Discover OpenAlex: A free, open and global research tool

Academic research is evolving, with openness and inclusivity reshaping how knowledge is shared and accessed. New open-access bibliographic search engines, such as OpenAIRE, The Lens and OpenAlex, are changing the way researchers discover academic resources. Each has unique strengths, making it worthwhile to explore which one fits your needs.

In this blog, we focus on OpenAlex: a free and open research tool that removes the barriers of costly subscriptions. Why is OpenAlex such a valuable tool? How can it support your studies, research or teaching? Let us dive into its origins, features, strengths and limitations to see how it can enhance your academic work.

 

What is OpenAlex?

Launched in 2022 by the non-profit organization OurResearch, OpenAlex is an open-access bibliographic database designed to provide universal access to knowledge. It replaced the Microsoft Academic Graph (MAG) after it was discontinued in 2021. Since then, OpenAlex has grown to index over 260 million works from more than 250,000 sources, including CrossRef, PubMed and preprint repositories like arXiv.

OpenAlex offers a broad range of content, including articles, books, theses, datasets, preprints and more. It prioritizes research from underrepresented regions, such as the Global South, and works in multiple languages. With 50,000 new works indexed daily, the platform provides dynamic and up-to-date content.

This commitment to inclusivity aligns with the Open Science movement’s goal of equitable access to research. For example, Leiden University uses OpenAlex data for its Leiden University Ranking Open Edition, while the traditional Leiden University Ranking still relies on data from Web of Science.

 

How does OpenAlex work?

OpenAlex aggregates data from a variety of trusted sources to provide a comprehensive and inclusive collection of academic content. Key contributors include:

• CrossRef: Ensures reliable metadata by assigning DOIs to a wide range of academic publications.
• PubMed and arXiv: Expand the database with biomedical articles, preprints and other cutting-edge research outputs.
• Microsoft Academic Graph (MAG): A foundational dataset that includes conference papers and non-traditional research outputs. Since Microsoft discontinued MAG in 2021, its final dataset has remained stable, providing a solid and unchanging foundation for OpenAlex to build upon.

A key strength of OpenAlex is its transparency. You can trace the origin of any data directly on the platform, allowing you to verify its reliability and relevance for your research. This feature empowers you to confidently use OpenAlex in a systematic and reproducible manner. Additionally, OpenAlex helps you find open-access versions of articles, when available. Through links to repositories like PubMed Central, arXiv and other open-access platforms, OpenAlex enables you to access free versions of articles that would otherwise be behind paywalls. This supports open science by facilitating access to publicly available research.

With tens of thousands of new works indexed daily, OpenAlex ensures that its content remains dynamic and up-to-date. The platform’s snapshot is updated monthly, ensuring that the data stays relevant and fresh, aligning with the latest trends in academic research.

 

How does OpenAlex ensure data reliability?

OpenAlex prioritizes accurate metadata by sourcing it from trusted organizations like CrossRef. However, the platform does not verify the content of indexed works, and it is up to you to critically assess the reliability of the publications you use. Specific information can sometimes be incomplete or missing, and OpenAlex does not actively filter out predatory journals or questionable publishing practices.

To avoid unreliable sources, you can use OpenAlex’s tools to refine your searches. For instance, you can filter works based on trusted sources like the Directory of Open Access Journals (DOAJ) or other databases and lists that focus on reputable academic journals. These features allow you to make informed choices and focus on high-quality research for your studies or projects.

Want to learn how to recognize and avoid predatory journals? Check out the article “Predatory and Questionable Publishing Practices: How to Recognise and Avoid Them” for practical tips. Staying informed about these practices will help you navigate the publishing landscape with confidence.

OpenAlex also ensures transparency by communicating updates and allowing you to filter out retracted publications. These features make it easier for you to work with accurate and trustworthy data, contributing to the self-correcting nature of science.

 

How can you use OpenAlex?

Now that you understand how OpenAlex works, let us take a closer look at how you can use it to support your research. OpenAlex offers a range of tools designed for both casual users and advanced researchers. Whether you prefer simple searches or want to dive deeper with programmatic access, OpenAlex makes it easy to explore and use academic data in ways that suit your needs.

