# Scholar Citations > Fetch the citation graph for a research paper via OpenAlex. Returns the papers it cites (references - what preceded it) and the papers that cite it (citations - what built on it). Accepts OpenAlex work ID, DOI, arXiv ID, PMID, or OpenAlex/DOI URL. No API key required. Use when the user says "what does this paper cite", "who cites this paper", "references of", "citation graph", "papers that built… - **Type:** Skill - **Install:** `agentstack add skill-dsebastien-ai-skill-scholar-scholar-citations` - **Verified:** Yes — security-reviewed for prompt injection and unsafe behavior - **Seller:** [dsebastien](https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/dsebastien) - **Installs:** 0 - **Category:** [Agent Skills](https://agentstack.voostack.com/c/agent-skills) - **Latest version:** 0.1.0 - **License:** MIT - **Upstream author:** [dsebastien](https://github.com/dsebastien) - **Source:** https://github.com/dsebastien/ai-skill-scholar/tree/main/skills/scholar-citations ## Install ```sh agentstack add skill-dsebastien-ai-skill-scholar-scholar-citations ``` Requires the [AgentStack CLI](https://agentstack.voostack.com/docs/cli). Works with Claude Code, Cursor, and any MCP-compatible agent. ## About # Scholar Citations Traverse the citation graph of a research paper via [OpenAlex](https://openalex.org). Two directions: - **References** — what this paper cites (its intellectual ancestry) - **Citations** — what cites this paper (its intellectual descendants) One subprocess call returns a structured list of papers with titles, abstracts, citation counts, and external IDs. ## Usage ```bash # References — what this paper cites python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py references 2501.11120 --limit 100 # Citations — what cites this paper python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py citations 2501.11120 --limit 100 # Both at once python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py both 2501.11120 --limit 50 # Filter to recent, high-impact descendants python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py citations 1706.03762 \ --min-year 2024 --min-citations 10 --limit 100 # Accepts many ID formats python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py citations W4395065622 python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py citations "10.48550/arxiv.2404.14082" python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py citations "doi:10.48550/arxiv.2404.14082" python3 scripts/scholar_citations.py citations "https://openalex.org/W4395065622" ``` **Subcommands:** - `references ` — papers cited by the target - `citations ` — papers citing the target - `both ` — both directions in one payload **Flags:** - `--limit N` — max results per direction (default 100) - `--min-year YYYY` — drop older entries - `--min-citations N` — drop low-impact entries (useful for surfacing important follow-ups) ## When to use - **Tracing an idea backward** — given a paper, find the key work it builds on (`references` + `--min-citations 50`) - **Finding follow-ups** — see what built on an important paper (`citations` + `--min-year 2024`) - **Gap analysis** — intersect references and citations across multiple anchor papers to find unexplored neighborhoods - **Reviewer context** — get the citation neighborhood before reviewing a paper ## Data completeness caveat OpenAlex's reference lists are complete for well-indexed papers (journal articles, conference proceedings, older arxiv submissions) but often sparse for very recent preprints. If `references` returns empty, it's usually OpenAlex data coverage, not a script bug. For arxiv-only ancestry, fall back to parsing the paper's own reference list via `arxiv-analyze` with `--tier tex`. ## Workflow ### 1. Identify the anchor paper Accept OpenAlex W-id, DOI, arxiv id (auto-converts to arxiv's DOI), PMID (as `pmid:`), or any OpenAlex/DOI URL. The script auto-normalizes. ### 2. Pick direction - Understanding how a paper emerged? → `references` - Tracking impact or finding new work? → `citations` - Building a full neighborhood view? → `both` ### 3. Filter aggressively Reference and citation lists can be 100-1000 entries. Use `--min-citations` and `--min-year` generously — 1000 low-signal entries are worse than 20 high-signal ones. ### 4. Feed into analysis For each interesting paper: hand off `arxiv_id` to arxiv-analyze, or use the `open_access_pdf` URL directly. ## Rate limits OpenAlex is generous: 10 req/sec anonymous, more in the polite pool (set `OPENALEX_EMAIL`). Script self-throttles at 5 req/sec. A single `references` or `citations` call with `--limit 100` is typically 2-3 API requests (one for the root work, one or two for the batched resolution of related works). ## Token efficiency - 100 references/citations ≈ 15K-30K tokens (abstracts dominate) - For graph exploration where breadth > depth, pipe through `jq 'del(.*.abstract)'` before feeding to context ## Hard rules - **Don't explode the graph.** 100 × 100 references-of-references is 10k papers. If you need n-hop traversal, do it in explicit staged passes with user confirmation. - **Respect the rate limit.** The script's self-throttle is load-bearing. - **Sparse data is data.** If `references` or `citations` is empty, report it as empty; don't fabricate. ## Requirements - Python 3.11+ (stdlib only) - Internet access to `api.openalex.org` - Optional: `OPENALEX_EMAIL` for polite-pool access ## Source & license This open-source skill is cataloged on AgentStack and links to its original source — we do not rehost the code. - **Author:** [dsebastien](https://github.com/dsebastien) - **Source:** [dsebastien/ai-skill-scholar](https://github.com/dsebastien/ai-skill-scholar) - **License:** MIT Install and usage instructions live in the source repository linked above. ## Pricing - **Free** — Free ## Security capabilities Automated source analysis of v0.1.0 — what this tool can access: - **Network access:** no - **Filesystem access:** no - **Shell / process execution:** yes - **Environment & secrets:** no - **Dynamic code execution:** no *"Yes" means the capability is present in the source — more access means more to trust, not that it is unsafe.* ## Versions - **0.1.0** — security scan: passed — Imported from the upstream source. ## Links - Listing page: https://agentstack.voostack.com/l/skill-dsebastien-ai-skill-scholar-scholar-citations - Seller: https://agentstack.voostack.com/s/dsebastien - Browse the marketplace: https://agentstack.voostack.com/browse --- Listed on AgentStack — the marketplace for AI agent skills and MCP servers. Every listing is security-reviewed. Creators keep 70%.