Science Papers
Connect academic paper databases to ORQO so that agents can search papers, follow citation graphs, explore author profiles, and access preprints through MCP tools. Aggregates multiple sources — Semantic Scholar and arXiv — into a single integration.
| Category | Research |
| Capabilities | MCP tools only (no send/receive channel) |
| Adapter path | /science_papers |
| Auth method | API key (optional) |
Science Papers is an MCP-only integration. It provides tools for agents to search and access academic literature programmatically, but does not support inbound/outbound messaging through Chief of Staff or channels.
Prerequisites
- Access to the ORQO Settings area
- (Optional) A Semantic Scholar API key from semanticscholar.org/product/api for higher rate limits
Setup
1. Install the Science Papers App in ORQO
- Navigate to Settings → Integrations in ORQO.
- Find Science Papers in the app catalog and click Install.
- The app is created with the correct adapter URL and capabilities.
2. Add Credentials (Optional)
The integration works without credentials, but is rate-limited to approximately 100 requests per 5 minutes. For higher rate limits, add a Semantic Scholar API key:
| Credential | Type | Description |
|---|---|---|
| SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY | api_token | Free API key from Semantic Scholar for higher rate limits |
- Get a free API key at semanticscholar.org/product/api.
- Create the credential in Settings > Credentials with the key
SEMANTIC_SCHOLAR_API_KEY. - Assign it to the Science Papers App.
3. Verify the Connection
Click Verify on the Science Papers app card in ORQO. This tests connectivity to the APIs and discovers the available MCP tools.
Available Tools
The Science Papers adapter exposes MCP tools from two academic sources:
Semantic Scholar Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
scipa_search_papers | Search 200M+ papers by query with year, field-of-study, and open-access filters |
scipa_get_paper | Get full paper details by Semantic Scholar ID, DOI, or arXiv ID |
scipa_get_citations | Get papers that cite a given paper (follow-up research) |
scipa_get_references | Get papers referenced by a given paper (foundational work) |
scipa_get_author | Get an author's profile — name, affiliations, h-index, and top papers |
arXiv Tools
| Tool | Description |
|---|---|
scipa_search_arxiv | Search arXiv preprints with direct PDF download links |
scipa_get_arxiv_paper | Get a specific arXiv paper by its arXiv ID |
These tools are discovered automatically when the App is verified and can be assigned to agents via Skills.
Paper Identifiers
The Semantic Scholar tools accept multiple identifier formats:
| Format | Example |
|---|---|
| Semantic Scholar ID | 649def34f8be52c8b66281af98ae884c09aef38b |
| DOI | 10.18653/v1/N18-3011 (auto-prefixed with DOI:) |
| arXiv ID | ArXiv:2301.00001 |
| Paper URL | https://www.semanticscholar.org/paper/... |
Platform-Specific Behavior
- Optional credentials — Unlike most integrations, Science Papers works without any credentials. The Semantic Scholar API is free and open; arXiv requires no authentication at all. Adding an API key only increases rate limits.
- Two data sources — Semantic Scholar covers 200M+ papers with citation metadata. arXiv covers preprints with direct PDF links. Use Semantic Scholar for broad searches and citation analysis, arXiv for the latest preprints and full-text access.
- Rate limiting — Without an API key, Semantic Scholar limits to approximately 100 requests per 5 minutes. With a free API key, limits are significantly higher. arXiv has no authentication but enforces rate limits on rapid requests.
- No channel capabilities — Science Papers does not support send/receive channels. It is a tool-only integration for programmatic access to academic literature.
What's Next
- Apps & Channels for the full architecture
- Create a Skill to bundle Science Papers tools for agents
- Set Up Assignments to give agents access to Science Papers tools in workflows