Neuton Scrapes

Crossref DOI metadata · 1:22

Your first paper-metadata scrape

Watch the one-DOI Crossref walkthrough, then copy its starter input and verify the bibliographic record at its source.

This is an illustrated workflow based on the Actor guide. No paid run or live output row was captured. Crossref returns publisher-deposited metadata when available, not the paper PDF or full text. Check the Actor’s live Pricing tab and set a run charge limit before you start. Synthetic narration.

Open the Actor on Apify Read the full guide

Copy the starter input

Review the Actor’s current input schema and pricing before you run this bounded example.

{
  "queries": [],
  "dois": ["10.1038/s41586-020-2649-2"],
  "maxResults": 1
}

Source and limits

Crossref DOI metadata. Fields such as abstracts or full publication dates can be missing; a displayed day can reflect reduced source-date precision. Do not infer full text or an exact publication day from incomplete metadata.

Check the DOI and source URL first, then title, authors, journal or container title, publisher, and date precision. If the Dataset is empty, inspect RUN_SUMMARY and the run Log. Keep the DOI and source URL in your CSV export.

Full transcript

  1. 00:00.000 - Your first paper-metadata scrape

    Already have a DOI? Use it to request one source-linked bibliographic record. We'll run Neuton's Crossref Works Actor, inspect the Dataset, and export a checked CSV.

  2. 00:11.176 - Use Crossref for DOI metadata

    Crossref offers publisher-deposited DOI metadata: titles, authors, journals, dates and more when available. This Actor returns metadata, not the paper PDF or full text.

  3. 00:23.483 - Look up one DOI

    On Input, open JSON. Leave queries empty and enter the single DOI shown here. Max results is per search query; it is not a global charge cap.

  4. 00:34.083 - Check Pricing. Start once.

    Before Start, read the live Pricing tab and set a run charge limit. Run once, then open Dataset. A succeeded run may still return no usable row.

  5. 00:44.299 - Check the DOI-backed row

    Check DOI and URL first. Then verify title, authors, journal, publisher and publication date against the DOI landing page. Missing abstracts can be normal; don't invent precision.

  6. 00:57.053 - If empty, open RUN_SUMMARY

    If empty, open Storage and Run Summary. It lists saved rows and failed DOI lookups separately. Read the Log for the same run before trying again.

  7. 01:07.013 - Export a checked record

    Export the checked row as CSV, preserving DOI and URL. If you need citation graphs or open-access indicators, use OpenAlex separately and verify its identifiers. Metadata never replaces reading the paper.

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