Elsevier Metadata APIs
The Metadata APIs cover citation counts, the Citations Overview, and serial and non-serial title metadata and search — the bibliographic layer over Scopus rather than the content itself. Six paths on api.elsevier.com/content.
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OpenAPI Specification
{
"swagger": "2.0",
"info": {
"version": "2.0",
"title": "Elsevier Metadata APIs"
},
"tags": [
{
"name": "Abstract_Citation_Count",
"description": "Abstract Citation count API"
},
{
"name": "Citations_Overview",
"description": "Citations Overview API"
},
{
"name": "Nonserial_Title",
"description": "Nonserial Title API"
},
{
"name": "Serial_Title",
"description": "Serial Title API"
}
],
"host": "api.elsevier.com",
"basePath": "/content",
"schemes": [
"https",
"http"
],
"paths": {
"/abstract/citation-count": {
"get": {
"tags": [
"Abstract_Citation_Count"
],
"description": "<strong>Abstract Citation Count API retrieves Cited by in Scopus image given one of the article identifiers (DOI, PII, pubmed_ID) passed in as query parameter. Optionally, an arbitrary combination of applicable ISSN, ISBN, volume, issue, title, page parameters can be provided to identify the article.</strong><br/> API key in this example was setup with authorized CORS domains.",
"operationId": "AbstractCitationCount",
"parameters": [
{
"default": "10.1016/S0014-5793(01)03313-0",
"description": "DOI document identifier. Example: 10.1016/S0014-5793(01)03313-0",
"in": "query",
"name": "doi",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "PII document identifier. Example: S0014579301033130",
"in": "query",
"name": "pii",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "MEDLINE/pubmed_id document identifier. Example: 11852050",
"in": "query",
"name": "pubmed_id",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "7f59af901d2d86f78a1fd60c1bf9426a",
"description": "Your API key",
"in": "query",
"name": "apiKey",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Requested content type, overrides HTTP header value",
"in": "query",
"name": "httpAccept",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "insttoken",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for authorization, institution authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "access_token",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for active session, secured authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
}
],
"produces": [
"image/jpeg"
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "No response was specified",
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/definitions/stream"
}
}
},
"summary": "Cited by in Scopus image"
}
},
"/abstract/citations": {
"get": {
"tags": [
"Citations_Overview"
],
"description": "<strong>Abstract Citation API allows to retrieve citations given one of the document identifiers (DOI, PII, scopus_id or pubmed_id).</strong><br/> API key in this example was setup with authorized CORS domains.",
"operationId": "CitationsOverview",
"parameters": [
{
"default": "10.1016/S0014-5793(01)03313-0",
"description": "DOI document identifier. Example: 10.1016/S0014-5793(01)03313-0",
"in": "query",
"name": "doi",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "PII document identifier. Example: S0014579301033130",
"in": "query",
"name": "pii",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Scopus ID document identifier. Example: 0037070197",
"in": "query",
"name": "scopus_id",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "MEDLINE/pubmed_id document identifier. Example: 11852050",
"in": "query",
"name": "pubmed_id",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "7f59af901d2d86f78a1fd60c1bf9426a",
"description": "Your API key",
"in": "query",
"name": "apiKey",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "application/json",
"description": "Requested content type, overrides HTTP header value",
"in": "query",
"name": "httpAccept",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "insttoken",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for authorization, institution authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "access_token",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for active session, secured authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
}
],
"produces": [
"application/json",
"application/xml",
"text/xml"
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "No response was specified",
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/definitions/stream"
}
}
},
"summary": "Citations Overview"
}
},
"/nonserial/title": {
"get": {
"tags": [
"Nonserial_Title"
],
"description": "<strong>Nonserial Metadata API represents a search against the nonserial titles (Science Direct content).</strong><br/> API key in this example was setup with authorized CORS domains.",
"operationId": "NonserialTitleSearch",
"parameters": [
{
"description": "Partial or complete nonserial title. Example: game",
"in": "query",
"name": "title",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "978-1-898563-14-3",
"description": "One or more source identifier. Example: 978-1-898563-14-3,978-0-12-370182-4",
"in": "query",
"name": "isbn",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "ScienceDirect subject area abbreviation associated with the content category. Example: mathsgen",
"in": "query",
"name": "subj",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "7f59af901d2d86f78a1fd60c1bf9426a",
"description": "Your API key",
"in": "query",
"name": "apiKey",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Requested content type, overrides HTTP header value",
"in": "query",
"name": "httpAccept",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "insttoken",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for authorization, institution authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "access_token",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for active session, secured authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
}
