Publisher FAQ

Q: I already have an API, why should I care about the CrossRef REST API?

A: CrossRef is providing a common, standards-based API that works across publishers. For text and data mining projects, having to learn many different publisher APIs doesn’t scale well.

Q: What full text formats are required for text and data mining?

A: It is up to the publisher to decide what formats they will deliver full text in. Some may only be able to deliver PDF. Others may deliver only XML.  Some may deliver plain text. Some publishers may vary what they can deliver depending on the age of the content or other variables. Ultimately, researchers can use CrossRef metadata and/or content negotiation to discover what representations are supported for any given CrossRef DOI.

Q: Do I have to support rate-limiting on my site?

A: No. Only publishers who need to carefully control traffic on their web site should consider implementing rate limiting.

Q: Is the CrossRef REST API providing the access control to subscription-based content?

A: No, access control to subscription-based content is managed on the publisher site using their existing systems.

Q: How should text and data mining downloads be measured by COUNTER statistics?

A: We are looking into what COUNTER recommends.

Q: Can I use CrossRef Text and Data Mining Services for corporate customers like pharmaceutical companies?

A: Yes, you can. You can agree a license and fee (if applicable) with the customer, they can use the CrossRef API to request the full-text content and you can grant them access to it based on your current access control mechanisms. There is no need to post these licenses in the click-through service in this case.

The click-through is really for modifying existing institutional licenses that don’t allow text and data mining. So publishers simply need to come up with a license for text and data mining with a corporate user, enable IP access, and tell them to use CrossRef Text and Data Mining API to access the content.

Q: What do publishers need to do do implement the service?

A: All the steps are listed here. Please contact tdm@crossref.org with any questions.