Documentation

Using HTTPS to query

Most queries sent to our XML API will use HTTPS. For HTTPS querying you need to add either your Crossref member account credentials or an email address in the query. Use a DOI-to-metadata query when you know the DOI and want to find its associated metadata.

HTTPS query examples

DOI-to-metadata query example

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?pid={email@address.com}&id=10.1577/H02-043

DOI-to-metadata query requesting UNIXSD results

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?pid={email@address.com}&format=unixsd**&id=10.1577/H02-043

DOI-to-metadata queries may also be supplied using this format

https://doi.crossref.org/search/doi?pid={email@address.com}&doi=10.1577/H02-043

XML query

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?usr={email@address.com}&format=unixref&qdata=<?xml version="1.0"?><query_batch version="2.0"...

where:

  • usr or pid is your email address
  • format is the desired results format
  • qdata is the query data (XML is the recommended format)
  • id is a Crossref DOI

XML querying

An XML query must contain complete and valid query XML. Multiple queries may be included in a single XML file, but the <query> element is repeatable. For best results, do not exceed 5 queries per HTTPS XML query request.

Multiple queries in a single request

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?usr=username&pwd=password&qdata=<?xml version = "1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>  
<query_batch xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0"  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0 http://www.crossref.org/qschema/crossref_query_input2.0.xsd"><head><email_address>support@crossref.org</email_address><doi_batch_id>ABC_123_fff</doi_batch_id> </head> <body> <query key="query1" enable-multiple-hits="true" forward-match="false"><issn match="optional">15360075</issn><journal_title match="exact">American Journal of Bioethics</journal_title><author match="fuzzy" search-all-authors="false">Agich</author><volume match="fuzzy">1</volume><issue>1</issue><first_page>50</first_page><year>2001</year><article_title>The Salience of Narrative for Bioethics</article_title></query><query key="query2" enable-multiple-hits="true"><unstructured_citation>Hungate, B. A., &amp; Hampton, H. M. (2012). Ecosystem services: Valuing ecosystems for climate. Nature Climate Change, 2(3), 151-152.</unstructured_citation></query></body></query_batch>

HTTPS XML query example

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?usr=email@address.com&qdata=<?xml version = "1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?>  
<query_batch xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0"  xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0 http://www.crossref.org/qschema/crossref_query_input2.0.xsd"><head><email_address>support@crossref.org</email_address><doi_batch_id>ABC_123_fff</doi_batch_id> </head> <body> <query key="1178517" enable-multiple-hits="false" forward-match="false"><issn match="optional">15360075</issn><journal_title match="exact">American Journal of Bioethics</journal_title><author match="fuzzy" search-all-authors="false">Agich</author><volume match="fuzzy">1</volume><issue>1</issue><first_page>50</first_page><year>2001</year><article_title>The Salience of Narrative for Bioethics</article_title></query></body></query_batch>

HTTPS XML query with an unstructured (formatted) citation

Learn more about querying with an unstructured (formatted) citation

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?usr=email@address.com&format=unixref&qdata=<?xml version = "1.0" encoding="UTF-8"?><query_batch xmlns:xsi="http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance" version="2.0" xmlns="http://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0" xsi:schemaLocation="http://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0 http://www.crossref.org/qschema/crossref_query_input2.0.xsd"><head><email_address>your@email.org</email_address><doi_batch_id>01032012</doi_batch_id></head><body><query key="q1" enable-multiple-hits="true"><unstructured_citation>Hungate, B. A., &amp; Hampton, H. M. (2012). Ecosystem services: Valuing ecosystems for climate. Nature Climate Change, 2(3), 151-152.</unstructured_citation></query></body></query_batch>

HTTPS XML query with URL encoding

https://doi.crossref.org/servlet/query?usr=email@address.com&qdata=%3C?xml%20version=%221.0%22?%3E%3Cquery_batch%20version=%222.0%22%20xsi:schemaLocation=%22https://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0%20https://www.crossref.org/qschema/crossref_query_input2.0.xsd%22%20xmlns=%22https://www.crossref.org/qschema/2.0%22%20xmlns:xsi=%22http://www.w3.org/2001/XMLSchema-instance%22%3E%3Chead%3E%3Cemail_address%3Esupport@crossref.org%3C/email_address%3E%3Cdoi_batch_id%3EABC_123_fff%3C/doi_batch_id%3E%20%3C/head%3E%20%3Cbody%3E%20%3Cquery%20key=%221178517%22%20enable-multiple-hits=%22false%22%20forward-match=%22false%22%3E%3Cissn%20match=%22optional%22%3E15360075%3Cissn%3Cjournal_title%20match=%22exact%22%3EAmerican%20Journal%20of%20Bioethics%3C/journal_title%3E%3Cauthor%20match=%22fuzzy%22%20search-all-authors=%22false%22%3EAgich%3C/author%3E%3Cvolume%20match=%22fuzzy%22%3E1%3C/volume%3E%3Cissue%3E1%3C/issue%3E%3Cfirst_page%3E50%3C/first_page%3E%3Cyear%3E2001%3C/year%3E%3Carticle_title%3EThe%20Salience%20of%20Narrative%20for%20Bioethics%3C/article_title%3E%3C/query%3E%3C/body%3E%3C/query_batch%

Note that some characters must be URL-encoded:

CharacterNameURL code
;Semi-colon%3B
/Slash, virgule, separatrix, or solidus%2F
?Question mark%3F
:Colon%3A
@At sign, arobase%40
=Equals sign%3D
&Ampersand%26
lfline feed%0A

Page owner: Patrick Polischuk   |   Last updated 2020-April-08