],
"produces": [
"application/json",
"application/xml",
"text/xml",
"image/gif"
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "No response was specified",
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/definitions/stream"
}
}
},
"summary": "Nonserial Title Search"
}
},
"/nonserial/title/isbn/{isbn}": {
"get": {
"tags": [
"Nonserial_Title"
],
"description": "<strong>Single nonserial title (Science Direct content) identified by ISBN. Returns either the metadata for that title or the cover image.</strong><br/> API key in this example was setup with authorized CORS domains.",
"operationId": "NonserialTitleMetadata",
"parameters": [
{
"default": "978-1-898563-14-3",
"description": "ISBN source identifier. Example: 978-1-898563-14-3",
"in": "path",
"name": "isbn",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "7f59af901d2d86f78a1fd60c1bf9426a",
"description": "Your API key",
"in": "query",
"name": "apiKey",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Requested content type, overrides HTTP header value. To retrieve cover image use image/gif",
"in": "query",
"name": "httpAccept",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "insttoken",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for authorization, institution authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "access_token",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for active session, secured authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
}
],
"produces": [
"application/json",
"application/xml",
"text/xml",
"image/gif"
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "No response was specified",
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/definitions/stream"
}
}
},
"summary": "Nonserial Title Metadata"
}
},
"/serial/title": {
"get": {
"tags": [
"Serial_Title"
],
"description": "<strong>Serial Metadata API represents a search against the serial titles (Science Direct content).</strong><br/> API key in this example was setup with authorized CORS domains.",
"operationId": "SerialTitleSearch",
"parameters": [
{
"description": "Partial or complete serial title. Example: gene",
"in": "query",
"name": "title",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "03781119",
"description": "One or more source identifiers. Example: 03781119,07350651",
"in": "query",
"name": "issn",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "ScienceDirect subject area abbreviation associated with the content category. Example: MATH",
"in": "query",
"name": "subj",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "one or more subject area code associated with the content category. Example: 2600,2601",
"in": "query",
"name": "subjCode",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Specifies the amount of data to be returned in the response. Example: citescore",
"in": "query",
"name": "view",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Specifies a year or range of years for which to return yearly metric data. Example: 2014-2016",
"in": "query",
"name": "date",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "7f59af901d2d86f78a1fd60c1bf9426a",
"description": "Your API key",
"in": "query",
"name": "apiKey",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Requested content type, overrides HTTP header value",
"in": "query",
"name": "httpAccept",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "insttoken",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for authorization, institution authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "access_token",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for active session, secured authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
}
],
"produces": [
"application/json",
"application/xml",
"text/xml",
"image/gif"
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "No response was specified",
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/definitions/stream"
}
}
},
"summary": "Serial Title Search"
}
},
"/serial/title/issn/{issn}": {
"get": {
"tags": [
"Serial_Title"
],
"description": "<strong>Single serial title (Science Direct content) identified by ISSN. Returns either the metadata for that title or the cover image.</strong><br/> API key in this example was setup with authorized CORS domains.",
"operationId": "SerialTitleMetadata",
"parameters": [
{
"default": "03781119",
"description": "ISSN source identifier. Example: 03781119",
"in": "path",
"name": "issn",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"default": "7f59af901d2d86f78a1fd60c1bf9426a",
"description": "Your API key",
"in": "query",
"name": "apiKey",
"required": true,
"type": "string"
},
{
"description": "Requested content type, overrides HTTP header value. To retrieve cover image use image/gif",
"in": "query",
"name": "httpAccept",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "insttoken",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for authorization, institution authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
},
{
"name": "access_token",
"in": "query",
"description": "Specification for active session, secured authtoken",
"required": false,
"type": "string"
}
],
"produces": [
"application/json",
"application/xml",
"text/xml",
"image/gif"
],
"responses": {
"200": {
"description": "No response was specified",
"schema": {
"$ref": "#/definitions/stream"
}
}
},
"summary": "Serial Title Metadata"
}
}
},
"definitions": {},
"x-apievangelist-provenance": {
"method": "searched",
"source": "https://dev.elsevier.com/elsdoc/metadata",
"note": "Verbatim copy is openapi/_original/elsdoc/elsevier-metadata-swagger.json. This copy differs from the source in exactly two mechanical ways: Elsevier's external path $refs (./listings/<Name>#/<op>) were inlined from the provider's own listing documents (also saved verbatim under openapi/_original/elsdoc/listings/), and info.title was filled in where the provider left it empty. No operation, parameter, response or schema content was authored by API Evangelist.",
"retrieved": "2026-09-06"
}
}