1. OpenAlex web interface (Beta)

If you are just starting out or prefer a more visual approach, the OpenAlex web interface is the easiest way to dive in. It is built on top of OpenAlex’s powerful API, offering a simple way to search and explore data. Here is what you can do:

• Search and filters: Easily search for authors, works, or institutions. For example, searching for Wageningen University & Research brings up over 87,000 works, which you can narrow down by publication year, document type, and more.
• Export options: Once you find what you are looking for, you can download the results in various formats (.csv, .ris, .txt) for offline analysis or further use.
• Custom alerts: Set up alerts to receive notifications when new works matching your search criteria are added to the database.

These features are unique to OpenAlex and not available in platforms like Google Scholar, making it a more flexible and personalized tool for your research needs.

2. OpenAlex API

The OpenAlex API is a powerful tool for researchers looking to automate workflows or analyze large datasets. It provides access to the full database through a fast, RESTful interface, allowing you to seamlessly integrate OpenAlex data into your workflows for custom applications.

Key features of the API:

• High request limits: Make up to 100,000 requests per day. Including your email in requests ensures optimal performance.
• Scalable access options: For more intensive use, you can upgrade to OpenAlex Premium, offering higher limits and more frequent data updates (at a cost).
• Flexible querying: The API supports complex search queries and filters, enabling you to retrieve exactly the data you need.

To help users get started, OpenAlex offers extensive documentation and ready-to-use libraries (e.g., for Python and R). Webinars and tutorials are also available, catering to both beginners and advanced users.

3. Full database download (“Snapshot”)

For large-scale offline analysis, you can download the entire OpenAlex database in one go. The data is updated monthly, allowing you to perform comprehensive analyses without needing real-time access or an internet connection. This feature is especially useful for institutions or researchers working on projects that require extensive datasets. Unlike Google Scholar, OpenAlex not only provides bulk data access but also ensures that this process (retrieving, organizing and analyzing data) can be done in a highly systematic and reproducible way. This is achieved through clear documentation, standardized data formats and consistent updates, supporting robust research workflows.

 

What are the strengths of OpenAlex?

OpenAlex offers several key strengths that can make your research process easier and more effective. Here is a look at the main benefits.

Free and open access

OpenAlex provides unlimited, cost-free access to academic data, with no restrictions like those in paid databases. Key benefits include:

• Unlimited use: You can freely export, share and analyze data such as titles, authors and keywords.
• Comprehensive metadata: OpenAlex offers abstracts and citation data where available, providing deeper insights into the research.
• Open data: OpenAlex waives rights to the data, allowing for reuse and provides links to open-access versions of publications when available.
• Systematic analysis: The transparency of search results makes it easier to conduct structured research, unlike platforms like Google Scholar. While OpenAlex offers a wealth of data and flexibility, it is important to note that it may not be the best tool for systematic reviews due to some limitations, such as variable data quality and retrieval accuracy. For a more reliable and consistent experience in systematic reviews, it is advised to use (a combination of) specialized databases. For more details, see below: “What are the limitations of OpenAlex?”.

Inclusivity and diversity

OpenAlex takes an inclusive approach, making a wide range of academic outputs accessible:

• Diverse types of works: OpenAlex does not just index journal articles. It also includes theses, dissertations, preprints, books, datasets, policy documents and grey literature. For fields like the humanities, where books and book chapters are key, OpenAlex offers crucial resources that other databases, like Scopus and Web of Science, often miss.
• Global representation: OpenAlex actively includes research from underrepresented regions, including the Global South, ensuring the academic landscape reflects global contributions.
• Non-English sources: OpenAlex includes research in languages other than English, breaking down language barriers and giving you access to important regional research. For example, works in Spanish, Mandarin and more are indexed, whereas platforms like Scopus and Web of Science often require English-language abstracts.
• Prioritizing content over prestige: While traditional databases favor high-impact journals and citation counts, OpenAlex focuses on the quality and diversity of content. This means you will discover important but less-cited works, such as preprints and grey literature, which are increasingly important in many fields.

