scite
Free tierSmart citation tool that shows how scientific papers have been cited
Free tier available·All audiences·Powered by OpenAI·API available
Key strengths
Smart Citations show context of how a paper is cited (supporting, contrasting, or mentioning)AI-powered Assistant for asking research questions grounded in real literatureMassive database of over 1.2 billion citation statementsVisualizes citation networks and consensus across research communitiesIntegrates with reference managers like Zotero and browser extensions
Free tier + paid plans · from $20 USD/mo
New York, USA
Founded 2018
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scite API — Technical Reference
scite provides a RESTful API for programmatic access to its Smart Citation database.
Authentication
All API requests require a Bearer token passed in the Authorization header:
Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY
Key Endpoints
GET /citations/{doi}— Retrieve Smart Citation counts and statements for a paper by DOI.GET /papers/{doi}— Fetch paper metadata including title, authors, journal, and publication date.GET /search— Full-text search across citation statements with filters for classification type, year range, and more.POST /assistant— Submit a natural language research question and receive an AI-generated, citation-backed answer.
Example Request
curl -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_KEY" \
"https://api.scite.ai/citations/10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2"
Key Parameters
| Parameter | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
doi | string | The DOI of the target paper |
classification | enum | Filter by supporting, contrasting, or mentioning |
limit | integer | Number of results to return (max 100) |
offset | integer | Pagination offset |
Integrations
scite offers plugins for Zotero, a browser extension (Chrome/Firefox), and embeddable Smart Citation badges for publisher websites via a JavaScript snippet.