. For more information on how Kudos work and what they are, refer to the Comments and Kudos FAQ.
What is a Comment Thread? How are Comment Threads tracked?
Comment threads are like conversations: one person leaves a comment, and all subsequent replies to that comment are part of one comment thread. For example, if somebody commented on one of your works saying "Wow! This is great, have you published anything else on the Archive?" and you reply "Yes! Here's a link to one of my works!", the original comment and all its replies are one comment thread. The first comment that starts the comment thread is also called a top-level comment.
A thread might be only one comment, or it could be many comments. The number of Comment Threads in the Totals box on your Statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions) is the number of these comment threads from all your works. For more information on comment threads and comments, refer to the Comments and Kudos FAQ.
What is a Bookmark? How are Bookmarks tracked?
A Bookmark is a link that allows quick access to a work, whether on or off the Archive. Bookmarks are often used to keep a record of works that you want to find again. Bookmarks can be public or private. Public Bookmarks are shown to all users of the Archive. Private Bookmarks are only shown to the Archive user who had made the Bookmark.
The number of public Bookmarks a work has is shown on the work's blurb. In contrast, the number of Bookmarks in the Totals box on your Statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions) is the total number of Bookmarks that others have made for all your works, including private Bookmarks. Refer to Why is the bookmark count different on the Statistics page than on the work blurb? for more detail on this distinction.
For more information on bookmarks, including the difference between public and private bookmarks, refer to the Bookmarks FAQ.
What is a Subscription?
A Subscription is a notification system for users who are interested in a particular work or series. Users who subscribe to a work or series will receive a notification every time the creator adds a new chapter to the work or adds a new work to the series. Subscriptions are often used to track works or series in progress.
Note that Subscriptions are not the same as User Subscriptions; Subscriptions generate notifications for individual works or series, while User Subscriptions generate notifications for all updates by that creator. For more information about User Subscriptions, refer to What is a User Subscription?".
The number of Subscriptions in the Totals box on your Statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions) is the total number of Subscriptions that others have made for all your works. This total doesn't include subscriptions to series. For more information about Subscriptions, refer to the Subscriptions and Feeds FAQ.
What is a word count?
A word count tells you how many words are in a particular work. You can find the word count for an individual work in the work's blurb, or on the Statistics page beside a work's title. The Word Count in the Totals box on your Statistics page is the total number of words in all your works combined.
What is a hit?
Hits are a counter of how many times a work has been accessed. A hit is registered every time a visitor navigates to a work's page, with the following exceptions:
- If two visits in a row come from the same IP address, only the first one is registered.
- Moving between chapters in a work will only register one hit in total, not one hit per chapter.
- If you're logged in, hits are not counted when you visit your own works.
Note that hits only log the number of visits to a work, not the duration of the visit. The number of Hits in the Totals box on your Statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions) is the total number of hits all your works have received.
Can I find out who subscribes to me?
There is no way to find out who is subscribed to you, but you can find out how many people are subscribed to you. In the Totals box on your Statistics page (refer to Where do I find Statistics? for instructions), you'll find the total number of User Subscriptions and Subscriptions. Refer to What is a Subscription? and What is a User Subscription? for more information on these features.
The number of subscribers for any individual work can be found further down on the Statistics page in the work's statistics box. For example, it might say "Subscribers: 5". If a work doesn't have any subscribers, the Subscribers section won't display in that work's statistics box.
Can I find out who has bookmarked my work(s)?
Yes, you can view the people who have created public bookmarks for your works. You can find the list of people who've made public bookmarks for a specific work via that work's blurb, which can be accessed from the work's page, a user's profile page, a fandom's page, a collection's page, or in search results. For example, a work's blurb might say "Bookmarks: 9". The number will be a link to a list of all of the public bookmarks for the work. Private bookmarks will not be displayed. If there is no "Bookmarks" section in the blurb or information box, that means that there are no public bookmarks.
For more information on bookmarks, please refer to the Bookmarks FAQ.
Why is the bookmark count different on the Statistics page than on the work blurb?
The work blurb shows a different bookmark count because the work blurb only shows the number of public bookmarks that have been created for that work. The Statistics page shows the total number of bookmarks for each work, including private bookmarks.
For more information on bookmarks, refer to the Bookmarks FAQ.
How can I sort statistics?
You can sort statistics by the works' year of publication, date of update, Hits, Kudos, number of Comment Threads, Bookmarks, Subscriptions, or Word Count, in ascending or descending order. These options (available as buttons in the default skin) are below the Totals box. The selected button shows the option you're currently sorting by.
Each option has an arrow marker which indicates whether the works are sorted in ascending (lowest to highest) or descending (highest to lowest) order. To change the order, select the option again (in the default skin, press the selected button) and the order will change.
You can also filter your statistics page to show statistics for works published in a specific year. These options (available as buttons in the default skin) are above the Totals box. You can select a year (or all years) and then sort your statistics by one of the options listed above.
When you filter your statistics by a certain year, only the works that were completed during that year will be shown. However, the statistics for the filtered works will be current. For example, if you filter your statistics page to only show statistics for works completed in 2012, works completed in other years won't be shown. For the works that are shown, the Hits, Kudos, etc. counters will be current to present day, not to 2012.
The User Subscriptions number in the Totals box will always reflect the current number of User Subscriptions even when a year filter is applied.
Works can be sorted by statistics on a fandom's page or on a search results page. For more information on how statistics can be used when browsing or searching for works, please refer to The "Search Within Results" Field Tutorial.
How do I group my statistics according to fandom?
The "Fandoms View" and "Flat View" buttons allow you to view your works' statistics in different ways. When you select "Fandoms View", your works and their statistics will be grouped by their fandom. For works that are tagged with multiple fandoms, the works will show up once for each of the fandoms they're tagged with. Conversely, when you select "Flat View", all your works and their statistics will be grouped together.
Where can I get more information if my question isn't answered here?
Some frequently asked questions about the Archive are answered in other sections of the Archive FAQ, and some common terminology is defined in our Glossary. Questions and answers about our Terms of Service can be found in the Terms of Service FAQ. You may also like to check out our Known Issues. If you need more help, please submit a Support request.