Advanced search and filtering

OpenAlex offers powerful search and filtering tools that stand out in several ways compared to traditional databases or Google Scholar:

• Fine-grained filters: You can filter your searches by region, publication type and time frame. This helps you focus on specific geographical areas (e.g. the Global South), particular publication types (e.g., theses, policy documents) or research from a specific time period.
• Full-text search for open-access content: OpenAlex allows you to search through the full text of articles, helping you find specific details, like a particular technique, deep within the text. This functionality is only for articles that are published Open Access. Web of Science and Scopus, by comparison, mainly rely on metadata, which can miss important content buried in the full text.
• Transparency and customization: OpenAlex offers detailed metadata, including citation data, affiliations and topics, that you can export and analyze for your own projects. Google Scholar does not provide the same level of detailed data or easy access to citation graphs.
• Open data philosophy: Built on open science principles, OpenAlex gives you full access to its dataset for integration with your own tools. Google Scholar, on the other hand, is a closed system with proprietary algorithms.

Comprehensive search engine

OpenAlex indexes over 260 million works, surpassing Web of Science (92 million) and Scopus (97 million). It includes both open-access and closed-access publications, helping you discover research even behind paywalls.

Versatile access options

OpenAlex offers flexible ways to access its data, whether through its easy-to-use web interface for visual searches, a powerful API for automated access by downloading full database snapshots for large-scale offline analysis. These options cater to both casual users and advanced researchers, providing the tools you need for various types of research.

 

What are the limitations of OpenAlex?

While OpenAlex offers many strengths, there are some limitations to be aware of. It is important to note that, like other academic databases, OpenAlex still has areas of uncertainty and potential bias. These issues can stem from various factors related to the nature of open-access platforms, the way data is collected, and the challenges of representing all academic fields comprehensively. Below are some key limitations to consider when using OpenAlex.

Bias and data quality issues

While OpenAlex offers valuable and comprehensive data, there are still some challenges regarding data quality and bias. These are common issues in open-access platforms and can stem from a variety of factors:

• Incomplete or missing metadata: Some works may lack references, institutional affiliations or other important details, which can affect the accuracy of bibliometric analyses. This issue is especially prominent for works sourced from unstructured formats like landing pages or open PDFs.
• Author profile inaccuracies: Inaccuracies or gaps in author profiles can occur, so it is important to cross-reference information with other sources when necessary.
• Predatory journals: OpenAlex includes data from journals with questionable practices. However, the platform allows you to filter data based on trusted lists, such as the DOAJ, helping you focus on reliable publications.
• Low retrieval accuracy: Due to its open-access nature, the retrieval accuracy may vary, especially for works that are indexed automatically. This is an area where OpenAlex continues to develop.

While these challenges are real, OpenAlex offers transparency about updates and provides users with tools to filter and access the most reliable data. This contributes to the self-correcting nature of science, with errors and updates being actively communicated.

Limited access to non-open access publications

OpenAlex only offers full-text search for open-access works. For non-open-access articles, only metadata (like titles and authors) is available and the availability of abstracts depends on the original data sources. If you do not have access to institutional subscriptions, it may be more difficult for you to get the full text.

 

Why should you give OpenAlex a try?

OpenAlex is a free and open tool that can complement your academic work, offering advanced search features, inclusive data and flexible access options. The API is particularly valuable for automating the search and retrieval of metadata for scientific publications, making it an excellent choice for large-scale analyses or custom workflows. OpenAlex can also be a reliable resource after leaving WUR, ensuring ongoing access to open academic content.

While OpenAlex has some limitations, such as variable data quality and gaps in historical coverage, it remains a strong alternative to tools like Google Scholar for topic exploration or a known-item search. For more complex queries or systematic reviews, it is best to combine OpenAlex with other databases to achieve comprehensive results.

Interested in exploring OpenAlex? Visit the OpenAlex website to see how it works. Need help? Check out the tutorials, contact the OpenAlex support team or reach out to us for assistance.