OpenAlex Database

Overview

OpenAlex is a comprehensive open catalog of 240M+ scholarly works, authors, institutions, topics, sources, publishers, and funders. This skill provides tools and workflows for querying the OpenAlex API to search literature, analyze research output, track citations, and conduct bibliometric studies.

Quick Start

Basic Setup

Always initialize the client with an email address to access the polite pool (10x rate limit boost):

python
from scripts.openalex_client import OpenAlexClient

client = OpenAlexClient(email="your-email@example.edu")

Installation Requirements

Install required package using uv:

bash
uv pip install requests

No API key required - OpenAlex is completely open.

Core Capabilities

1. Search for Papers

Use for: Finding papers by title, abstract, or topic

python
# Simple search
results = client.search_works(
    search="machine learning",
    per_page=100
)

# Search with filters
results = client.search_works(
    search="CRISPR gene editing",
    filter_params={
        "publication_year": ">2020",
        "is_oa": "true"
    },
    sort="cited_by_count:desc"
)

2. Find Works by Author

Use for: Getting all publications by a specific researcher

Use the two-step pattern (entity name → ID → works):

python
from scripts.query_helpers import find_author_works

works = find_author_works(
    author_name="Jennifer Doudna",
    client=client,
    limit=100
)

Manual two-step approach:

python
# Step 1: Get author ID
author_response = client._make_request(
    '/authors',
    params={'search': 'Jennifer Doudna', 'per-page': 1}
)
author_id = author_response['results'][0]['id'].split('/')[-1]

# Step 2: Get works
works = client.search_works(
    filter_params={"authorships.author.id": author_id}
)

3. Find Works from Institution

Use for: Analyzing research output from universities or organizations

python
from scripts.query_helpers import find_institution_works

works = find_institution_works(
    institution_name="Stanford University",
    client=client,
    limit=200
)

4. Highly Cited Papers

Use for: Finding influential papers in a field

python
from scripts.query_helpers import find_highly_cited_recent_papers

papers = find_highly_cited_recent_papers(
    topic="quantum computing",
    years=">2020",
    client=client,
    limit=100
)

5. Open Access Papers

Use for: Finding freely available research

python
from scripts.query_helpers import get_open_access_papers

papers = get_open_access_papers(
    search_term="climate change",
    client=client,
    oa_status="any",  # or "gold", "green", "hybrid", "bronze"
    limit=200
)

6. Publication Trends Analysis

Use for: Tracking research output over time

python
from scripts.query_helpers import get_publication_trends

trends = get_publication_trends(
    search_term="artificial intelligence",
    filter_params={"is_oa": "true"},
    client=client
)

# Sort and display
for trend in sorted(trends, key=lambda x: x['key'])[-10:]:
    print(f"{trend['key']}: {trend['count']} publications")

7. Research Output Analysis

Use for: Comprehensive analysis of author or institution research

python
from scripts.query_helpers import analyze_research_output

analysis = analyze_research_output(
    entity_type='institution',  # or 'author'
    entity_name='MIT',
    client=client,
    years='>2020'
)

print(f"Total works: {analysis['total_works']}")
print(f"Open access: {analysis['open_access_percentage']}%")
print(f"Top topics: {analysis['top_topics'][:5]}")

8. Batch Lookups

Use for: Getting information for multiple DOIs, ORCIDs, or IDs efficiently

python
dois = [
    "https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2",
    "https://doi.org/10.1126/science.abc1234",
    # ... up to 50 DOIs
]

works = client.batch_lookup(
    entity_type='works',
    ids=dois,
    id_field='doi'
)

9. Random Sampling

Use for: Getting representative samples for analysis

python
# Small sample
works = client.sample_works(
    sample_size=100,
    seed=42,  # For reproducibility
    filter_params={"publication_year": "2023"}
)

# Large sample (>10k) - automatically handles multiple requests
works = client.sample_works(
    sample_size=25000,
    seed=42,
    filter_params={"is_oa": "true"}
)

10. Citation Analysis

Use for: Finding papers that cite a specific work

python
# Get the work
work = client.get_entity('works', 'https://doi.org/10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2')

# Get citing papers using cited_by_api_url
import requests
citing_response = requests.get(
    work['cited_by_api_url'],
    params={'mailto': client.email, 'per-page': 200}
)
citing_works = citing_response.json()['results']

11. Topic and Subject Analysis

Use for: Understanding research focus areas

python
# Get top topics for an institution
topics = client.group_by(
    entity_type='works',
    group_field='topics.id',
    filter_params={
        "authorships.institutions.id": "I136199984",  # MIT
        "publication_year": ">2020"
    }
)

for topic in topics[:10]:
    print(f"{topic['key_display_name']}: {topic['count']} works")

12. Large-Scale Data Extraction

Use for: Downloading large datasets for analysis

python
# Paginate through all results
all_papers = client.paginate_all(
    endpoint='/works',
    params={
        'search': 'synthetic biology',
        'filter': 'publication_year:2020-2024'
    },
    max_results=10000
)

