openalex-database

Search, filter, and analyze OpenAlex scholarly data via the OpenAlex client.

Updated Apr 14, 2026

Search Tags:#api #data-analysis #literature #openalex #batch-lookup #twostep

Ready to run

npx skills add https://github.com/dotruru/claudemd --skill openalex-database-dotruru

💬 Prompt for ChatGPT / Claude Chat▼

Please help me install this Agent Skill.
Skill: openalex-database
Source: https://github.com/dotruru/claudemd/tree/main/skills/openalex-database
Command: npx skills add https://github.com/dotruru/claudemd --skill openalex-database-dotruru

SYSTEM DOCUMENTATION & REQUIREMENTS

💡 This Skill requires requests, and includes scripts (resource) and references (resource) components.

What problem does it solve?

OpenAlex provides a scalable API for discovering scholarly works; this skill wraps that API to simplify searching, filtering, and analyzing literature across authors, institutions, and topics.

Core Features & Use Cases

Search works with full-text search and filters, including sort by citations and OA status.
Retrieve works by a specific author or institution using two-step lookups to resolve IDs first.
Analyze trends and open-access coverage with helper functions to quantify publications over time and by topic.
Example: identify highly cited, open-access papers on a topic from top institutions (as a practical workflow).
Batch lookups and pagination support for large result sets.

Quick Start

Instantiate OpenAlexClient with your email (optional for higher rate limits) and call search_works with a topic to retrieve matching papers.

Frequently Asked Questions about openalex-database

High-intent search queries and answers about installing and using this skill.

FAQPage Schema

How do I search OpenAlex for highly cited papers on a specific topic?▼

Batch lookup OpenAlex publications by passing multiple record IDs to the client, which handles pagination and rate-limiting automatically to return structured results for large result sets.

Can I retrieve all works by a specific author or institution from OpenAlex?▼

You can retrieve works by a specific author or institution using two-step lookups, which first resolve the entity's ID and then fetch the matching OpenAlex publications for that author or institution.

Do I need an API key to query the OpenAlex database?▼

You do not need an API key to query the OpenAlex database because it provides open API access without authentication, though providing your email optionally grants higher rate limits.

What is the best way to analyze open-access trends in scholarly literature?▼

The best way to analyze open-access trends in scholarly literature is using helper functions that quantify publications over time and by topic, calculating OA coverage directly from OpenAlex data.

How does the OpenAlex client handle rate-limiting and pagination for large queries?▼

The OpenAlex client handles rate-limiting and pagination automatically, managing request throttling and traversing pages to retrieve complete structured results for large batch lookups.