PLOS Search API
api.plos.org · Science
Search across all Public Library of Science (PLOS) open-access journals — PLOS ONE, PLOS Biology, PLOS Medicine, and more. Solr-based, no API key required. 7,200 requests/day limit.
Authentication
No authentication requiredFree to use with no key needed.
Sample Requests
GET
Search PLOS articles
Search PLOS journals by title keyword.
https://api.plos.org/search?q=title:CRISPR&fl=title,author,journal,publication_date&wt=json&rows=5
Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does
curl -X GET "https://api.plos.org/search?q=title%3ACRISPR&fl=title%2Cauthor%2Cjournal%2Cpublication_date&wt=json&rows=5"
import requests
params = {
"q": "title:CRISPR",
"fl": "title,author,journal,publication_date",
"wt": "json",
"rows": "5"
}
response = requests.get(
"https://api.plos.org/search",
params=params,
)
print(response.json())const url = new URL('https://api.plos.org/search');
url.searchParams.set('q', 'title:CRISPR');
url.searchParams.set('fl', 'title,author,journal,publication_date');
url.searchParams.set('wt', 'json');
url.searchParams.set('rows', '5');
const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
"net/url"
)
func main() {
baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://api.plos.org/search")
q := baseURL.Query()
q.Set("q", "title:CRISPR")
q.Set("fl", "title,author,journal,publication_date")
q.Set("wt", "json")
q.Set("rows", "5")
baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
targetURL := baseURL.String()
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)
client := &http.Client{}
resp, _ := client.Do(req)
defer resp.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}require "net/http"
require "json"
uri = URI("https://api.plos.org/search")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
"q" => "title:CRISPR",
"fl" => "title,author,journal,publication_date",
"wt" => "json",
"rows" => "5"
})
http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)<?php
$url = "https://api.plos.org/search?" . http_build_query([
"q" => "title:CRISPR",
"fl" => "title,author,journal,publication_date",
"wt" => "json",
"rows" => "5"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
"method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));
GET
Search by subject
Search articles by MeSH subject term.
https://api.plos.org/search?q=subject:"Machine learning"&fl=title,author,publication_date,article_type&wt=json&rows=5
Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does
curl -X GET "https://api.plos.org/search?q=subject%3A%22Machine%20learning%22&fl=title%2Cauthor%2Cpublication_date%2Carticle_type&wt=json&rows=5"
import requests
params = {
"q": "subject:"Machine learning"",
"fl": "title,author,publication_date,article_type",
"wt": "json",
"rows": "5"
}
response = requests.get(
"https://api.plos.org/search",
params=params,
)
print(response.json())const url = new URL('https://api.plos.org/search');
url.searchParams.set('q', 'subject:"Machine learning"');
url.searchParams.set('fl', 'title,author,publication_date,article_type');
url.searchParams.set('wt', 'json');
url.searchParams.set('rows', '5');
const response = await fetch(url);
const data = await response.json();
console.log(data);package main
import (
"fmt"
"io"
"net/http"
"net/url"
)
func main() {
baseURL, _ := url.Parse("https://api.plos.org/search")
q := baseURL.Query()
q.Set("q", "subject:"Machine learning"")
q.Set("fl", "title,author,publication_date,article_type")
q.Set("wt", "json")
q.Set("rows", "5")
baseURL.RawQuery = q.Encode()
targetURL := baseURL.String()
req, _ := http.NewRequest("GET", targetURL, nil)
client := &http.Client{}
resp, _ := client.Do(req)
defer resp.Body.Close()
body, _ := io.ReadAll(resp.Body)
fmt.Println(string(body))
}require "net/http"
require "json"
uri = URI("https://api.plos.org/search")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
"q" => "subject:"Machine learning"",
"fl" => "title,author,publication_date,article_type",
"wt" => "json",
"rows" => "5"
})
http = Net::HTTP.new(uri.host, uri.port)
http.use_ssl = uri.scheme == "https"
req = Net::HTTP::Get.new(uri)
res = http.request(req)
puts JSON.parse(res.body)<?php
$url = "https://api.plos.org/search?" . http_build_query([
"q" => "subject:"Machine learning"",
"fl" => "title,author,publication_date,article_type",
"wt" => "json",
"rows" => "5"
]);
$opts = ["http" => [
"method" => "GET",
]];
$ctx = stream_context_create($opts);
$res = file_get_contents($url, false, $ctx);
print_r(json_decode($res, true));Postman Setup Guide
- No API key needed
- Try GET https://api.plos.org/search?q=title:evolution&rows=5&wt=json
- Uses Solr query syntax — field:value for field-specific searches
- fl param controls which fields are returned
- All results are open access — full text available
What can you build with PLOS Search API?
PLOS Search API is a Science API. Developers commonly use science APIs for:
- accessing research datasets and scientific literature
- powering academic and R&D applications
- running scientific calculations and simulations
- visualising experimental and observational data
- integrating with research and reference databases
No authentication required. This API is open — no signup or key needed. Ideal for quick prototypes and public-facing features. PLOS Search API is free to use, making it a low-risk choice to experiment with.
New to APIs? Read our beginner's guide