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Figshare Research Data Scraper

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from $8.24 / 1,000 result items

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Figshare Research Data Scraper

Figshare Research Data Scraper

Scrapes Figshare research items by search, category, institution, or date. Returns title, authors, DOI, downloads, and publication date for each item.

Pricing

from $8.24 / 1,000 result items

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ParseForge

ParseForge

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Figshare Research Data Scraper

Scrape Figshare research data, datasets, papers, and DOIs from any search, category, or institution. Every item comes with its title, authors, DOI, downloads, and publication date. No API key or login. Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML.

Figshare's official API requires an account and API key, and rate-limits you. This reads the public search and browse feeds directly, filtered by item type, category, institution, or publication date, and returns each match in one fixed schema.

Who uses itWhat they scrape Figshare for
Academic researchersGathering datasets and papers for a literature review
Data journalistsFinding open research data to support a story
University librariansMonitoring institutional repository output
Startup foundersSourcing public datasets for product development
Policy analystsTracking research output by institution or field

What it does

This Actor collects Figshare research items by search query, category, institution, or publication date, and returns each one as a flat row.

  • ๐Ÿ”Ž Search by keyword: title, author, or free text across all public items.
  • ๐Ÿ“ Filter by item type: dataset, paper, figure, thesis, code, and more.
  • ๐Ÿ›๏ธ Institution filter: restrict results to a specific institutional repository.
  • ๐Ÿ“… Published since: only include items published on or after a date.
  • ๐Ÿ“Š Flat output: each item is one row with title, authors, DOI, downloads, and date.

Results export to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML, or straight from the API.

What you can do with Figshare data

๐Ÿ“š Build a literature review.

A PhD student searches for 'machine learning' and filters to papers published since 2022, then exports the DOIs to a reference manager.

๐Ÿ“ˆ Monitor institutional output.

A university librarian runs the Actor weekly with the institution ID to track new datasets and theses deposited by faculty.

๐Ÿ—ž๏ธ Find data for a story.

A data journalist searches for 'climate change' and filters to datasets to locate open data for an investigation.

๐Ÿ’ก Source datasets for a product.

A startup founder searches for 'public health' and filters to datasets to find training data for a prototype.

๐Ÿ”ฌ Track research trends.

A policy analyst filters by category and publication date to see which fields are producing the most open research.

Why choose this scraper

What you get
No API keyUses public feeds, no registration or OAuth
Fixed schemaEvery item returns the same fields for easy analysis
Flexible filtersCombine search, type, category, institution, and date
Export anywhereCSV, JSON, Excel, or XML for your workflow

How it compares

This Actor offers the same core Figshare scraping as the competitor, with additional filters for institution and publication date.

FeatureParseForgeFigshare Research Data Scraper - Datasets, Papers & DOIs
Search by keywordYesYes
Filter by item typeYesNot listed
Filter by categoryYesNot listed
Filter by institutionYesNot listed
Filter by publication dateYesNot listed
Export to CSV, JSON, Excel, XMLYesYes

Configure the run

Drive the Actor from a search query, category ID, institution ID, or publication date, alone or together, and filters run as each item is read so only matches reach your dataset. The Input tab lists every parameter.

A first run with the defaults:

{
"maxItems": 10,
"search": "machine learning"
}

A larger pull:

{
"maxItems": 200,
"search": "machine learning"
}

Pricing

Pay-per-result: $0.01099 per result collected. You pay only for the results written to your dataset.

Results collectedApproximate cost
100 results$1.10
1,000 results$10.99
10,000 results$109.90

New Apify accounts start with $5 in free credit.

Free users

Free-plan runs return up to 10 results as a preview. Upgrade your Apify plan to collect up to 1,000,000 results per run.

Run it

  1. Create a free Apify account with $5 in credit.
  2. Open the Figshare Research Data Scraper.
  3. Set your inputs and any filters, then click Start.
  4. Export the results as CSV, Excel, JSON, or XML from the Dataset tab.

Run it programmatically through the Apify API (run-sync-get-dataset-items) or the ApifyClient for JavaScript and Python.

Use with AI agents (MCP)

Give an AI agent live access to Figshare through the Model Context Protocol. Add the Actor to Claude, Cursor, or any MCP client:

$claude mcp add --transport http apify "https://mcp.apify.com?tools=parseforge/figshare-scraper"

Then prompt it in plain language to run the scraper and read back the results.

Troubleshooting

Why am I getting no results?

Check your search query and filters. If you set a category or institution ID, make sure it is valid. Also try removing the publishedSince date to see if older items exist.

Why did the run stop before reaching maxItems?

The Actor stops when there are no more matching items. Try broadening your search or removing filters.

Why are some items missing fields?

Not all Figshare items have every field, such as DOI or downloads. The Actor returns what is available.

How do I get more than 1,000,000 items?

The maximum is 1,000,000 per run. You can split your query by date or category and run multiple times.

Why is the run slow?

Figshare's public feeds may be rate-limited. Reduce maxItems or add filters to narrow the result set.

FAQ

QuestionAnswer
Do I need a Figshare API key?No. This Actor reads the public Figshare search and browse feeds directly, so no account or key is required.
What item types can I filter by?You can filter by Figshare item type using the numeric ID: 1=Figure, 2=Media, 3=Dataset, 4=Fileset, 5=Poster, 6=Paper, 7=Presentation, 8=Thesis, 9=Code, 10=Metadata, 11=Preprint, 13=Book, 14=Chapter.
How do I restrict results to one institution?Set the institutionId input to the numeric ID of the institutional repository. You can find IDs via the Figshare API documentation.
Can I search by author or title?Yes, the search input accepts free text and matches across titles and descriptions, including author names.
What date range can I filter?Use the publishedSince input with a YYYY-MM-DD date to include only items published on or after that date.
How many items can I collect per run?Set maxItems to any number from 1 to 1,000,000. The Actor stops after reaching that count.
What fields are returned for each item?Each item returns a flat row with title, authors, DOI, downloads, publication date, and other metadata. The exact fields are shown in the sample output.
Can I export the data?Yes, you can export the dataset to CSV, JSON, Excel, or XML from the Apify platform.
Is this legal?This Actor only accesses publicly available data on Figshare. You are responsible for complying with Figshare's terms of service and any applicable laws.
How do I find a category ID?Category IDs are listed in the Figshare API documentation at https://docs.figshare.com/#private_list_categories.

Browse the full ParseForge collection for more scrapers.

๐Ÿ†˜ Need help? Email parseforge@protonmail.com with your run ID, your input, and what you expected.

โš ๏ธ Disclaimer. This Actor is unofficial and is not affiliated with, endorsed by, or sponsored by Figshare, LLC. It collects only publicly available data. You are responsible for using the collected data in compliance with the source's terms of service and applicable data-protection laws, including GDPR, CCPA, and PIPL. Do not use it to collect personal data unlawfully.