# Export to CSV
import csv
with open('papers.csv', 'w', newline='', encoding='utf-8') as f:
    writer = csv.writer(f)
    writer.writerow(['Title', 'Year', 'Citations', 'DOI', 'OA Status'])

    for paper in all_papers:
        writer.writerow([
            paper.get('title', 'N/A'),
            paper.get('publication_year', 'N/A'),
            paper.get('cited_by_count', 0),
            paper.get('doi', 'N/A'),
            paper.get('open_access', {}).get('oa_status', 'closed')
        ])

Critical Best Practices

Always Use Email for Polite Pool

Add email to get 10x rate limit (1 req/sec → 10 req/sec):

python
client = OpenAlexClient(email="your-email@example.edu")

Use Two-Step Pattern for Entity Lookups

Never filter by entity names directly - always get ID first:

python
# ✅ Correct
# 1. Search for entity → get ID
# 2. Filter by ID

# ❌ Wrong
# filter=author_name:Einstein  # This doesn't work!

Use Maximum Page Size

Always use per-page=200 for efficient data retrieval:

python
results = client.search_works(search="topic", per_page=200)

Batch Multiple IDs

Use batch_lookup() for multiple IDs instead of individual requests:

python
# ✅ Correct - 1 request for 50 DOIs
works = client.batch_lookup('works', doi_list, 'doi')

# ❌ Wrong - 50 separate requests
for doi in doi_list:
    work = client.get_entity('works', doi)

Use Sample Parameter for Random Data

Use sample_works() with seed for reproducible random sampling:

python
# ✅ Correct
works = client.sample_works(sample_size=100, seed=42)

# ❌ Wrong - random page numbers bias results
# Using random page numbers doesn't give true random sample

Select Only Needed Fields

Reduce response size by selecting specific fields:

python
results = client.search_works(
    search="topic",
    select=['id', 'title', 'publication_year', 'cited_by_count']
)

Common Filter Patterns

Date Ranges

python
# Single year
filter_params={"publication_year": "2023"}

# After year
filter_params={"publication_year": ">2020"}

# Range
filter_params={"publication_year": "2020-2024"}

Multiple Filters (AND)

python
# All conditions must match
filter_params={
    "publication_year": ">2020",
    "is_oa": "true",
    "cited_by_count": ">100"
}

Multiple Values (OR)

python
# Any institution matches
filter_params={
    "authorships.institutions.id": "I136199984|I27837315"  # MIT or Harvard
}

Collaboration (AND within attribute)

python
# Papers with authors from BOTH institutions
filter_params={
    "authorships.institutions.id": "I136199984+I27837315"  # MIT AND Harvard
}

Negation

python
# Exclude type
filter_params={
    "type": "!paratext"
}

Entity Types

OpenAlex provides these entity types:

• works - Scholarly documents (articles, books, datasets)
• authors - Researchers with disambiguated identities
• institutions - Universities and research organizations
• sources - Journals, repositories, conferences
• topics - Subject classifications
• publishers - Publishing organizations
• funders - Funding agencies

Access any entity type using consistent patterns:

python
client.search_works(...)
client.get_entity('authors', author_id)
client.group_by('works', 'topics.id', filter_params={...})

External IDs

Use external identifiers directly:

python
# DOI for works
work = client.get_entity('works', 'https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.4375')

# ORCID for authors
author = client.get_entity('authors', 'https://orcid.org/0000-0003-1613-5981')

# ROR for institutions
institution = client.get_entity('institutions', 'https://ror.org/02y3ad647')

# ISSN for sources
source = client.get_entity('sources', 'issn:0028-0836')

Reference Documentation

Detailed API Reference

See references/api_guide.md for:

• Complete filter syntax
• All available endpoints
• Response structures
• Error handling
• Performance optimization
• Rate limiting details

Common Query Examples

See references/common_queries.md for:

• Complete working examples
• Real-world use cases
• Complex query patterns
• Data export workflows
• Multi-step analysis procedures

Scripts

openalex_client.py

Main API client with:

• Automatic rate limiting
• Exponential backoff retry logic
• Pagination support
• Batch operations
• Error handling

Use for direct API access with full control.

query_helpers.py

High-level helper functions for common operations:

• find_author_works() - Get papers by author
• find_institution_works() - Get papers from institution
• find_highly_cited_recent_papers() - Get influential papers
• get_open_access_papers() - Find OA publications
• get_publication_trends() - Analyze trends over time
• analyze_research_output() - Comprehensive analysis

Use for common research queries with simplified interfaces.

Troubleshooting

Rate Limiting

If encountering 403 errors:

1. Ensure email is added to requests
2. Verify not exceeding 10 req/sec
3. Client automatically implements exponential backoff

Empty Results

If searches return no results:

1. Check filter syntax (see references/api_guide.md)
2. Use two-step pattern for entity lookups (don't filter by names)
3. Verify entity IDs are correct format

Timeout Errors

For large queries:

1. Use pagination with per-page=200
2. Use select= to limit returned fields
3. Break into smaller queries if needed

Rate Limits

• Default: 1 request/second, 100k requests/day
• Polite pool (with email): 10 requests/second, 100k requests/day

Always use polite pool for production workflows by providing email to client.

Notes

• No authentication required
• All data is open and free
• Rate limits apply globally, not per IP
• Use LitLLM with OpenRouter if LLM-based analysis is needed (don't use Perplexity API directly)
• Client handles pagination, retries, and rate limiting automatically