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michalhron

Scopus Plus MCP

by michalhron
OverviewSchemaSourceRelated ServersDiscussionsAdmin
Python
Remote

citation_lineage

Trace a seed paper's citation lineage forward (who cites it) or backward (its references) across up to three generations, deduplicating papers and returning a JSON corpus with inline summary.

Instructions

Walk the citation lineage of a seed paper across multiple generations. Forward: generation 1 = papers that cite the seed; generation 2 = papers that cite those; up to 3 generations. Backward: walks cited references. All papers are deduplicated globally. Output: corpus written to disk as JSON plus compact inline summary; the corpus is also returned inline as base64 so sandboxed callers can inspect it. Use sort='citedby' (default for forward) to collect the most-cited citers first, which gives a meaningful citation-backbone; sort='coverDate' collects the most recent citers first (which can produce a recency-dominated walk). source='openalex' walks OpenAlex instead (no Scopus entitlement; node IDs are OpenAlex work IDs; reference lists are thinner and absent for AIS eLibrary papers). Server version is included in every response.

Input Schema

TableJSON Schema
NameRequiredDescriptionDefault
sortNoHow to rank citing papers before the max_per_node cap is applied (forward direction only; ignored for backward). 'citedby' (default): highest citation count first — captures the high-flow backbone. 'coverDate': most recent first — captures the current fringe but may produce a recency-dominated walk on high-citation seeds. 'relevancy': Scopus relevance score (Scopus only).citedby
scopeNoForward walks only: keep citing papers from these journals (ISSN list, or 'basket_of_eight'/'ais8'). The filter goes into the search, so max_per_node counts in-scope papers only. Restrict to journals, by ISSN: a list of ISSNs, or a basket name ('basket_of_eight' / 'ais8': the AIS Senior Scholars' Basket of Eight). ISSNs are used rather than journal names, which Scopus spells inconsistently.
sourceNoData source. 'scopus' (default) needs subscriber entitlement for search, citations and references. 'openalex' needs none: IDs may be DOIs, OpenAlex work IDs (W...), or Scopus IDs (resolved to a DOI via Scopus metadata), and results carry OpenAlex IDs. Never mix sources within one analysis.scopus
seed_idYesScopus ID or EID of the seed paper. With source='openalex', a DOI or OpenAlex work ID also works.
directionNo'forward' (default): walk citing papers via search_all + REF(). Fan-out can be large; use max_per_node to bound quota. 'backward': walk cited references via get_references, up to max_per_node per paper; references with no ID are skipped.forward
min_citingNoOnly expand papers that have at least this many citing papers (default 0 = expand all up to max_per_node). Pruning high values avoids exploding on trivially-cited nodes. Ignored for backward direction.
generationsNoNumber of generations to walk (default 1, max 3).
max_per_nodeNoCap on citing papers fetched per paper per generation (default 200).

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

  1. First observedv0.1.0

TDQS

A4.3/5.0
Behavior5/5

Does the description disclose side effects, auth requirements, rate limits, or destructive behavior?

With no annotations, the description carries the full burden and does so well: global deduplication, output written to disk as JSON plus an inline base64 corpus for sandboxed callers, entitlement requirements for scopus, thinner/absent OpenAlex reference lists for AIS eLibrary papers, and explicit quota risk from forward fan-out with max_per_node as the bound. It also warns not to mix sources within one analysis.

Agents need to know what a tool does to the world before calling it. Descriptions should go beyond structured annotations to explain consequences.

Conciseness4/5

Is the description appropriately sized, front-loaded, and free of redundancy?

Dense and front-loaded: the walk semantics come first, then output shape, then sort/source trade-offs. Slightly overlong, and the trailing 'Server version is included in every response' sentence is marginal, but nearly every sentence carries operational weight.

Shorter descriptions cost fewer tokens and are easier for agents to parse. Every sentence should earn its place.

Completeness4/5

Given the tool's complexity, does the description cover enough for an agent to succeed on first attempt?

For an 8-parameter tool with no output schema, the description covers return shape (disk JSON, inline summary, base64 corpus), source caveats, and quota behavior. Minor gaps remain around ID handling for backward walks on OpenAlex specifically, but overall it is sufficient to call the tool correctly.

Complex tools with many parameters or behaviors need more documentation. Simple tools need less. This dimension scales expectations accordingly.

Parameters3/5

Does the description clarify parameter syntax, constraints, interactions, or defaults beyond what the schema provides?

Schema description coverage is 100% and the schema already explains sort, scope, source, direction, min_citing and max_per_node in comparable detail, so the description largely restates it. It adds a little interaction context (sort is forward-only, scope filter goes into the search so the cap counts in-scope papers), but the baseline of 3 applies when the schema does the heavy lifting.

Input schemas describe structure but not intent. Descriptions should explain non-obvious parameter relationships and valid value ranges.

Purpose5/5

Does the description clearly state what the tool does and how it differs from similar tools?

States a specific verb and resource ('Walk the citation lineage of a seed paper across multiple generations') and immediately operationalizes it with forward/backward semantics. An agent can distinguish this from siblings like get_citing_papers or citation_network based on the multi-generation walk framing alone.

Agents choose between tools based on descriptions. A clear purpose with a specific verb and resource helps agents select the right tool.

Usage Guidelines4/5

Does the description explain when to use this tool, when not to, or what alternatives exist?

Gives clear when-to-use guidance on the sort modes ('citedby' gives a citation backbone vs 'coverDate' can produce a recency-dominated walk) and on source selection (openalex when there is no Scopus entitlement). It does not name sibling alternatives such as get_citing_papers or citation_network, so the routing signal against other lineage tools is left implicit.

Agents often have multiple tools that could apply. Explicit usage guidance like "use X instead of Y when Z" prevents misuse.

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