Semantic Scholar

What it does

Semantic Scholar is a web search tool for scientific papers. Enter a query, author name, or topic, and it returns matching papers from an index of 240,542,986 papers across all fields of science. The site also offers a developer API with paper search and Semantic Reader, a beta augmented reading view for select papers.

People typically use it to find and read research papers in a topic area or by author. Its main distinguishing features are the size of the indexed corpus and the public API, which lets developers build scholarly applications on the same search. Semantic Reader adds contextual reading features to articles and is currently available for select papers during beta.

It suits researchers, students, and developers who need to search academic literature or build scholarly tools. The public search tool is free to use. API access terms and rate limits are set separately, so check the API documentation before building an integration. Semantic Reader is limited to select papers during beta, so availability for a given paper is not guaranteed.

What it can do

• Search across 240,542,986 scientific papers from all fields
• Paper search through the developer API
• Augmented reading with Semantic Reader (beta, select papers)
• Browse suggested searches such as author and topic queries

Example workflows

Finding papers on a topic

Input: a topic such as Brownian Motion typed into the search box. Steps: submit the search and browse the returned papers. Output: a list of matching scientific papers.

Building a scholarly app with the API

Input: a developer's API key from the Get Started page. Steps: call the paper search endpoint and use the returned results in the developer's own application. Output: paper search results inside the developer's app.

Before you choose

• The public search tool is free; API pricing and rate limits are set separately in the API documentation.
• Semantic Reader is in beta and is available only for select papers.
• Account features, sign-in requirements, and data export options are not covered here.

Listed under

• Data
• Research
• Academic papers
• Academic research
• API
• Citations
• Developers
• Free tool

Get started

Use the search box on the home page, or follow the Get Started link for the developer API.

1. Open the Semantic Scholar home page and type a topic or author name into the search box.
2. To use the developer API, select the Get Started link to reach the API product page.
3. Read the API documentation for the paper search features before building an app.

The public scholarly search tool is free. Check the API documentation for access requirements and rate limits before building an integration.

Semantic Scholar is free to use. See their pricing page ↗

Sources for this overview

Product pages, documentation, and pricing checked 29 Oct 2026. Each source supports part of the overview; availability and prices can change.

• Semantic Scholar | AI-Powered Research Tool ↗www.semanticscholar.org

Company website

semanticscholar.org: product, pricing and policy pages

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knowledge_base

Last checked 29 Oct 2026. Every field keeps its source and date; unknown means we couldn’t confirm it.