AI tools for research librarians
For reference and research-support work: check a reading list for retracted papers, resolve doubtful citations, assess a journal and locate data, with the source on every record.
Capabilities for reference and research support
Selected for the questions that reach a library desk: is this citation real, is this paper still standing, is this journal sound, where is the data. Figures and grant searches are left out.
Verify references
All disciplines · Crossref, OpenAlex
Retraction checker
All disciplines · Retraction Watch, Crossref
Journal checker
All disciplines · OpenAlex, DOAJ
Search papers
All disciplines · OpenAlex, PubMed / Europe PMC, arXiv +5
Find datasets
All disciplines · DataCite, Zenodo, Dryad +2
Historical archives
Humanities & math · Library of Congress, Europeana, OEIS
- Verify references
- Resolve incomplete or doubtful citations that patrons bring, including ones produced by AI tools.
- Retraction checker
- Screen course reading lists, guides and review bibliographies for retractions, corrections and expressions of concern.
- Journal checker
- Answer “is this journal legitimate?” with its DOAJ listing, charges and warning signs.
- Search papers
- A first pass across open indexes, with open-access links for patrons outside your subscriptions.
- Find datasets
- Locate data in DataCite, Zenodo, Dryad and Dataverse for data-management and reuse questions.
- Historical archives
- Digitised newspapers, manuscripts and images from the Library of Congress and Europeana, with rights statements.
Requests from a librarian
Retraction checker
You say to your agent
Here are the DOIs on the reading list for a graduate nutrition course. Which papers have been retracted or corrected?
Verify references
You say to your agent
A student brought these five citations from a chatbot. Find out which ones are real and give me the correct records.
Journal checker
You say to your agent
A researcher was invited to publish in this journal. Is it in DOAJ, what does it charge, and are there warning signs?
Why an agent, not another app?
You already write and think with Claude or ChatGPT. There is no other app to switch to: you add academic data tools to the agent you have.
Over MCP (Model Context Protocol) the agent queries academic databases directly, and the records it gets back carry their source and licence, so you can check them.
Frequently asked questions
Ready to make your agent a better scholar?
Connect once. Papers, data and figures from 50+ sources, in the agent you already use.
Works with compatible AI agents
Data from OpenAlex · Crossref · PubMed · arXiv · NIH · UniProt · PDB · PubChem · NASA · World Bank · USGS · GBIF and more