# bioRxiv Scraper | Biology & Medical Preprints (bioRxiv/medRxiv) (`muzafferkadir/biorxiv-scraper`) Actor

Scrape biology and medical preprints from bioRxiv & medRxiv: title, authors, category, DOI, dates, and links. Official API, no API key.

- **URL**: https://apify.com/muzafferkadir/biorxiv-scraper.md
- **Developed by:** [Muzaffer Kadir YILMAZ](https://apify.com/muzafferkadir) (community)
- **Categories:** Education, AI, News
- **Stats:** 2 total users, 1 monthly users, 100.0% runs succeeded, 0 bookmarks
- **User rating**: No ratings yet

## Pricing

from $0.50 / 1,000 preprints

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

## bioRxiv Scraper

Scrape **biology and medical preprints** from **bioRxiv** and **medRxiv** — **title, authors, corresponding author, subject category, DOI, dates, version, and abstract**. Built on the **official bioRxiv/medRxiv API**: no API key or setup needed.

Pick a server and a look-back window, get a clean, dated list of the newest preprints — ready to export to CSV, Excel, or JSON, or to power a research-monitoring feed.

### Features

- **Official, reliable source** — reads the public bioRxiv/medRxiv details API.
- **Both servers** — bioRxiv (biology) and medRxiv (medical/health sciences).
- **Category filter** — keep only the subjects you care about (e.g. `genomics`, `neuroscience`, `epidemiology`).
- **Publication status** — see whether a preprint has since been published in a journal.
- **Monitoring-ready** — schedule it and catch new preprints in your field as they post.

### Use cases

- **Literature monitoring** — researchers and labs tracking the newest preprints by topic.
- **Systematic reviews** — build dated datasets of preprints by category and date range.
- **Science journalism & analytics** — trend-watch what's being posted across fields.
- **Alerting** — schedule daily and flag new work from a category or institution.

### Input

| Field | Type | Description |
| --- | --- | --- |
| `server` | enum | `biorxiv` or `medrxiv`. Default `biorxiv`. |
| `days` | integer | Look back this many days from today. Default 7. |
| `categories` | string\[] | Keep only these subject categories (case-insensitive). Optional. |
| `maxItems` | integer | Max preprints. Default 200. |

#### Example

```json
{
  "server": "biorxiv",
  "days": 7,
  "categories": ["genomics", "neuroscience"],
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

### Output

```json
{
  "server": "biorxiv",
  "doi": "10.1101/2025.04.01.646532",
  "title": "Simulated Annealing for Unique Nucleosome Arrangements from Cell-Free DNA",
  "authors": "Lambrinos, M. R.; Rahimi, T.; Mehra, T.",
  "correspondingAuthor": "Zsolt Balazs",
  "institution": "University of Zurich",
  "date": "2025-08-01",
  "version": "2",
  "category": "bioinformatics",
  "type": "new results",
  "abstract": "…",
  "published": null,
  "isPublished": false,
  "url": "https://www.biorxiv.org/content/10.1101/2025.04.01.646532",
  "doiUrl": "https://doi.org/10.1101/2025.04.01.646532",
  "scrapedAt": "2026-08-11T19:00:00.000Z"
}
```

Download the dataset as **JSON, CSV, Excel, or XML**, or pull it via the Apify API.

### Pricing

Pay-per-event: **$0.01 per run start** (per GB of run memory) plus **$0.50 per 1,000 preprints**. You only pay for preprints actually returned. See the **Pricing** tab for current rates.

### FAQ

**Do I need an API key?**
No. The bioRxiv/medRxiv API is public and free; this Actor packages it into clean, filtered rows with links.

**What categories can I filter by?**
Any of the servers' subject categories, e.g. `genomics`, `neuroscience`, `microbiology`, `bioinformatics`, `epidemiology`. The match is case-insensitive.

**Can I monitor for new preprints?**
Yes — schedule the Actor (e.g. daily) with your server, `days`, and categories.

**What does `isPublished` mean?**
`true` if bioRxiv/medRxiv has linked the preprint to a published journal article (the `published` field then holds that DOI).

### Disclaimer

This Actor uses the **public bioRxiv/medRxiv API**. It is not affiliated with or endorsed by bioRxiv, medRxiv, or Cold Spring Harbor Laboratory. The data is public; you are responsible for how you use it.

# Actor input Schema

## `server` (type: `string`):

Which preprint server to scrape: bioRxiv (biology) or medRxiv (medical/health sciences).

## `days` (type: `integer`):

Look back this many days from today.

## `categories` (type: `array`):

Keep only these subject categories (case-insensitive), e.g. "genomics", "neuroscience", "microbiology". Leave empty to keep every category.

## `maxItems` (type: `integer`):

Stop after this many preprints.

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

Optional. Leave empty for most runs.

## Actor input object example

```json
{
  "server": "biorxiv",
  "days": 7,
  "maxItems": 200
}
```

# 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 = {
    "server": "biorxiv",
    "days": 7,
    "maxItems": 200
};

// Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
const run = await client.actor("muzafferkadir/biorxiv-scraper").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 = {
    "server": "biorxiv",
    "days": 7,
    "maxItems": 200,
}

# Run the Actor and wait for it to finish
run = client.actor("muzafferkadir/biorxiv-scraper").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 '{
  "server": "biorxiv",
  "days": 7,
  "maxItems": 200
}' |
apify call muzafferkadir/biorxiv-scraper --silent --output-dataset

```

## MCP server setup

```json
{
    "mcpServers": {
        "apify": {
            "type": "http",
            "url": "https://mcp.apify.com/?tools=fetch-actor-details,muzafferkadir/biorxiv-scraper"
        }
    }
}
```

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/AI8IOAwZpdlsZu209/builds/nG7tWBsELfMeAqZEZ/openapi.json