# Scientific Papers MCP Tool - AI Research Example
This example demonstrates the comprehensive capabilities of the Scientific Papers MCP tool for conducting AI research, identifying trends, and analyzing groundbreaking papers.
## Process Overview
The Scientific Papers MCP tool enables researchers to:
1. **Discover Available Categories**: List all research categories and fields available across multiple sources (arXiv, OpenAlex)
2. **Query Latest Papers**: Fetch the most recent publications in specific AI domains
3. **Identify Top Papers**: Find highly-cited and groundbreaking research based on impact metrics
4. **Extract Content**: Retrieve full paper content for detailed analysis
5. **Synthesize Findings**: Analyze trends, implications, and future directions
## How the MCP Tool is Used
### Step 1: Category Discovery
```javascript
// List all available categories from arXiv
mcp_scientific-papers_list_categories({ source: "arxiv" })
// List all available categories from OpenAlex
mcp_scientific-papers_list_categories({ source: "openalex" })
```
This reveals 8 arXiv categories including:
- **cs.AI**: Artificial Intelligence
- **cs.LG**: Machine Learning
- **cs.CL**: Computation and Language
- **cs.CV**: Computer Vision and Pattern Recognition
And 19 OpenAlex concepts including Computer Science, Medicine, Biology, etc.
### Step 2: Latest Research Query
```javascript
// Fetch latest AI papers
mcp_scientific-papers_fetch_latest({
source: "arxiv",
category: "cs.AI",
count: 10
})
// Fetch latest ML papers
mcp_scientific-papers_fetch_latest({
source: "arxiv",
category: "cs.LG",
count: 10
})
```
### Step 3: Content Analysis
```javascript
// Extract full content for detailed analysis
mcp_scientific-papers_fetch_content({
source: "arxiv",
paper_id: "2506.21552"
})
```
### Step 4: Top Papers Identification
```javascript
// Find highly-cited papers (when API permits)
mcp_scientific-papers_fetch_top_cited({
concept: "artificial intelligence",
since: "2024-01-01",
count: 15
})
```
## Key Advantages
- **Multi-source Access**: Query both arXiv (pre-prints) and OpenAlex (published research)
- **Real-time Updates**: Access to papers published as recently as today
- **Comprehensive Extraction**: Full paper content retrieval for deep analysis
- **Flexible Filtering**: Search by category, time period, citation metrics
- **Structured Data**: Clean, standardized paper metadata and content
## Research Workflow
1. **Discovery Phase**: Use category listings to understand available research domains
2. **Current Trends**: Query latest papers to identify emerging topics
3. **Impact Analysis**: Retrieve top-cited papers to understand established insights
4. **Deep Dive**: Extract full content for papers of interest
5. **Synthesis**: Combine findings to identify patterns, opportunities, and future directions
This systematic approach enables comprehensive literature reviews, trend analysis, and identification of research gaps in minimal time.
