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/mcp
Transport: Streamable HTTP
Auth: none — no API key required
Cost: free (fair-use rate limits)
Full setup guide: pubscope.org/mcp
| Tool | Arguments | What it does |
|---|
search_journals | query, 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_journal | issn | Full profile of one journal — trust score breakdown, indexing credentials, publisher, quartile, APC and integrity flags. |
compare_journals | issns (2–4) | Side-by-side comparison of 2–4 journals on trust, quartile, indexing and cost. |
check_citations | references | Verify 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)
claude mcp add --transport http pubscope https://pubscope.org/api/mcp
Cursor
Settings → MCP → Add new MCP server, or add to ~/.cursor/mcp.json:
{
"mcpServers": {
"pubscope": {
"url": "https://pubscope.org/api/mcp"
}
}
}
VS Code (GitHub Copilot)
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:
{
"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.