A Google Scholar API, because Google doesn't offer one
Search Google Scholar for titles, authors, citation counts, and PDF links. One credit per search, and empty results are free.
One request, real papers
That query returned 10 results in one call. Each one carries its citation count in citedBy and a direct pdfUrl when the paper has an open copy, so you get the paper and its reach in the same response.
A note on speed: Scholar response time varies. Some calls come back in under a second, others take several seconds. We would rather tell you that than pin a number we can't hold.
The full result row
There is no official Google Scholar API
Google runs Scholar, but it does not publish an API for it. There is no key to request, no developer console, no endpoint that returns Scholar results. If you want that data in your product, you either scrape the public results page yourself and keep it working, or you call an API that does it for you.
This is the endpoint that does it for you. The results are public and logged out, the same ones anyone sees on the Scholar results page, returned in a clean shape with the citation count and PDF link already parsed out. You run your product; we run the part that fetches the data.
How the billing compares
| Typical Scholar API | CrustAPI Scholar | |
|---|---|---|
| Charged when | Per call, whatever comes back | Only on a successful search |
| Empty result | Usually still billed | Free |
| Credit expiry | Often monthly reset or expiry | Purchased credits never expire |
| Citation count | Present | Present, in citedBy |
| Free tier | Varies | 3,000 credits / month, no card |
Peers like SerpApi and SearchApi sell Scholar SERP JSON metered per call, and they are solid at it. The difference here is the meter: one credit per successful search, an empty search costs nothing, and packs you buy do not expire out from under you.
Built for people who need Scholar data in code
Research and discovery tools
Citation and lit-review apps
Academic search products
One credit per search
A Scholar search costs one credit no matter how many results it returns, and a search that comes back empty costs nothing. Prepaid packs, credits never expire: 25k for $49, 100k for $149, 500k for $549, up to 250M, all self-serve, ex-tax. New accounts get 3,000 free credits every month with no card. This endpoint is part of the wider Google Search API, so the same key covers Scholar, images, patents, places, and the rest.
Here is what this returns and what it does not. You get the public Scholar result rows, with citation counts, years, and a PDF link when one exists. It is not a full-text database and it does not give you an author's private profile or email. If you need a paper's full text, follow the PDF link it hands you.
Common questions
Get Scholar results in one call
3,000 free credits covers a real research run. Point a query at the API and read the JSON, citation counts and PDF links included.
Get 3,000 free credits