# Academic Paper Scraper: arXiv, PubMed, Crossref & OpenAlex API (`infocomp/scholarly-paper-search`) Actor

Search & scrape academic papers from arXiv, PubMed, Crossref & OpenAlex in one run, de-duplicated by DOI. Titles, authors, abstracts, citations and open-access PDF links. A Google Scholar alternative via official APIs. $2 per 1,000 papers.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/infocomp/scholarly-paper-search.md
- **Developed by:** [InfoComp Data](https://apify.com/infocomp) (community)
- **Categories:** Education, AI, Developer tools
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

$2.00 / 1,000 paper results

This Actor is paid per event. You are not charged for the Apify platform usage, but only a fixed price for specific events.

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

## What's an Apify Actor?

An Actor is a serverless cloud program that runs on the Apify platform. It has two run modes.
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.

Apify vocabulary and the platform model are defined once, in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md.

## 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.

Do not guess an integration path. Every one of them is in the agent quickstart at https://apify.com/agents.md: the Apify MCP server, Agent Skills with the Apify CLI, the JavaScript and Python clients, the REST API, and the account-free path for an agent with no human to sign in. It also carries the rule on stating cost before the first paid run.

For examples already wired to this Actor's own input schema, see the [API](#api) section below.

Each client library has reference documentation the quickstart does not restate: [JavaScript/TypeScript](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/js/docs.md) (`npm install apify-client`) and [Python](https://docs.apify.com/api/client/python/docs.md) (`pip install apify-client`).

# README

## Academic Paper Scraper: arXiv, PubMed, Crossref & OpenAlex API

**Search academic papers across Crossref, arXiv and PubMed (plus OpenAlex with your free key) in one run**, merged and **de-duplicated by DOI, arXiv ID, PubMed ID and title**. You get one clean record per paper: title, authors, year, journal, abstract, DOI/PMID/arXiv ID, citation count, open-access status, license and PDF link.

- 🔓 **A Google Scholar alternative that doesn't scrape.** Every result comes from an official open scholarly API, so there are no CAPTCHAs, no proxies and no breakage when a page layout changes.
- 🧬 **Merge and de-duplicate across databases**, with a relevance guard that drops loose matches.
- 🔔 **Research alerts:** newest-first + only-new-papers + a schedule.
- 💲 **$2.00 per 1,000 papers**, no start fee, no monthly rental. Apify compute is included.

### What does this academic paper scraper do?

For each search query it calls each selected source's official API, normalizes the results into one schema, merges records that are the same paper, applies your filters, and saves one row per unique paper.

In a test run on the Apify platform on 2026-10-27, the default query `CRISPR base editing` returned 115 raw results (Crossref 50, arXiv 15, PubMed 50) and saved **85 unique, relevant papers in under 4 seconds**.

### Why use it?

- 🔎 **4 scholarly databases in one Actor:**
  - **Crossref:** journals, books and proceedings, 180M+ DOIs;
  - **arXiv:** preprints in physics, CS, math, quantitative biology and more;
  - **PubMed:** biomedical literature, with MeSH terms;
  - **OpenAlex:** 250M+ works with citation counts and open-access links (add your free key).
- 🧬 **One record per paper.** The same paper found in Crossref and PubMed becomes one record listing both sources, with the best fields from each.
- 🎯 **Relevance guard.** Requires every query word (stemmed) or quoted phrase to appear in the title, abstract or subjects. You can turn it off.
- 📅 **Filters:** year range, open access only, abstract required, minimum citations, excluded title words.
- 🧾 **Structured identifiers** (DOI, PMID, PMCID, arXiv ID, OpenAlex ID), ready for reference managers, spreadsheets, literature-review pipelines and RAG/LLM apps.
- 🔌 Works with the Apify API, webhooks, Zapier, Make, n8n and AI agents through the Apify MCP server.

### Use cases

- **Literature reviews and systematic-review screening:** pull candidates from several databases into one de-duplicated list.
- **Research alerts:** new papers on your topic every week, sent to Slack, email or Notion.
- **AI and RAG pipelines:** feed titles, abstracts and open-access PDF links into embeddings or agents.
- **Competitive and technology intelligence:** track new publications on a technology, compound or method.
- **Bibliometrics:** citation counts, venues, years and open-access share for a topic.

### How to use it

1. Click **Try for free**.
2. Enter one or more **search queries**, e.g. `CRISPR base editing` or `"retrieval augmented generation"`. Quotes mark exact phrases.
3. Pick sources and results per source, and optionally a year range or open access only.
4. Click **Start** and download JSON, CSV or Excel, or use the API.
5. **For alerts:** set **Sort by** to Newest first, turn on **Only papers not seen in previous runs**, and add a **Schedule**.

