# CrossRef MCP for AI Agents AI Agent Connect > CrossRef MCP lets you query the world's largest scholarly metadata database. You can search 150 million academic works, look up DOIs, and find journal or publisher info without needing an API key. It is the fastest way to get accurate citation data into your AI agent. ## Overview - **Category:** the-unthinkable - **Price:** Free - **Endpoint:** https://edge.vinkius.com/vk_preview_7En7HkI3TaUnNOjPwedGkhoVim2MwFUFc9BHK8QJ/ai-agent-connect - **Tags:** academic-metadata, doi-lookup, scholarly-publishing, citations, research-tools ## Description This CrossRef MCP gives your AI client direct access to a massive database of scholarly metadata. Instead of manually hunting through different library catalogs or publisher sites, you can just ask your agent to find specific research papers, check citation counts, or identify the funding source for a study. It handles the heavy lifting of navigating academic records so you don't have to keep tabs open for every single search. When you use it through the Vinkius catalog, you get a ready-to-use connection that works out of the box. You can pull abstracts, author lists, and license types for millions of works across various fields. It makes it easy to verify metadata for a specific DOI or browse through entire journal lists to see how many works a specific publisher has registered. It's built for anyone who needs to move between different research papers and metadata points without the friction of manual data entry. You can see who is funding research in specific regions or find the correct ISSN for a journal in seconds. It turns your AI into a research assistant that knows how to navigate the complexities of academic publishing without you having to do any of the clicking. You can explore publication types like journal articles, book chapters, and datasets to narrow down your results. It even lets you see which organizations are members of the CrossRef network, providing a clearer picture of the scholarly landscape. ## Tools ### get_works_by_doi_list Fetches metadata for multiple academic works when provided with a comma-separated list of DOIs. It saves you from querying papers one by one. ### search_funders Searches for research funders by name and returns their IDs, country codes, and work counts. Use this to find funding bodies in specific regions. ### search_journals Searches for academic journals by name and returns titles, ISSNs, and publisher names. This is great for finding specific publication venues. ### search_members Searches for CrossRef member organizations by name and returns their IDs and prefixes. Use this to find specific member groups. ### search_publishers Searches for academic publishers by name and returns work counts and journal counts. This helps you understand the scale of different publishers. ### get_funder Returns the name, country, URI, and work count for a specific research funder. Use this to find who is backing a particular study. ### get_journal Retrieves the journal title, ISSN, publisher, and work count based on an ISSN. This helps you identify specific publication details quickly. ### get_licenses Provides a list of known licenses used in academic works. It lets you see how different scholarly works are legally distributed. ### get_member Returns the name, prefixes, work counts, and location for a CrossRef member organization. Use it to see which institutions register DOIs. ### get_publisher Retrieves the publisher name, work count, journal count, and location info. This helps you map out the reach of specific academic houses. ### get_types Returns a list of academic work types. Use this to filter your search results by categories like book chapters or datasets. ### get_work Returns the title, authors, abstract, and citation count for a specific academic work by its DOI. It is the best way to get full metadata for a single paper. ### search_works Performs a free-text search for academic works by title, author, or keywords. It supports advanced filtering by date, type, and license. ## Prompt Examples **Prompt:** ``` Find journals published by Nature Publishing Group. ``` **Response:** ``` Found 100+ journals from Springer Nature including: * **Nature** (ISSN: 0028-0836, 200K+ works) * **Nature Medicine** * **Nature Biotechnology** * **Nature Communications** * **Scientific Reports** Each includes the ISSN, work counts, and direct URLs. ``` **Prompt:** ``` Get metadata for DOI 10.1038/nature12373. ``` **Response:** ``` ### Paper Metadata * **Title:** Deep learning in neural networks: An overview * **Authors:** Jürgen Schmidhuber * **Journal:** Neural Networks (2015) * **Publisher:** Elsevier * **Citations:** 15,000+ * **DOI:** 10.1016/j.neunet.2014.09.003 ``` **Prompt:** ``` Search for papers about machine learning published in 2024. ``` **Response:** ``` Found 50+ papers about machine learning from 2024. Top results include: | Publication | Title | Citation Count | | :--- | :--- | :--- | | **Nature Machine Intelligence** | [Title Placeholder] | 120+ | | **IEEE Transactions** | [Title Placeholder] | 85+ | | **ACM Computing Surveys** | [Title Placeholder] | 210+ | Each result includes the full DOI, authors, and abstract. ``` ## Capabilities ### Search academic papers Find research works by title, author, keywords, or publication date. ### Pull DOI metadata Get the abstract, citation count, and author list for a specific DOI. ### Identify research funders Discover which organizations are providing funding for specific research. ### Browse journal lists Retrieve ISSNs and publisher details for academic journals. ### Verify publication types Filter results by categories like book chapters, datasets, or proceedings. ### Retrieve license info Check the licensing status for scholarly works in the database. ## Use Cases ### Literature Review A researcher wants to find all papers on quantum computing from 2023. The agent uses search_works to provide a list of titles and abstracts. ### Citation Verification A student has a list of DOIs and needs to confirm the authors. The agent uses get_works_by_doi_list to pull the data. ### Publisher Analysis A librarian wants to see how many journals a specific publisher manages. The agent uses search_publishers to get the count. ### Funding Research A grant writer needs to find funders in a specific country. The agent uses search_funders to identify relevant organizations. ## Benefits - No more manual API key management. You get instant access to CrossRef data without having to sign up for developer accounts or manage secret keys. - Faster literature reviews. Use search_works to pull dozens of abstracts and citation counts in seconds instead of clicking through search results. - Precise DOI lookups. Use get_work to pull exact metadata for a specific paper, ensuring your citations are accurate every time. - Easy funding identification. Use search_funders to quickly find which organizations are backing specific research areas. - Quick journal browsing. Use search_journals to find ISSNs and publisher info for large lists of publications without leaving your chat. - Batch metadata retrieval. Use get_works_by_doi_list to process a whole list of papers at once rather than doing them one by one. ## How It Works The bottom line is you get instant access to 150 million academic records without managing any API keys. 1. Subscribe to the CrossRef MCP on Vinkius. 2. Connect the Connector to your preferred AI client like Claude or Cursor. 3. Ask your agent to find specific papers or pull DOI metadata. ## Frequently Asked Questions **Can I use CrossRef to find research papers?** Yes, you can ask your agent to search for papers by title, author, keywords, or even specific publication dates to find exactly what you need. **Does CrossRef need an API key?** No, this Connector handles all the connections for you, so you can start searching scholarly metadata immediately. **Can I look up multiple DOIs at once?** Yes, you can provide a list of DOIs to your agent, and it will pull the metadata for all of them in one step. **Can I find out who funded a specific research paper?** Yes, the Connector can identify the research funding organizations associated with various works in the database. **Does this tool provide the full text of articles?** No, it provides metadata like the title, abstract, and citation count, but not the full PDF or article text. **Can I find journal ISSNs?** Yes, you can search for journals by name to get their ISSNs, publisher details, and total work counts. **Do I need an API key?** No! CrossRef API is completely free and open. No authentication required. Just subscribe and start searching. Rate limit is 50 requests/second for polite pool. **What is a DOI?** DOI (Digital Object Identifier) is a unique alphanumeric string assigned to academic works. It provides a persistent link to the work's location online. Example: 10.1038/nature12373. **How can I filter search results?** Use the filter parameter with CrossRef filter syntax. Examples: 'type:journal-article' for journal articles only, 'from-pub-date:2024' for papers from 2024 onwards, 'has-abstract:true' for papers with abstracts, 'has-full-text:true' for open access papers.