CrossRef system interfaces (for machines) > Using the OpenURL Query Interface

Using the Open URL Query Interface

Note:  For basic information on OpenURL, see Using DOIs and OpenURL.

OpenURL Accounts

Using a login to access CrossRef's OpenURL Query Interface is required. We request that users obtain and use a login to help  monitor usage and deal with problems should they arise.  OpenURL users who are already CrossRef members may use their CrossRef system account. Non members may obtain a complimentary OpenURL account.

Login credentials are provided in the 'pid' parameter of the OpenURL request.

For CrossRef members using username/password:

http://www.crossref.org/openurl?pid=username:password&aulast=Maas%20LRM&title= JOURNAL%20OF%20PHYSICAL%20OCEANOGRAPHY&volume=32&issue=3&spage=870&date=2002

For CrossRef Query Services accounts:

http://www.crossref.org/openurl?pid=name@someplace.com&aulast=Maas%20LRM&title= JOURNAL%20OF%20PHYSICAL%20OCEANOGRAPHY&volume=32&issue=3&spage=870&date=2002

Metadata queries

CrossRef maintains an OpenURLQuery Interface that accepts metadata, searches to find a matching DOI, and redirects the user to the target of the DOI.

For example, a user might submit the following query:

http://www.crossref.org/openurl?pid=username:password&aulast=Maas%20LRM&title= JOURNAL%20OF%20PHYSICAL%20OCEANOGRAPHY&volume=32&issue=3&spage=870&date=2002

The OpenURL Query Interface would find the appropriate DOI—in this case, 10.1175/1520-0485(2002)032<0870:CT>2.0.CO;2—and redirect the user to the abstract.  Show Example

OpenURL target

In most instances, only a single DOI will be returned. If more than one DOI is returned, the user will be directed to a list of all available DOIs:

For example, the query: http://www.crossref.org/openurl?title=Science&aulast=Fernández&date=2009 will return Show Example:

 

The OpenURL Query Interface can accept these parameters:

Results are returned in XML format.  Show Examples

Single match found

<?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
<doi_batch version="0.3">
<head>
<doi_batch_id>Crossref::Resolver_26-Feb-2004@09:25:12</doi_batch_id>
<timestamp>26-Feb-2004@09:25:12</timestamp>
<depositor>
<name />
<email_address />
</depositor>
<registrant />
</head>
<body>
<doi_record type="full_text" key="">
<doi_data>
<doi>10.1006/jmbi.2000.4282</doi>
<url />
</doi_data>
<journal_article_metadata>
<article>
<author sequence="first">
<given_name />
<surname>Jiang</surname>
</author>
<date type="print">
<year>2001</year>
</date>
<enumeration>
<volume>305</volume>
<issue>3</issue>
<first_page>377</first_page>
</enumeration>
</article>
<journal>
<full_title>Journal of Molecular Biology</full_title>
<issn type="print">00222836</issn>
<issn type="electronic">10898638</issn>
</journal>
</journal_article_metadata>
</doi_record>
</body>
</doi_batch>

Multiple matches found

  <?xml version="1.0" encoding="UTF-8" ?>
- <crossref_result version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.crossref.org/qrschema/2.0" xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.crossref.org/qrschema/2.0 http://www.crossref.org/qrschema/crossref_query_output2.0.xsd">
- <query_result>
- <head>
<email_address>ckoscher@crossref.org</email_address>
<doi_batch_id>w001</doi_batch_id>
</head>
- <body>
- <query key="555-555" status="multiresolved">
<doi>10.1016/S0360-3016(02)03429-6</doi>
<issn type="print">03603016</issn>
<journal_title>International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics</journal_title>
<author>KIM</author>
<volume>54</volume>
<issue>2</issue>
<first_page>215</first_page>
<year>2002</year>
<publication_type>full_text</publication_type>
<article_title>Potential radiation sensitizing effect of SU5416 by down-regulating the COX-2 expression in human lung cancer cells</article_title>
</query>
- <query key="555-555" status="multiresolved">
<doi>10.1016/S0360-3016(02)03428-4</doi>
<issn type="print">03603016</issn>
<journal_title>International Journal of Radiation Oncology*Biology*Physics</journal_title>
<author>WILLIAMS</author>
<volume>54</volume>
<issue>2</issue>
<first_page>215</first_page>
<year>2002</year>
<publication_type>full_text</publication_type>
<article_title>Effect of the administration of lovastatin on the development of pulmonary fibrosis following whole lung irradiation in a mouse model</article_title>
</query>
</body>
</query_result>
</crossref_result>

Examples:

redirect="false":

http://www.crossref.org/openurl?issn=03770273&aulast=Walker&volume=54&spage=117&date=1983&noredirect=&pid=username:password

multihit="true/false/exact":

http://www.crossref.org/openurl?issn=03603016&volume=54&issue=2&spage=215&date=2002&multihit=true&pid=username:password

DOI queries

CrossRef supports DOI queries formatted as OpenURL version 0.1 requests. This metadata includes identifiers (title and/or ISSN), first author, enumeration (volume issue page), and year, as shown here:

Open URL query:

http://www.crossref.org/openurl/?pid=username:password&id=doi:10.1103/PhysRev.47.777&noredirect=true

CrossRef query:

http://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?pid=username:password&id=10.1006/jmbi.2000.4282

Like metadata queries, DOI query results are returned in XML format.

 

 

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