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APISearch Papers

Search Papers

Paperguide Search API for finding research papers and filtering results for apps, workflows, and integrations.

curl -X GET "https://api.paperguide.ai/v1/search?query=large language models for scientific literature review&source=arxiv&field_of_study=computer_science&year=2024&limit=10&format=bibtex" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -H "x-api-key: YOUR_API_KEY"
{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "arxiv:2401.12345",
      "title": "Large Language Models for Scientific Literature Review",
      "authors": [
        "Jane Doe",
        "John Smith"
      ],
      "year": 2024,
      "source": "arxiv",
      "field_of_study": "computer_science",
      "abstract": "This paper explores how large language models can assist with scientific literature review through semantic retrieval and synthesis workflows.",
      "url": "https://arxiv.org/abs/2401.12345"
    },
    {
      "id": "s2:987654321",
      "title": "Semantic Search Methods for Scholarly Discovery",
      "authors": [
        "Alice Brown",
        "David Lee"
      ],
      "year": 2023,
      "source": "semantic_scholar",
      "field_of_study": "computer_science",
      "abstract": "We present semantic search techniques for discovering and ranking relevant scholarly papers across large academic corpora.",
      "url": "https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/987654321"
    }
  ]
}
curl --request GET \
  --url "https://api.paperguide.ai/v1/search?query=retrieval%20augmented%20generation&field_of_study=computer_science&year=2024&limit=3" \
  --header "x-api-key: pg_api_example_9xmk7q2r"
{
  "results": [
    {
      "id": "649f2b7c1a2d4e8f9c0a1234",
      "title": "Retrieval-Augmented Generation for Knowledge-Intensive NLP Tasks",
      "authors": [
        "Patrick Lewis",
        "Ethan Perez",
        "Aleksandara Piktus"
      ],
      "year": 2024,
      "source": "semantic_scholar",
      "field_of_study": "computer_science",
      "abstract": "This paper studies retrieval-augmented generation methods for knowledge-intensive natural language processing tasks.",
      "url": "https://api.paperguide.ai/papers/649f2b7c1a2d4e8f9c0a1234"
    },
    {
      "id": "649f2b7c1a2d4e8f9c0a5678",
      "title": "Efficient Indexing Strategies for Retrieval-Augmented Systems",
      "authors": [
        "Jane Chen",
        "Marcus Hill"
      ],
      "year": 2024,
      "source": "arxiv",
      "field_of_study": "computer_science",
      "abstract": "The paper evaluates indexing strategies that improve retrieval quality and latency in large-scale retrieval-augmented systems.",
      "url": "https://api.paperguide.ai/papers/649f2b7c1a2d4e8f9c0a5678"
    },
    {
      "id": "649f2b7c1a2d4e8f9c0a9012",
      "title": "Grounding Language Models with External Research Corpora",
      "authors": [
        "Sara Ahmed",
        "David Park"
      ],
      "year": 2024,
      "source": "pubmed",
      "field_of_study": "computer_science",
      "abstract": "This work explores retrieval pipelines that ground language model outputs in external research corpora.",
      "url": "https://api.paperguide.ai/papers/649f2b7c1a2d4e8f9c0a9012"
    }
  ]
}
GET
/search
GET
API Key (header: x-api-key)
x-api-keystring
Required

API key (sent in header)

query
querystring
Required

Search query used to find relevant academic papers.

query
sourcestring

Filter results by source.

Options: arxiv, pubmed, semantic_scholar
query
field_of_studystring

Filter results by field of study.

Options: computer_science, medicine, biology, physics, chemistry, mathematics, engineering, economics, psychology, environmental_science
query
yearinteger

Filter results by publication year.

query
limitinteger

Maximum number of papers to return.

query
formatstring

Response format. Use bibtex to receive BibTeX text output.

Request Preview
Response

Response will appear here after sending the request

Authentication

header
x-api-keystring
Required

API Key for authentication. Provide your API key in the header.

Query Parameters

querystring
Required

Search query used to find relevant academic papers.

sourcestring

Filter results by source.

Allowed values:arxivpubmedsemantic_scholar
field_of_studystring

Filter results by field of study.

Allowed values:computer_sciencemedicinebiologyphysicschemistrymathematicsengineeringeconomicspsychologyenvironmental_science
yearinteger

Filter results by publication year.

limitinteger

Maximum number of papers to return.

formatstring

Response format. Use bibtex to receive BibTeX text output.

Responses

resultsarray
Required

List of matching papers.

Endpoint overview

Search academic papers with keyword and semantic matching by sending a GET request to the search endpoint. Use query parameters to narrow results by source, field of study, year, and output format.

Add your API key to the x-api-key header on every request.

x-api-key: pg_api_example_9xmk7q2r

Create API keys in Settings > API Keys in the Paperguide dashboard.

Method and path

Send requests to the Paperguide API base URL with the /search path.

GET https://api.paperguide.ai/v1/search

The endpoint returns JSON search results unless you request BibTeX output.

Query parameters

Use these query parameters to control the search request.

query
querystring
Required

Search text used for keyword and semantic matching.

query
sourcestring

Filters results to a supported content source.

query
field_of_studystring

Filters results to a supported field of study.

query
yearinteger

Filters results to a publication year.

query
limitinteger

Limits the number of results returned.

Enterprise plans support up to 50 papers per request. Contact us for Enterprise access and usage-based pricing.

query
formatstring

Controls the response format. Use bibtex to return BibTeX output.

Allowed source values

Use one of these values for the source parameter.

ValueDescription
arxivSearch papers from arXiv
pubmedSearch papers from PubMed
semantic_scholarSearch papers indexed through Semantic Scholar

Allowed field-of-study values

Use one of these values for the field_of_study parameter.

ValueDescription
computer_scienceComputer science papers
medicineMedicine and clinical research
biologyBiology and life sciences
physicsPhysics papers
chemistryChemistry papers
mathematicsMathematics papers
engineeringEngineering papers
economicsEconomics papers
psychologyPsychology papers
environmental_scienceEnvironmental science papers

Request example

This example searches for recent papers about retrieval-augmented generation in computer science.

The API returns matching papers as JSON. Each item includes core metadata such as title, authors, source, and abstract when available.

Response example

Response fields

resultsarray
Required

List of matching papers.

idstring
Required

Unique identifier for the paper.

titlestring
Required

Paper title.

authorsarray
Required

List of author names.

yearinteger

Publication year.

sourcestring

Source where Paperguide found the paper.

field_of_studystring

Field of study assigned to the paper.

abstractstring

Paper abstract when available.

urlstring

Paper URL.

BibTeX output notes

Set format=bibtex to return BibTeX instead of JSON. Use this when you want to import citations directly into a reference manager or manuscript workflow.

If you request BibTeX output, the response body is plain BibTeX text rather than a JSON object. Response fields described above do not apply to BibTeX responses.

Search quality explanation

The search endpoint uses keyword and semantic matching together. Keyword matching helps when you know exact terms, while semantic matching helps when relevant papers use different wording.

Results depend on the quality and specificity of your query value. Short or broad queries usually return more varied results, while focused queries with a field of study or year filter usually return more precise matches.

Documented error responses

The API returns JSON errors when a request fails. These are the documented error responses for the search endpoint.

StatusMeaning
400Invalid request parameters
401Missing or invalid API key
429Rate limit or monthly quota exceeded
500Internal server error