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EnglishWhat Is the OpenAlex Help Center?
Updated
The OpenAlex Help Center (help.openalex.org) is the official documentation site for OpenAlex, described as "the open catalog of the global research system." It exists to help you get answers about OpenAlex, learn how to use it, and look up technical details. It is useful if you are trying to query, use, or integrate OpenAlex data — whether you are brand new or already working with the API.
What OpenAlex is
OpenAlex is a comprehensive index of the world's research. The Help Center treats it as the thing you are trying to understand or build on, and the site itself as the place to find out how.
What the Help Center gives you
The site organizes its content into a few clear paths, depending on what you need:
- Search — described as "the fastest way to answer a specific question," it searches the full help center.
- Learn — for people just starting. This includes a five-minute Quickstart, How-to guides for simple answers, and Tutorials for longer, step-by-step recipes.
- Ask Claude — you can add a free OpenAlex connector and ask questions in plain language. The site notes you don't need it, but it makes most things easier, and says a ChatGPT version is coming soon.
- Reference — the detailed material, split into three parts:
- Access — getting the data, pricing, and fixing errors.
- Data — defines and describes OpenAlex's contents.
- API reference — documents the REST API.
- AI agents — a plain-text index of every page is available at help.openalex.org/llms.txt, and each page also has a markdown version you get by adding
.mdto its URL. - Chat — ways to talk it through: ask other users in the Google Group, report a bug to the team, or ask the docs with your AI (Claude, ChatGPT, or Perplexity).
Who it's for
The Help Center is aimed at anyone who wants to query, use, or integrate OpenAlex data. That spans a range of needs:
| If you want to… | Start here |
|---|---|
| Answer one specific question fast | Search |
| Get oriented from scratch | Quickstart (five minutes) |
| Solve a simple task | How-to guides |
| Follow a longer recipe | Tutorials |
| Get the data, understand pricing, fix errors | Access |
| Understand what OpenAlex contains | Data |
| Build against the REST API | API reference |
| Feed the docs to an AI agent | llms.txt or a page's .md URL |
| Ask a person or community | Google Group, bug report, or AI chat |
How to use it
- If you have a specific question, use Search first — the site calls it the fastest route to an answer.
- If you're new, work through the five-minute Quickstart, then dip into How-to guides as needed.
- If you need depth, go to Reference: Access for getting data and fixing errors, Data for what's in OpenAlex, and the API reference for the REST API.
- If you'd rather ask in plain language, add the free OpenAlex connector to Claude. The site is explicit that you don't need it, but it makes most things easier.
- If you're working with an AI agent, start at help.openalex.org/llms.txt, or append
.mdto any page URL for its markdown version.
A note on pricing and access
The Help Center lists "pricing" as a topic covered under Access, so cost-related details live there rather than on the homepage. The homepage itself does not state prices or login requirements, so check the Access section for the specifics that apply to your situation.