Pubscope

org.pubscopePublished by pubscope.orgOfficial publisherv1.1.0Updated Oct 28, 2026

Journal intelligence: indexing, quartile, APC, trust score, measured publication times

VerifiedStreamable HTTPWeb executableWeb Search & ScrapingKnowledge & Memory

Overview

AI-generated overview

PubScope is a free remote MCP server that lets an assistant look up 46,000+ academic journals and verify reference lists against scholarly databases.

What you can do
  • Search journals by title, ISSN or publisher, with filters for quartile and open access
  • Read a full profile of one journal by ISSN, including indexing, quartile, scope and integrity signals
  • Compare two to four journals side by side on quartile, indexing, trust and cost
  • Check a pasted reference list (plain text, BibTeX or RIS) against Crossref, OpenAlex, DataCite, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, PubMed, DBLP and Retraction Watch, flagging unfindable, retracted or DOI-mismatched entries
When to use it
Useful when a researcher or author asks whether a journal is indexed, what its quartile, APC or trust score is, how journals compare, or whether a reference list contains fabricated or retracted citations. It replaces guessing journal facts from model training data.
Requirements
A remote Streamable HTTP endpoint; no local runtime or package needed. No authentication is required for the basic layer. An optional X-Api-Key header unlocks the measured and composite layer (trust score, impact factor, APC, publication times) and lifts the one-check-per-day citation limit. Clients that only speak stdio can bridge via mcp-remote.
Before you install
The optional X-Api-Key header is a secret and should be supplied as a header, not shared. Without it, results omit trust score, impact factor, APC and publication times, and citation checks are limited to one per day. The server is free with per-IP rate limits. Reference lists you paste are sent to the remote service and to third-party sources such as Crossref, OpenAlex and Retraction Watch.

Installation

In SourceWeft

  1. Open Pubscope in the dashboard and add it to a workspace.
  2. Enable the server for the chats that should use its tools.

Web executable via Streamable HTTP. Remote servers run from the web runtime once configured in a workspace.

Use with an agent

Paste this prompt into Claude Code, Codex, Cursor or another agent — or into SourceWeft chat. The agent reads this server's install guide, shows you its publisher, endpoint and sign-in, and adds it to your client once you agree. Keys never go into a command.

Read https://sourceweft.com/mcp/org.pubscope%2Fpubscope/install.md and connect the MCP server it describes to my client. Before changing any config, show me its publisher, endpoint and sign-in method and wait for my OK. Never put an API key in a command or in a file I would commit; ask me where it should come from.

Read the install guide the agent follows

Other MCP clients

Add this to your client's mcpServers config.

{
  "mcpServers": {
    "pubscope": {
      "type": "http",
      "url": "https://pubscope.org/api/mcp"
    }
  }
}

README

PubScope MCP Server

Connect your AI assistant to PubScope — free journal intelligence for researchers. This remote MCP (Model Context Protocol) server gives Claude, Cursor, VS Code and any MCP-compatible client live access to 46,000+ verified academic journals: trust scores, SJR quartiles, indexing status (Scopus / Web of Science / DOAJ), APCs, and reference verification — instead of guessing from training data.

Endpoint:  https://pubscope.org/api/mcpTransport: Streamable HTTPAuth:      none — no API key requiredCost:      free (fair-use rate limits)

Full setup guide: pubscope.org/mcp

Tools

ToolArgumentsWhat it does
search_journalsquery, quartile?, open_access_only?, max_results?Search 46,000+ journals by title, ISSN or topic. Returns trust score, SJR quartile, indexing (Scopus / WoS / DOAJ), open-access status and APC.
get_journalissnFull profile of one journal — trust score breakdown, indexing credentials, publisher, quartile, APC and integrity flags.
compare_journalsissns (2–4)Side-by-side comparison of 2–4 journals on trust, quartile, indexing and cost.
check_citationsreferencesVerify a pasted reference list against Crossref, OpenAlex and the Retraction Watch database — flags fabricated, unresolvable and retracted references.

Setup

Claude (web & desktop)

Settings → Connectors → Add custom connector → paste the endpoint URL. No authentication — leave the OAuth fields empty.

https://pubscope.org/api/mcp

Claude Code (CLI)

bash
claude mcp add --transport http pubscope https://pubscope.org/api/mcp

Cursor

Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server, or add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "pubscope": {      "url": "https://pubscope.org/api/mcp"    }  }}

VS Code (GitHub Copilot)

bash
code --add-mcp '{"name":"pubscope","type":"http","url":"https://pubscope.org/api/mcp"}'

Any other MCP client (stdio bridge)

Clients that only speak stdio can bridge to the remote server with mcp-remote:

json
{  "mcpServers": {    "pubscope": {      "command": "npx",      "args": ["-y", "mcp-remote", "https://pubscope.org/api/mcp"]    }  }}

Things to try

  • "Find Q1 open-access journals on medical image segmentation and compare the top three."
  • "Is Medical Image Analysis indexed in Web of Science? What's its trust score?"
  • "Here's my reference list — check every citation for fabrication and retractions."
  • "Compare 1361-8415 and 1533-7928 on cost and indexing."

Data & integrity

Every fact the server returns comes from verifiable third-party sources — Scimago (SJR), DOAJ, Web of Science membership records, OpenAlex, Crossref and the Retraction Watch database. Nothing is fabricated, and absence from an index is never presented as a risk verdict. Methodology: pubscope.org/methodology.

Fair use

The server is free and unauthenticated, with per-IP rate limits to keep it available for everyone. For higher-volume or commercial access, get in touch.

About

PubScope is a free academic journal intelligence platform: journal verification, AI-powered journal finding, manuscript review-readiness scanning and citation checking. pubscope.org

License

This documentation repository is MIT-licensed. The PubScope service itself is subject to its terms.

Source: README.md at commit 6d89928

Tools

4

search_journals

Search journals

Search 46,000+ academic journals by title, ISSN, or publisher. Returns indexing status (WoS/Scopus/DOAJ), SJR quartile and open-access info for any caller; trust score and APC require an identified caller. Supports filters.

Parametersqueryrequiredquartilemax_resultsopen_access_only

get_journal

Get journal profile

Full profile of one journal by ISSN: indexing, quartile, open-access status, scope and integrity signals (e.g. DOAJ withdrawal) for any caller. Trust score with breakdown, impact factor, APC and measured publication time require an identified caller. Use when the user asks about one journal.

Parametersissnrequired

compare_journals

Compare journals

Side-by-side comparison of 2-4 journals by ISSN: quartile and indexing for any caller, trust score and APC for an identified one.

Parametersissnsrequired

check_citations

Verify a reference list

Verify a pasted reference list (plain text, BibTeX or RIS) against Crossref, OpenAlex, DataCite, Semantic Scholar, arXiv, PubMed and DBLP, plus Retraction Watch. Flags references that cannot be found (possibly fabricated), retracted papers and DOI mismatches. One check per day without an account; sign in for more.

Parametersreferencesrequired

Version history

1
  1. v1.1.0LatestSep 16, 2026

Score

100% of the applicable checks met

How complete this listing is, computed from the registry entry, the endpoint and public sources. Not a rating of the server and not a statement that it is safe or working today: reachability is a dated check, and no installs or reviews go into the score.

  • Reached in the last 30 daysRequired25 pts
  • Auth declaredRequired10 pts
  • Tools listedRequired15 pts
  • DescriptionRequired15 pts
  • Logo10 pts
  • Documentation15 pts
  • License10 pts