Introduction to Core.ac.uk API

Core.ac.uk offers an API that allows developers to access a wide range of academic research articles. This service is especially useful for those who are developing research-based applications, academic tools, and bibliographic websites.

In this article, we will explore various examples of how you can use the Core.ac.uk API using JavaScript.

How to Get a CORE API Key

CORE requires a free API key for every request to the v3 API.

1. Go to core.ac.uk/services/api and create a free account (or sign in).
2. Request an API key from the API dashboard — keys for academic/non-commercial use are issued free.
3. Copy the key. Commercial use has separate terms, and Institution/Enterprise tiers offer higher throughput.

The free tier allows roughly 1 batch request or 5 single requests per 10 seconds — contact CORE if you need more.

Authenticate with a Bearer token in the Authorization header (the v3 API does not use a query-param key):

fetch('https://api.core.ac.uk/v3/search/works?q=machine+learning', {
  headers: { Authorization: 'Bearer YOUR_API_KEY' }
});

Note the base URL is https://api.core.ac.uk/v3 and the search endpoint is /search/works.

Advanced Queries

We can also refine our search with other parameters like date range, category, file format, etc. Take a look at the following example which filters the articles for a given publication and specifies the number of results to return.

const publication = 'arXiv'
const maxResults = '10'

fetch(`https://api.core.ac.uk/v3/search/${publication}?apiKey=${apiKey}&pageSize=${maxResults}`)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log(data)
  });

Full Text Search

Another important feature of the Core.ac.uk API is its ability to search for full-text articles. Here is an example that finds articles mentioning "neural networks" in their full text.

const searchText = 'neural networks'

fetch(`https://api.core.ac.uk/v3/search/fulltext/${searchText}?apiKey=${apiKey}`)
  .then(response => response.json())
  .then(data => {
    console.log(data)
  });

We can also refine our search by specifying the fields to search in, like abstract, title, or full text.

Conclusion

In this article, we have explored various examples of using the Core.ac.uk API using JavaScript. With its advanced search capabilities and the wealth of academic articles available, Core.ac.uk API can be used to build amazing applications related to academic research.