SHERPA RoMEO API
v2.sherpa.ac.uk · Science
Check publisher and journal open access policies — find out where you can legally self-archive papers (preprint, postprint, or published version). Free API key required.
Authentication
API Key authentication
Free API key available at sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/api_user_register.php. Pass as &api-key= query param.
Sample Requests
GET
Look up journal policy
Get open access policy for Nature (ISSN 0028-0836).
https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id?format=Json&api-key=YOUR_API_KEY&item-type=publication&identifier=https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0028-0836
Hover any highlighted part to learn what it does
curl -X GET "https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id?format=Json&api-key=YOUR_API_KEY&item-type=publication&identifier=https%3A%2F%2Fportal.issn.org%2Fresource%2FISSN%2F0028-0836"
import requests
params = {
"format": "Json",
"api-key": "YOUR_API_KEY",
"item-type": "publication",
"identifier": "https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0028-0836"
}
response = requests.get(
"https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id",
params=params,
)
print(response.json())const url = new URL('https://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id');
url.searchParams.set('format', 'Json');
url.searchParams.set('api-key', 'YOUR_API_KEY');
url.searchParams.set('item-type', 'publication');
url.searchParams.set('identifier', 'https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0028-0836');
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://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id")
q := baseURL.Query()
q.Set("format", "Json")
q.Set("api-key", "YOUR_API_KEY")
q.Set("item-type", "publication")
q.Set("identifier", "https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0028-0836")
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://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id")
uri.query = URI.encode_www_form({
"format" => "Json",
"api-key" => "YOUR_API_KEY",
"item-type" => "publication",
"identifier" => "https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0028-0836"
})
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://v2.sherpa.ac.uk/cgi/retrieve_by_id?" . http_build_query([
"format" => "Json",
"api-key" => "YOUR_API_KEY",
"item-type" => "publication",
"identifier" => "https://portal.issn.org/resource/ISSN/0028-0836"
]);
$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
- Register for a free API key at sherpa.ac.uk/romeo/api_user_register.php
- Look up a journal by ISSN or name
- Response shows permitted_oa — the allowed archiving locations
- Useful for checking if you can share your paper legally
What can you build with SHERPA RoMEO API?
SHERPA RoMEO 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
API Key authentication. You'll receive a key after signing up. Send it with every request — in a header or query parameter. Keep it out of client-side code and never commit it to version control. SHERPA RoMEO API is free to use up to a usage limit, making it a low-risk choice to experiment with.
New to APIs? Read our beginner's guide