# OpenAlex Work Lookup — Scholarly Metadata by DOI (`accountable_eel/openalex-work-lookup`) Actor

Look up scholarly works by DOI or OpenAlex ID against OpenAlex's free, open catalog. Get title, full author list with ORCID and institution, venue, citation count, open-access status and URL, topic concepts, and a reconstructed abstract. Pay only for DOIs that resolve.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/accountable\_eel/openalex-work-lookup.md
- **Developed by:** [Adrian Voss](https://apify.com/accountable_eel) (community)
- **Categories:** Developer tools, Education
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $2.40 / 1,000 successful lookups

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.
Since this Actor supports Apify Store discounts, the price gets lower the higher subscription plan you have.

Learn more: https://docs.apify.com/actors/running/actors-in-store.md#pay-per-event

## What's an Apify Actor?

Actors are web data automations that power AI and operations. They run on the Apify platform to scrape websites, process data, connect APIs, and automate workflows.
In Batch mode, an Actor accepts a well-defined JSON input, performs an action which can take anything from a few seconds to a few hours,
and optionally produces a well-defined JSON output, datasets with results, or files in key-value store.
In Standby mode, an Actor provides a web server which can be used as a website, API, or an MCP server.
Actors are written with capital "A".

## How to integrate an Actor?

If asked about integration, you help developers integrate Actors into their projects.
You adapt to their stack and deliver integrations that are safe, well-documented, and production-ready.
The best way to integrate Actors is as follows.

- **AI agents and MCP clients** — the [Apify MCP server](https://docs.apify.com/integrations/mcp.md) at `https://mcp.apify.com` (remote, streamable HTTP, OAuth on first use).
- **Agentic workflows and local Actor development** — [Agent Skills](https://apify.com/.well-known/agent-skills/index.json) with the [Apify CLI](https://docs.apify.com/cli/docs.md): `npm install -g apify-cli`, then `apify login`.
- **JavaScript/TypeScript projects** — the official [JS/TS client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md): `npm install apify-client`.
- **Python projects** — the official [Python client](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md): `pip install apify-client`.
- **Any other language** — the [REST API](https://docs.apify.com/api/v2.md).

For usage examples, see the [API](#api) section below.

For more details, see Apify documentation as [Markdown index](https://docs.apify.com/llms.txt) and [Markdown full-text](https://docs.apify.com/llms-full.txt).

# README

## OpenAlex Work Lookup

Look up any scholarly work by DOI or OpenAlex ID against [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org)'s free,
open catalog of scholarly works — title, full author list with ORCID and institution, venue,
citation count, open-access status and URL, topic concepts, and a reconstructed abstract. No API
key, no scraping — this hits the official public OpenAlex API directly.

### Features

- **DOI/ID → full work record.** Accepts a bare DOI (`10.1038/nature12373`), a `doi.org` URL, or
  an OpenAlex work ID (`W2159974629`).
- **Full author list.** Every author with their display name, ORCID (when on record), and first
  listed institution.
- **Citations & open access.** Citation count, open-access status, and a direct open-access URL
  when one exists.
- **Topics & abstract.** Up to 8 concept/topic tags plus the full abstract, reconstructed from
  OpenAlex's inverted index.
- **Pay only for hits.** DOIs that don't resolve cost nothing — see [Pricing](#pricing).
- **Built for bulk.** Feed in thousands of DOIs; concurrency, keyword filtering, column
  selection, and a one-row-per-author expansion are all configurable.

### How to use OpenAlex Work Lookup — Scholarly Metadata by DOI

1. **In the Apify Console.** Open the actor page and click **Start** — the `works` field is already pre-filled with a working example. Results land in the run's dataset as soon as each item is found.
2. **Via the API.** Call it directly with a POST request — no Console needed once you have an API token:
   ```bash
   curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~openalex-work-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
     -X POST \
     -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
     -d '{"works":["10.1038/nature12373"]}'
   ```
3. **On a schedule.** Save this actor as an Apify **Task** with the input you want, then add a **Schedule** (hourly, daily, weekly) so it runs on its own — no server of your own required.

### Input

```json
{
  "works": [
    "10.1038/nature12373"
  ]
}
```

One DOI, doi.org URL, or OpenAlex work ID (Wxxxxxxxx) per line. Accepted formats: 10.1038/nature12373, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373, W2159974629.

```json
{
  "works": ["10.1038/nature12373", "W2159974629"],
  "testRun": false,
  "onlyFound": false,
  "expandRows": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 5
}
```

`works` is a list of DOIs, `doi.org` URLs, or OpenAlex work IDs — one per line. `testRun` limits
a run to the first 5 items so you can check your input before spending on the full list.
`onlyFound` hides rows where nothing was found (misses are always free regardless). Optional
`includeKeywords`/`excludeKeywords` filter results by keyword, and `maxResults` stops the run
early once that many results have been found. `columns` lets you pick which fields to include
(all are on by default). `expandRows` gives each author their own row instead of grouping them
under the work — you're still only charged once per work no matter how many rows it produces.
`maxConcurrency` (default 5, max 20) caps parallel requests.