#### Input example

```json
{
  "queries": ["CRISPR base editing", "\"prime editing\" delivery"],
  "sources": ["crossref", "arxiv", "pubmed"],
  "maxResultsPerSource": 50,
  "yearFrom": 2023,
  "openAccessOnly": false
}
```

### Output example

A real record from the test run on 2026-10-27, found in both Crossref and PubMed and merged into one row:

```json
{
  "id": "doi:10.1089/crispr.2020.29101.dwa",
  "title": "CRISPR-Free Mitochondrial DNA Base Editing",
  "authors": ["Douglas C. Wallace"],
  "authorsText": "Douglas C. Wallace",
  "year": 2020,
  "publicationDate": "2020-08-01",
  "venue": "The CRISPR Journal",
  "publisher": "SAGE Publications",
  "type": "journal-article",
  "abstract": null,
  "doi": "10.1089/crispr.2020.29101.dwa",
  "arxivId": null,
  "pmid": "32833534",
  "pmcid": null,
  "openalexId": null,
  "url": "https://doi.org/10.1089/crispr.2020.29101.dwa",
  "pdfUrl": "https://journals.sagepub.com/doi/pdf/10.1089/crispr.2020.29101.dwa",
  "isOpenAccess": null,
  "license": "https://journals.sagepub.com/page/policies/text-and-data-mining-license",
  "citationCount": 1,
  "subjects": ["CRISPR-Cas Systems", "DNA, Mitochondrial", "Gene Editing", "Humans", "Mitochondrial Diseases"],
  "language": "eng",
  "sources": ["crossref", "pubmed"],
  "sourceUrls": {
    "pubmed": "https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/32833534/",
    "crossref": "https://api.crossref.org/works/10.1089/crispr.2020.29101.dwa"
  },
  "query": "CRISPR base editing",
  "retrievedAt": "2026-10-27T14:44:52.934097Z"
}
```

A field the sources don't provide is `null` (this editorial has no abstract in either source; `subjects` is shortened here).

### How much does it cost?

**$2.00 per 1,000 papers saved** ($0.002 per paper), with **no start fee and no monthly rental**. Apify platform compute is included in the price, so you pay only for results.

- Merged duplicates count once, and papers dropped by your filters aren't charged.
- Example: the default run above (85 papers) costs about **$0.17**; a weekly alert with 30 new papers costs about $0.06.
- Set a **maximum cost per run** and the Actor stops cleanly when it reaches it.

The **Pricing** tab always shows the current price.

### How it compares

| | This Actor | Google Scholar scrapers | Single-database scrapers |
|---|---|---|---|
| Data source | Official open APIs (Crossref, arXiv, PubMed, OpenAlex) | Scholar result pages | One API |
| Proxies / CAPTCHAs | None | Usually needed | Usually none |
| Databases per run | Up to 4, merged and de-duplicated | 1 | 1 |
| DOI / PMID / arXiv IDs | ✅ structured fields | Partial | Source-specific |
| Google Scholar-only results (e.g. citations of non-DOI works, author profiles) | ❌ Not covered | ✅ | ❌ |

Choose this Actor for reproducible, terms-friendly literature data with real identifiers. Choose a Google Scholar scraper if you specifically need Scholar's ranking or author profiles.

### Speed and fair use

The Actor follows each provider's published limits:

| Source | Limits followed |
|---|---|
| **arXiv** | 1 request every 3 seconds, one connection, as its API terms require. About 100 results per request, so large arXiv pulls take a little longer. |
| **Crossref** | 1 list request per second in the public pool; 3 per second if you enter your email for the polite pool. |
| **PubMed (NCBI E-utilities)** | 3 requests per second, or 10 with your free NCBI API key. Every request is identified with `tool=scholarly-paper-search`. |
| **OpenAlex** | Without a key, all callers on the same IP share one small daily budget, so it may be skipped. Add your free key ($1/day of free usage at openalex.org) for reliable OpenAlex results and deep paging. |

### Data sources, terms and attribution

- **Crossref:** metadata from the Crossref REST API (api.crossref.org). Abstracts are supplied by publishers and may be copyrighted.
- **arXiv:** "Thank you to arXiv for use of its open access interoperability." Descriptive metadata is CC0. This Actor links to arXiv for PDFs and never re-hosts them. It is not endorsed by arXiv.
- **PubMed:** data courtesy of the U.S. National Library of Medicine, via NCBI E-utilities. NLM/NCBI disclaimer and copyright notice: https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/About/disclaimer.html. Abstracts in PubMed may incorporate material protected by copyright, so if you reproduce or redistribute them, follow the copyright holder's terms.
- **OpenAlex:** data is CC0 (openalex.org).
- **Abstracts:** to collect metadata only, turn off **Include abstracts**.

