webdata-tools-mcp

Search papers, preprints and patents

search_research

Read-onlyIdempotent

Search papers, preprints and patents across OpenAlex, arXiv, PubMed and Europe PMC in one deduplicated list; filter by open access or recency and sort by newest, citations or impact.

Instructions

Papers, preprints and patents from OpenAlex, arXiv, PubMed and Europe PMC in one deduplicated list, newest first or most influential first: title, abstract, authors and affiliations, venue, DOI, PDF link, citations, citations per year, field-normalized impact (top 1% / 10%), open-access status, and for patents the number, applicants and IPC/CPC classes. Retracted papers are left out. Runs the Apify Actor tacps126/research-radar on your Apify account (about $0.003 per result; spend per call is capped at $0.5).

Input Schema

Name	Required	Description	Default
`queries`	Yes	Topics, keywords or phrases, e.g. "solid state battery".
`sort_by`	No	newest first, most cited, or highest field-normalized impact (influential work).	newest
`sources`	No	Which sources to search. Default: openalex, arxiv, pubmed, europepmc, patents.
`max_items`	No	Maximum results to return (default 30, max 500). Cost scales with this.
`extra_input`	No	Advanced: extra Actor input fields, merged over the defaults.
`open_access_only`	No	Only papers that are free to read.
`posted_within_days`	No	Only results published in the last N days.

Output Schema

Name	Required	Description
`tool`	Yes	Name of the tool that produced the result.
`count`	Yes	Number of records the Actor returned.
`items`	Yes	The records. Long text fields are shortened to 600 characters.
`shown`	Yes	Number of records included in `items` (can be lower than count when the result is long).
`truncated`	Yes	True when records were left out to keep the result short; ask for fewer items.

Schema Changelog

Changes observed during successful MCP inspections.

Addedv0.10.1Oct 23, 2026

TDQS

A3.8/5.0

Behavior4/5

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

Annotations already declare read-only, open-world, idempotent behavior. The description adds valuable context beyond them: deduplication across sources, exclusion of retracted papers, running on the user's Apify account, pricing (~$0.003/result), and a $0.5 per-call spend cap. It stops short of describing failure or rate-limit behavior.

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

Conciseness3/5

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

The first sentence spends most of its length enumerating return fields (title, abstract, authors, DOI, PDF link, citations, etc.), which duplicates the output schema. Cost and exclusion details are useful, but the field list crowds out the core search behavior.

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?

With an output schema, annotations, and full parameter coverage, the definition is largely self-sufficient. Cost, deduplication, and retraction exclusion are present. Only guidance on choosing this tool over siblings is missing.

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?

All parameters have schema descriptions, so baseline is 3. The description reinforces source coverage and sorting semantics but adds no syntax or format detail beyond the schema.

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?

The description names a specific verb and resource ('search' for 'papers, preprints and patents'), specifies the sources (OpenAlex, arXiv, PubMed, Europe PMC), and mentions patents as a distinct result type. This clearly distinguishes it from siblings like search_google_news or analyze_field.

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

Usage Guidelines3/5

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

The description covers what you get and how results are ordered or filtered, but it never states when to use this tool rather than siblings like analyze_field, or when not to. Usage is implied, not explicitly guided.

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