### Output

| query | found | status | title | doi | openalexId | publicationYear | type | venue | citedByCount | isOpenAccess | oaUrl | authors | authorCount | concepts | abstract | scrapedAt |
| --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- | --- |
| 10.1038/nature12373 | true | OK | Nanometre-scale thermometry in a living cell | https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373 | https://openalex.org/W2159974629 | 2013 | article | Nature | 1982 | true | https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12373.pdf | \[{"name":"Georg Kucsko","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-4189-3154","institution":"Harvard University"},{"name":"Peter C. Maurer","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9033-5135","institution":"Harvard University"},{"name":"Norman Y. Yao","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0003-0194-7266","institution":"Harvard University"},{"name":"M. K. Kubo","orcid":null,"institution":"Harvard University"},{"name":"H.‐J. Noh","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8892-538X","institution":"Broad Institute"},{"name":"Pik Kwan Lo","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-5255-1718","institution":"City University of Hong Kong"},{"name":"Hongkun Park","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0001-9576-8829","institution":"Broad Institute"},{"name":"Mikhail D. Lukin","orcid":"https://orcid.org/0000-0002-8658-1007","institution":"Harvard University"}] | 8 | \["Diamond","Thermometer","Nanotechnology","Nanoscopic scale","Nanometre","Materials science","Physics","Optics"] |  | 2026-08-24T06:01:02.955Z |

One row per work, for example:

```json
{
  "query": "10.1038/nature12373",
  "found": true,
  "status": "OK",
  "title": "The dynamics of genome editing...",
  "doi": "https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373",
  "openalexId": "https://openalex.org/W2159974629",
  "publicationYear": 2013,
  "type": "article",
  "venue": "Nature",
  "citedByCount": 4218,
  "isOpenAccess": true,
  "oaUrl": "https://www.nature.com/articles/nature12373.pdf",
  "authors": [
    { "name": "Jane Doe", "orcid": "https://orcid.org/0000-0002-1825-0097", "institution": "Harvard University" }
  ],
  "authorCount": 5,
  "concepts": ["Biology", "Genetics", "CRISPR"],
  "abstract": "We describe a method for...",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-21T12:00:00.000Z"
}
```

A DOI or ID that doesn't resolve to an OpenAlex work comes back as `"found": false` with
`status: "NOT_FOUND"` and a plain-English `message` — these rows are never charged.

### Use cases

- **Citation enrichment.** Bulk-resolve a reference list of DOIs into full metadata with
  citation counts and open-access links.
- **Research output tracking.** Monitor a lab or institution's publication list for new works,
  venues, and citation growth.
- **Open-access auditing.** Check which works in a list have a free, legally-hosted OA copy
  available.
- **Bibliography building.** Pull structured author/venue/year data straight into a reference
  manager instead of hand-formatting citations.
- **Topic/concept analysis.** Aggregate concept tags across a body of DOIs to map a field's
  research themes.

### Pricing

$4 per 1,000 works, plus a $0.005 start fee. Misses (`found:false`) are never charged.

### Use it from Clay, n8n, Make, or an AI agent

This actor runs synchronously over plain HTTP — call it directly from a script, a workflow tool, or an AI agent, no Apify Console needed once you have an API token.

```bash
curl "https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~openalex-work-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>" \
  -X POST \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"works":["10.1038/nature12373"]}'
```

**n8n.** Add an HTTP Request node: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~openalex-work-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>`, Body Content Type `JSON`, JSON Body `{"works":["10.1038/nature12373"]}` (swap in an expression from an earlier node for a real value).

**Clay.** Add an "HTTP API" column: Method `POST`, URL `https://api.apify.com/v2/acts/accountable_eel~openalex-work-lookup/run-sync-get-dataset-items?token=<YOUR_TOKEN>`, Body `{"works":["{{work}}"]}`, mapping the row's work into the `works` array.

**MCP.** In Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client with the Apify MCP server, ask for "OpenAlex API — DOI to Scholarly Work Metadata" — the agent will find and run this actor.

### FAQ

**What counts as "not found"?** A DOI or OpenAlex ID that returns a 404 from the API — this is
tagged `status: "NOT_FOUND"` and never charged.

**What input formats are accepted?** A bare DOI (`10.1038/nature12373`), a full `doi.org` URL
(`https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373`), or an OpenAlex work ID (`W2159974629`). The actor
detects OpenAlex IDs by the `W` prefix and routes everything else as a DOI lookup.

**How is the abstract generated?** OpenAlex stores abstracts as an inverted index (word →
positions) rather than plain text; this actor reconstructs the original word order from that
index, so formatting artifacts from the source PDF (line breaks, special characters) don't carry
over.