### FAQ

**Is this a Google Scholar scraper?**
No. It uses only open scholarly APIs. That makes it reliable and terms-friendly, and it returns structured identifiers (DOI, PMID, arXiv ID) that Google Scholar result pages don't.

**Why are some citation counts empty?**
Citation counts come from Crossref and OpenAlex. arXiv and PubMed don't provide them, so include Crossref or add OpenAlex to get them.

**Do I need API keys?**
No. Crossref, arXiv and PubMed work without keys. Optional keys only raise limits: an OpenAlex key gives reliable OpenAlex results, and an NCBI key makes PubMed faster.

**Can I get full-text PDFs?**
You get `pdfUrl` links where the source provides them (all arXiv papers, plus open-access versions from Crossref and OpenAlex). The Actor doesn't download or re-host PDFs.

**Can I export to Zotero, Mendeley or EndNote?**
Export CSV or JSON, then import by DOI; most reference managers can look up full metadata from a DOI list.

**Can I use it with an AI agent or in a RAG pipeline?**
Yes. Call it through the Apify API or the Apify MCP server and feed titles, abstracts and `pdfUrl` links into your pipeline.

# Actor input Schema

## `queries` (type: `array`):

One search per line, e.g. CRISPR base editing, "large language models" evaluation. Use quotes for exact phrases (arXiv and PubMed honor them).

## `sources` (type: `array`):

Crossref (journals and books, 180M+ DOIs), arXiv (preprints), PubMed (biomedical, with MeSH). OpenAlex (250M+ works with citation counts) is added automatically when you enter your free OpenAlex key below.

## `maxResultsPerSource` (type: `integer`):

Each source returns its top results in its own ranking. Results are interleaved and duplicates merged.

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

Stop after this many papers (your max cost per run also applies).

## `sortBy` (type: `string`):

Newest first is best for alerts.

## `requireAllTerms` (type: `boolean`):

Drops loose matches (Crossref and PubMed search engines can return papers that match only some words). Words are matched by stem, quoted phrases exactly.

## `yearFrom` (type: `integer`):

e.g. 2022

## `yearTo` (type: `integer`):

e.g. 2026

## `openAccessOnly` (type: `boolean`):

Keep papers known to be free to read (all arXiv; PubMed with a PMC copy; OpenAlex is_oa).

## `requireAbstract` (type: `boolean`):

Crossref has abstracts only when the publisher deposits them.

## `minCitations` (type: `integer`):

Uses Crossref/OpenAlex citation counts; papers without a count are dropped.

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

e.g. review, erratum, retracted.

## `includeAbstract` (type: `boolean`):

Abstracts can be copyrighted by their publishers; turn off if you only need metadata.

## `onlyNewPapers` (type: `boolean`):

Remembers papers between runs (named key-value store in your account). Schedule with "Newest first" for a research alert.

## `stateKey` (type: `string`):

Separate memory per saved search.

## `openAlexApiKey` (type: `string`):

Free at openalex.org/settings/api ($1/day of free usage). Without it OpenAlex shares a small daily budget per IP and may be skipped.

## `pubmedApiKey` (type: `string`):

Raises the PubMed limit from 3 to 10 requests per second. Free from your NCBI account settings.

## `contactEmail` (type: `string`):

Crossref gives faster limits (3 vs 1 list request per second) to requests that include a contact email. Only sent to Crossref.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "queries": [
    "CRISPR base editing"
  ],
  "sources": [
    "crossref",
    "arxiv",
    "pubmed"
  ],
  "maxResultsPerSource": 50,
  "sortBy": "relevance",
  "requireAllTerms": true,
  "openAccessOnly": false,
  "requireAbstract": false,
  "includeAbstract": true,
  "onlyNewPapers": false,
  "stateKey": "default"
}
```

# Actor output Schema

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

No description

## `summary` (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 = {
    "queries": [
        "CRISPR base editing"
    ]
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("infocomp/scholarly-paper-search").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 = { "queries": ["CRISPR base editing"] }

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("infocomp/scholarly-paper-search").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 '{
  "queries": [
    "CRISPR base editing"
  ]
}' |
apify call infocomp/scholarly-paper-search --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,infocomp/scholarly-paper-search"
        }
    }
}
```

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/Y98PVmDkmogRehb0F/builds/Y7z5Y9s7HPeMf6DHh/openapi.json