POST/meta-paper-relations

meta-paper-relations: paginate a paper's relations

Paginate the full citations / references / related-works list of a paper.

Overview

citations / references / related_works are unbounded arrays (a highly-cited paper can have thousands). meta-search only inlines a truncated few; use this endpoint for the full list. First obtain the paper's unique_id from meta-search or agentic-search, then paginate by relation.

Use cases

  • · What does paper X cite (relation=REFERENCES)
  • · Which papers cite paper X (relation=CITATIONS)
  • · Works related to paper X (relation=RELATED_WORKS)

Not for

  • · Use content, not this endpoint, to read source text by doc_id.
  • · Use agentic-search for semantic evidence retrieval.
  • · Use meta-search for structured paper-list filtering.

Capability boundaries

  • · meta-paper-relations queries citations, references, or related works by unique_id, not by doc_id.
  • · relation only supports CITATIONS, REFERENCES, and RELATED_WORKS.
  • · Highly cited papers may require paginated reads; keep page_size within public limits.
  • · Relation items are paper-relation records, not full-text evidence chunks.

Authentication

Use API key Bearer token authentication for all requests. Add this HTTP header:

Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN

Request example

curl -X POST https://api.sciverse.space/meta-paper-relations \
  -H "Authorization: Bearer YOUR_API_TOKEN" \
  -H "Content-Type: application/json" \
  -d '{"unique_id":"paper:10.1038/s41586-021-03819-2","relation":"CITATIONS","page":1,"page_size":25}'

Request body (JSON)

Pick one relation; CITATIONS (incoming: who cites me) and REFERENCES (outgoing: who I cite) are opposite directions.

FieldTypeRequiredDescription
unique_idstringRequiredTarget paper unique_id (e.g. paper:10.1038/xxx) from meta-search / agentic-search; do not pass doc_id.
relationstringRequiredRelation type: CITATIONS (incoming) / REFERENCES (outgoing) / RELATED_WORKS.
pageintegerOptionalPage number.
Default 1Range >= 1
page_sizeintegerOptionalItems per page.
Default 25Range 1-200

Response structure

FieldTypeDescription
itemsarray<object>Relation entries, each { id, id_type, title }.
total_countintegerTotal number of relations.
pageintegerCurrent page number.
page_sizeintegerItems per page.
total_pagesintegerTotal pages.
code / message / biz_codeobjectUnified success envelope fields.

Response example

{
  "items": [{"id": "10.1080/10400419.2011.571190", "id_type": "doi", "title": "Contesting ... Theory of Creativity"}],
  "total_count": 128,
  "page": 1,
  "page_size": 25,
  "total_pages": 6,
  "code": "SUCCESS",
  "message": "OK",
  "biz_code": 0
}

Errors

CodeMessageDescription
400INVALID_ARGUMENTInvalid params: empty unique_id or bad relation.
403FORBIDDENNo access to the relation field (citations/references/related_works).
404NOT_FOUNDNo document found for unique_id.
429RATE_LIMITEDRate limited; retry after the window resets.
502UPSTREAM_UNAVAILABLEUpstream metadata-service unavailable.

See the Errors section for shared error codes.

Parameter bounds

LimitValue
page>= 1
page_size1-200 (default 25)
Default rate limit30 req / minute (per user)

Retry guidance

  • · Retry: 502 / 503 / 504
  • · Do not retry: 400 / 401 / 403 / 404
  • · 429: wait out the rate-limit window

FAQ

Where do I get unique_id?

Usually from a meta-search result after locating the target paper.

What is the difference between CITATIONS and REFERENCES?

CITATIONS means papers that cite the target paper. REFERENCES means papers cited by the target paper.

Can I query relations with doc_id?

No. doc_id is for content reads. The relation endpoint requires unique_id.

Can related works replace semantic search?

No. RELATED_WORKS is a relation signal. Use agentic-search for open-ended semantic evidence retrieval.

Need an API key?

Create one in Console > Tokens.The same API key works for enabled Sciverse, DianShi, and Skills capabilities, with starter quota available according to account permissions.

Open console