**Can I get one row per author instead of a nested list?** Yes — turn on `expandRows` to get one
output row per author, still billed once per work regardless of author count.

**Does this cover every published work?** Coverage depends on what's indexed in OpenAlex, which
is broad (250M+ works) but not universal — very recent preprints or works outside major
publisher feeds may not yet be indexed.

**What proxy should I use?** Apify Proxy is enabled by default; OpenAlex's public API is
generally permissive, but residential proxies are available if you see blocks on large runs.

# Actor input Schema

## `works` (type: `array`):

One DOI, doi.org URL, or OpenAlex work ID (Wxxxxxxxx) per line. Accepted formats: 10.1038/nature12373, https://doi.org/10.1038/nature12373, W2159974629. You're only charged for the ones we actually find — a miss costs nothing.

## `testRun` (type: `boolean`):

Turn this on to test your input on a small sample before running the full list. Turn it off to process everything.

## `onlyFound` (type: `boolean`):

Only keep rows where something was actually found. Misses are always free, whether or not you show them here.

## `includeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Optional. Only keep results that mention at least one of these words (e.g. a job title, a city, a product name). Leave empty to keep everything.

## `excludeKeywords` (type: `array`):

Optional. Drop any result that mentions one of these words. Leave empty to skip nothing.

## `maxResults` (type: `integer`):

Optional. Stop the run once this many results have been found — useful for a quick, cheap sample. Leave blank for no limit.

## `columns` (type: `array`):

Choose which pieces of information to include in each result row. All are included by default.

## `expandRows` (type: `boolean`):

When on, each author found gets its own row instead of being grouped under its work. You're still only charged once per work, no matter how many rows it produces.

## `maxConcurrency` (type: `integer`):

Parallel requests. Keep conservative — this target has no browser fallback, so getting blocked costs more than slow-and-steady.

## `proxyConfiguration` (type: `object`):

Apify Proxy config. Residential recommended for anti-bot-sensitive targets.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "works": [
    "10.1038/nature12373"
  ],
  "testRun": false,
  "onlyFound": false,
  "includeKeywords": [],
  "excludeKeywords": [],
  "columns": [
    "title",
    "doi",
    "openalexId",
    "publicationYear",
    "type",
    "venue",
    "citedByCount",
    "isOpenAccess",
    "oaUrl",
    "authors",
    "authorCount",
    "concepts",
    "abstract"
  ],
  "expandRows": false,
  "maxConcurrency": 5,
  "proxyConfiguration": {
    "useApifyProxy": true
  }
}
```

# Actor output Schema

## `results` (type: `string`):

No description

# API

You can run this Actor programmatically using our API. Below are code examples in JavaScript, Python, and CLI, as well as the OpenAPI specification and MCP server setup.

## JavaScript example

```javascript
import { ApifyClient } from 'apify-client';

// Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
// Replace the '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token
const client = new ApifyClient({
    token: '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>',
});

// Prepare Actor input
const input = {
    "works": [
        "10.1038/nature12373"
    ],
    "includeKeywords": [],
    "excludeKeywords": []
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("accountable_eel/openalex-work-lookup").call(input);

// Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if any)
console.log('Results from dataset');
console.log(`💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/${run.defaultDatasetId}`);
const { items } = await client.dataset(run.defaultDatasetId).listItems();
items.forEach((item) => {
    console.dir(item);
});

// 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs

```

## Python example

```python
from apify_client import ApifyClient

# Initialize the ApifyClient with your Apify API token
# Replace '<YOUR_API_TOKEN>' with your token.
client = ApifyClient("<YOUR_API_TOKEN>")

# Prepare the Actor input
run_input = {
    "works": ["10.1038/nature12373"],
    "includeKeywords": [],
    "excludeKeywords": [],
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("accountable_eel/openalex-work-lookup").call(run_input=run_input)

# Fetch and print Actor results from the run's dataset (if there are any)
print(f"💾 Check your data here: https://console.apify.com/storage/datasets/{run.default_dataset_id}")
for item in client.dataset(run.default_dataset_id).iterate_items():
    print(item)

# 📚 Want to learn more 📖? Go to → https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs/quick-start

```

## CLI example

```bash
echo '{
  "works": [
    "10.1038/nature12373"
  ],
  "includeKeywords": [],
  "excludeKeywords": []
}' |
apify call accountable_eel/openalex-work-lookup --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,accountable_eel/openalex-work-lookup"
        }
    }
}

```

The hosted server signs you in with OAuth on first connect, so no API token belongs in this config. Clients without OAuth support can send an `Authorization: Bearer <APIFY_API_TOKEN>` header instead, using a token from API & Integrations in Apify Console (https://console.apify.com/settings/integrations).

## OpenAPI specification

Download the OpenAPI definition: https://api.apify.com/v2/actors/7T0BZTvs8ltqn5V21/builds/OUbq6UTj8bOoT728s/openapi.json