sci-search

Sci-Search — Sci Search Skill

Academic paper search and metrics analysis tool for scientific research workflows.

Trigger Phrases

• "Search for high-impact-factor papers on [topic]"
• "Find the latest literature on [topic] in Web of Science"
• "search academic papers on [topic]"
• "find recent papers about [topic] on Web of Science"
• "get impact factor for [topic] papers"

Capabilities

• Seven-Source Search: Simultaneously searches arXiv, PubMed, Web of Science, Springer Nature, Scopus, Semantic Scholar, and OpenAlex (API-key-gated sources activate when keys are configured).
• Web of Science Integration: Returns SCI-indexed papers with times-cited counts — the gold standard for academic quality filtering.
• Springer Nature Integration: Returns articles from Springer, Nature, Palgrave Macmillan, and other Springer Nature imprints with DOI links.
• Scopus Integration: Elsevier's largest abstract and citation database; returns cited-by counts.
• Semantic Scholar Integration: AI-powered academic graph with citation counts; no API key required.
• OpenAlex Integration: Free and open catalog of 200M+ scholarly works; no API key required.
• Journal Metrics: Automatically supplements results with JCR partitions and Impact Factors (IF).
• Ranking & Highlighting: Highlights top-tier journals (Nature, Science, Advanced Materials, etc.).
• Markdown Export: Generates formatted markdown reports of search results.
• Source Selection: Use --source scopus, --source springer, --source semantic_scholar, --source openalex, --source wos, or --source all for all sources.

Configuration

Web of Science API (Recommended for SCI literature)

Add WOS_API_KEY to the unified ~/.aut_sci_write/.env file to enable Web of Science search:

WOS_API_KEY=your_wos_api_key

Apply for a free API key at: https://developer.clarivate.com/apis/wos-starter

The WoS Starter API is free to apply for and provides access to the Web of Science Core Collection — the most authoritative index of SCI/SSCI journals.

Springer Nature API (two endpoints)

The Springer Nature API provides two separate endpoints:

1. Metadata API (/meta/v2/json) — metadata for all Springer Nature content (journals + books). Add SPRINGER_API_KEY to ~/.aut_sci_write/.env:

SPRINGER_API_KEY=your_springer_api_key

2. Open Access API (/openaccess/json) — full-text OA content from BMC, SpringerOpen, Nature OA articles. Add SPRINGER_OA_API_KEY to ~/.aut_sci_write/.env (falls back to SPRINGER_API_KEY if not set):

SPRINGER_OA_API_KEY=your_oa_api_key

Apply for free API keys at: https://dev.springernature.com/

Use --source springer for both, --source springer_meta for metadata only, or --source springer_oa for Open Access only.

Scopus API (Elsevier — largest abstract database)

Add SCOPUS_API_KEY to ~/.aut_sci_write/.env to enable Scopus search:

SCOPUS_API_KEY=your_scopus_api_key

Apply for a free API key at: https://dev.elsevier.com/

The Scopus Search API covers 90M+ records across science, technology, medicine, social sciences, and arts & humanities. Requires institutional affiliation for full access.

Semantic Scholar (free, no key required)

Works out of the box. For higher rate limits, optionally add:

SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY=your_key

Request a key at: https://www.semanticscholar.org/product/api#api-key

OpenAlex (free, no key required)

Works out of the box. For polite pool (faster rate limits), optionally add:

OPENALEX_EMAIL=your_email@example.com

Other optional .env values (all in ~/.aut_sci_write/.env)

• SPRINGER_API_KEY - Springer Nature Metadata API key (see above)
• SPRINGER_OA_API_KEY - Springer Nature Open Access API key (falls back to SPRINGER_API_KEY)
• SCOPUS_API_KEY - Elsevier Scopus API key (see above)
• SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY - optional, for higher rate limits
• OPENALEX_EMAIL - optional, for polite pool access
• NCBI_API_KEY - optional PubMed/NCBI E-utilities API key for higher rate limits
• NCBI_EMAIL - optional contact email sent to NCBI E-utilities
• NCBI_TOOL - optional NCBI tool name; defaults to sci-search
• ZOTERO_USER_ID — for Zotero integration
• ZOTERO_API_KEY — for Zotero integration

Usage

Main script: ./sci_search.py

# Search all sources (arXiv + PubMed + WoS + Springer + Scopus + Semantic Scholar + OpenAlex)
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "perovskite solar cells" --limit 5

# Search Web of Science only
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "solid state electrolyte" --source wos --limit 10

# Search PubMed only with NCBI E-utilities
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "cancer immunotherapy" --source pubmed --limit 10

# Search Springer Nature only
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "machine learning materials science" --source springer --limit 10

# Search Scopus only
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "lithium ion battery" --source scopus --limit 10

# Search Semantic Scholar only (no key needed)
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "transformer attention mechanism" --source semantic_scholar --limit 10

# Search OpenAlex only (no key needed)
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "CRISPR gene editing" --source openalex --limit 10

# Export results to markdown
python skills/sci-search/sci_search.py "graphene battery" --output results.md

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© License & Copyright

Aut_Sci_Write — Autonomous Scientific Writer

• Author: Shuo Zhao
• License: MIT License
• Copyright: © 2026 Shuo Zhao. All rights reserved.
• Original Work: This is an original work created by the author. No reproduction, redistribution, or commercial use without explicit permission. Permission is hereby granted, free of charge, to any person obtaining a copy of this software... (See the LICENSE file in the root directory for the full MIT terms.)

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This skill is part of the Aut_Sci_Write suite. For full license terms, see the LICENSE file in the project root.